Ok, what has your baby shoplifted?!

[jec2]

Come on, fess up! I know it's happened to people other than me. Those strollers so easily hide the loot. And, yes, Ds is sliding into a life of crime. So far he has snatched cheese from the store and it wasn't until much later that I realized finn was holding "hot" havarti. And, no, I didn't return it! I was WAY too embarrassed. My friend's baby picked up a display shoe from a dept. store!

So, what has your kid lifted WITHOUT you knowing!

[daisymommy]

I'm sitting here with DH laughing because last week it was a pair of sunglassess I had let him hold to amuse himself with (aka. buy me 5 more minutes of time shopping)--and then I forgot he had them! I too was too embarrased to bring them back. Dh says I should though...

Today it was a hat at Children's Place he was wearing. The store was so crazy, kids running everywhere, and Joshua had the stroller canopy pulled down to his knees goofing off, so I never saw that he had it on. But the second I walked out the door--BEEP-BEEP-BEEP! Caught red handed! I took it off his head, tossed it on a shelf and high tailed it out of there!

[s_gosney]

Kylee hasn't lifted anything yet...she prefers ransacking the store instead. She's always pulling shirts off of hangers, hangers of off racks. Just today I caught her only seconds before she tumbled an entire display of animal crackers.
Perhaps if she would actually ride in her stroller, it would be different...

[MorganMom]

LOL This just happened to me the other day. We were at Trader Joe's and I bought like $100 worth of groceries...I pay and leave. Put Conor in the carseat and start putting bags into the car. Reach into the cart to shake out his Floppy Seat (cart cover) and out pops two cans of tomato paste! One landed on my foot and gave me a pretty good bruise, too.

Anyways, I tried to pay for them next time I was in the store (no way I was unpacking my kiddo from the car for 2 59Cent cants of tomato paste LOL). The cashier said not to even bother! She did thank me for being so honest tho! LOL

[luvbeinmama]

Hee, hee. We were at our local outlet stores and went into a linens shop. Well, I didn't buy anything, but they had little stuffed animals next to the register. I must have stopped by the rack, because several stores later I looked down & DS was playing with a little stuffed dog! I asked him where he got it, and he told me. We took it back then & there and I just put it back into the rack. I told the cashier what happened as I walked by. Then I had a stern talk with my son. They are sooo fast!

[jasabo]

What a funny question. We actually just stole something today. One of the boys had apparently picked up a small stuffed animal at Michaels when I wasn't looking. I noticed it when I was loading them into the car. I thought for a second about returning it but didn't feel like packing the boys back into the stroller.

A few weeks ago, one of the guys heisted a tester Estee Lauder concealer stick from a display in Robinsons May. I was halfway to the car before I realized it. Again - I didn't go back out of laziness.

This happens rather frequently with two grabby boys....I've taken to calling them my mules I hope this isn't the beginning of a life of crime for them :)

Lisa - mom to 15 month old twin boys

[kijip]

Well Toby has not shoplifted anything (yet!) but I will share the story of my Christmas monkey:

I was born in July so as the holidays approached I was about 5 months old. My parents say that while checking out of the grocery store I reached over (in a baby carrier) and fisted a little brown monkey with a plastic face. His hands clip on to things. He was hanging on a chain by the candy/gum/impulse purchases. My parents took monkey away and put him back BUT when they got home they realized they had a baby and a hot monkey stuffed into their carrier. So they went back to the store to return him but I would not let go. They decided to buy him. The manager was amused that I was so obsessed that he refused to take my parent's money for the monkey. My parents returned home and found the monkey a home on our christmas tree where he held a place of honor for 17 years....

until I stole him a second time from the decorations box the June I left home. When I was in college and taking care of my little brother we promoted the monkey to the top of the tree rather than buying star or angel. And there he has perched every year since....

[suribear]

The first time DD took a pair of boy's socks from Children's place. I didn't notice until later and was too tired to do anything! We still have them!

Another time, I had given her a stuffed animal in the Gap, while I was looking at other stuff. I forgot all about it and walked out with it, realized my mistake and turned back and explained what happened. I think this has happened in the Disney store, too, but I've always gone back to explain.

The most embarrassing was at the old Esprit outlet. DD was playing with a handbag. I forgot and walked out, the security thing went off, so I quickly scanned the stroller and found the bag. I threw it on a shelf and walked out FAST but the sales associate yelled "I saw that!" He thought I had tried to steal a $5 handbag!! I was too embarrassed to explain, and thankfully they were about to close down, so I never saw them again :)

Kris

[american_mama]

Oh, yes, we call her Five Fingered Amara. She's taken lots of stuff and even I have "taken" stuff when it was in my stroller basket and I missed it when purchasing other items. Really, it has happened enough times that it's hard to remember all the items... cheese, a stroller cupholder, a few small plastic toys from day care, etc. If it's a store I will visit again, I have once or twice brought the item back on a return visit and paid for it then. Other times, I just let it go.

