Preschool teacher sends child home in another student's clothes that their parent brought in, mom is baffled: 'Clothes are really expensive and I can't afford to replace them'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Feb 3, 2026 10:00 AM EST

Kids are always losing things, but what if it wasn't their fault?

Sometimes you have to send your child to school with supplies. It's part of the hidden costs of being a parent. You have to buy stuff and send it to school with it, and you may never see it again. I don't know how many lunch boxes I lost over the course of my life. It's just part of being a kid; you're losing stuff all the time. Some people never grow out of that and have to go through adulthood, constantly losing things. But you can expect that from children. You will buy them everything they possibly need, and they will need 6 more of them within a week. But there are things you can do to mitigate this issue, like putting labels on items or being careful with them. But that didn't help in this story. 

Preschool can be a chaotic place. If you've ever been around a classroom full of children, then you know this. They are famously hard to wrangle, and they resist being wrangled at every turn. All they want to do is the opposite of whatever they're doing right now, especially if that's sitting in a classroom. All in all, preschool teachers have a lot to deal with. Not only do you have to watch over them and keep them safe, but you also have to attempt to teach them things. That is a whole lot of balls in the air, and we don't blame them if one of them gets dropped. But what happened in this story was over the line. 

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  • A mother hugs her young child after picking him up from school.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • After sending her child to school with all the required supplies, one mom knew to expect that she wouldn't get everything back. But when she saw a different child in her child's clothes, the ones that she specifically packed for her, she had a lot more to think about. She wondered how that situation could have come to pass and what she could do about it. She didn't want this to keep happening, and didn't know how to mitigate it. Read on to see what happened in the story.

  • Would I be in the wrong if I asked my daughter's preschool teacher not to put the extra clothes that I sent for her on other students?

    So my daughter started school last Wednesday, and the teacher asked us to send pull-ups, wipes, and a change of clothes for her. I sent quite a few pull-ups, and a brand new pack of wipes, and an outfit as requested. Only the bottoms for her outfit came back, and I saw another student from
    via u/feelingstruck
  • her class, wearing her shirt when I went to pick her up. Now, I don't mind if the teacher needs to use some of my daughter's pull-ups for the other kids, or even some of her wipes. I'll send extra of those things if needed because I understand what it's like to be the parent that can't provide that.
    via u/feelingstruck
  • However, when it comes to her clothes, I'm not OK with sharing. For starters, if they get sent home on a kid (like the shirt did) then there's a chance that the school won't get it back, and clothes are really expensive and I can't afford to replace them like that. It all pretty much boils down to the fact that my daughter
    via u/feelingstruck
  • doesn't really have that many clothes to begin with, so I can't really afford for them to get ruined, or for them not to get sent back. So, I'm just curious if it would make me the asshole if I talk to her teacher the next day that she goes to school, and tell her that I'm not comfortable with her using her clothes for other children.
    via u/feelingstruck
  • A mother consoles her little son on the steps of his school
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Commenters agreed that this was unacceptable.

    gc... That is so inappropriate, if the child had no clothes and the school has no back up clothes they pphone the parent. They definitely shouldn't take another child's clothes. What would happen if they gave her clothes away and she had an accident and needed them??
    via u/gc_Bill5049
  • Vegetable Stuff1... ΝΤΑ I worked in childcare for 10 years and would never have put clothes from one child on a non-related (direct sibling in the same household) child.
    via u/Vegetable_Stuff1850
  • Speak to the room leader, and speak to someone above. Ask them to contact the family of the child who was wearing your daughters clothes to be returned.
    via u/Vegetable_Stuff1850
  • Vequihellin NTA. It's wildly inappropriate for the school to be giving away your property. If it were me, I'd be raising it with the teacher and the head of the facility. As you say, sharing the pull ups and wipes is one thing but clothes is totally another.
    via u/Vequihellin
  • I'm petty, too, so I might be the kind of person who sends spare clothes festooned with my child's name and a massive tag inside saying 'Property of $Child's name, if found please return to/please call XXZ'.
    via u/Vequihellin
  • Rare_Sugar_7927 NTA depending on how you approach it. I'd probably say to the teacher I noticed that my daughter's clothes weren't all returned in her pack, and that I think I saw her tee on another child. Ask what happened, it might have been a genuine
    via u/Rare_Sugar_7927
  • mistake that someone grabbed the wrong pack. Basically give them a chance to explain. If they say yeah we put whatever clothes on whichever kid, then I'd be asking them not to do that.
    via u/Rare_Sugar_7927
  • Galaxy6611 NTA. Maybe there was a mixup but it should still be addressed. It would have been less awkward if you brought it up immediately but it's still a valid concern. I'd also suggest labeling them from now on just to be
    via u/Galaxy6611
  • safe. maybe even putting them in a zip lock with their name on it as well. Personally I would be upset on either end of the spectrum loosing the clothes and having someone else's childs clothes put on my child not knowing what is made of, what detergent was used, if they are even clean, ect
    via u/Galaxy6611
  • TeenySod NTA, and honestly, I wouldn't EVER tell the school you are OK with any other stuff being used either. Speak to the principal.
    via u/TeenySod
  • The parents need to supply, and if they can't or won't then the school needs to handle it. "Emergencies" happen (e.g. sick child means more changes than usual needed) and schools/nurseries themselves should be
    via u/TeenySod
  • prepared - keep spare pullups, and clothes in various sizes - it's not like baby/toddler clothes are in short supply at charity shops and clean and decent is all that's needed. They can then work out billing any costs to the parents involved. Stay out of it and shut down that entitlement instantly with a strongly worded email (get it in writing).
    via u/TeenySod
  • CrabbiestAsp NTA. They shouldn't be sharing items like that. I understand some parents. might not pack enough, but what if you can only just afford what you pack. The centre needs to fix this issue within themselves, not with what is packed for other kids.
    via u/CrabbiestAsp
  • Koquet NTA. The teacher had no right to do that, whatever item you sent your kid with is only exclusively should be for your kid alone. That teacher needs to be talked to and if possible, go over her head and inform a higher authority about that incident, to ensure it never happens again and for proper documentation.
    via u/Koquet
  • mashleyd Well just go in soft because are you sure is not just that you both have the same shirt? But yeah NTA... although if the issue is need or something maybe starting a community fund or something that will help the school buy items other families might struggle with?
    via u/mashleyd
  • cassquach1990 Preschool teacher here - did you check to make sure it was your child's shirt on another student? Pretty often multiple students have similar or identical items of clothing. It could be that the shirt was put on by accident as well; was it labeled? If it
    via u/cassquach1990
  • was done on purpose that is absolutely not okay - one time in an extreme situation I sent a child home in our dress up clothes because my spares ran out again, but I would never intentionally put another child's clothes on someone else.
    via u/cassquach1990

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school kids teachers teacher clothes mom children preschool
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