[momathome]

When Liza was about 18 months-old, she shoplifed a pair of socks in Filene's in Boston - I did not realize until we were out at the car so there was no way I was returning them! More than once, Kasey has been holding a stuffed animal in a store that I did not realize she had until after we left but I do always make her return it. Fun stuff, huh? ;)

[Marisa6826]

Sophie grabbed a $1 pack of sippy cups at Target a couple weeks ago.

We had just finished paying for an entire cart of stuff, and she only THEN hands it to me.

I went back and paid, and the cashier was shocked I was honest about it!

Unfortunately, this problem seems to extend to my four legged kids too. Willy is guilty of having snagged hooves from the local petstore on his way out ;).

It's not MY fault they have them at floor level in a big metal bin!!

-m

[leanng]

Alex has pocketed a box of brown sugar face polish. I have NO idea where he took it from as it showed up in teh stroller one day. There's no tags on the box and i'm quite stressed that I can't return it or at least pay for it. Very embarassing to imagine getting 'buzzed' while leaving a store. :)

LeAnn
Mom to Alex 11/12/02

[Mommie2MadLyn]

I have to laugh at this because my DD has snagged things on a few occassions from Babies R Us. I can't remember what, but Trish (brigmaman) was with me when it happened! Do you remember what she took Trish?

Oh, she also wore DORA slippers out of Kmart once! I had put them on her to keep her happy in the store, and didn't realize until we were home that she still had them on! Oops!

[brigmaman]

Lol! I thought of you when I read this post! Definitely some Avent nipples. But, come on Tracey! This has happened a few times! ;)
AND I know there was something under the infant carrier in my cart, too!

[hez]

It's those little stuffed animals by the register that get you every time... There were little finger puppet animals near the register at our Carter's outlet last Spring. As I was buckling DS in I found one in his hand. I had to unbuckle him, take him and the puppet in to return the puppet and rush back out before I was too embarrassed!

[whittyanne]

Funny thread!! DS has come close to 'stealing' things a few times but I've always noticed last minute... but last week, I took stuff without realizing! I was at BRU, and I was buying one really big ticket item... under that were several smaller baby proofing items. I didn't even realize it until I got to the car and had put DS into his car seat... I was so tempted not to go back in out of laziness but I felt too guilty, so back in we went!

DS pulls stuff from the shelves all the time though so I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before he's filling up his criminal record LOL

[Buffys Mommy]

This is so funny. Sarah in the last month has developed into miss grabby hands. So far, I've caught her with everything, but...

About 3 months ago, we found a spoon in the basket of the stroller. We're not sure when she dropped it in there, or which restaurant we were in, but it was pretty funny none the less.

Tammie
Sarah Michelle 10/13/03

[Puddy73]

DD has never actually shoplifted anything, but she did throw a can of hickory-flavored SPAM in the shopping cart and I didn't notice it until I was unloading the groceries at home. I'm hoping that DH will be desperate for lunch one day and eat it.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle Mae 9/8/03

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

[deborah_r]

My son has done the opposite of shoplifting. I tried to buy him some stuff at Target and I let him hold some of them. When I got to the register two things were gone. He must have dropped them somewhere in the store. He's trying his best to save me money!!! "We don't need this crap, Mom, I'm throwing it on the floor!"

[jubilee]

Logan snagged a toothbrush. At least it was actually a baby toothbrush that I could use for him. I did go back and pay for it. They laughed and said it's normally candy, not toothbrushes, that kids are pocketing.

[babymama]

Santiago tried to steal a nectarine at the grocery store last week. He almost made off with it, but it fell out of the sling, just as we had finished paying for our groceries.

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03

[kransden]

DD has never shoplifted, but I have because of her. Checking out can be so hectic and I forgot there was a brush set in the cart. I found it after I put her in the car. The guard was outside, so just gave it to him when I drove by.

The other time I was at Wal-Mart. I hate the circular bagging system they have. The cart had trash in it (not mine)and I wasn't paying attention. When I left, the security system beeped at me. The door guy looked at my cart of over 200.00 worth of stuff and just waved me through. When I emptied the cart I found a toothbrush I had missed. there was no way I was going back for a 1.59 toothbrush.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02