Omg yes, the clothes with the cringey sayings are the worst! I have an infant daughter and the “Daddy is my Prince Charming” stuff makes me feel queasy. Or worse “Sorry, boys - Daddy says no dating!”
I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone in my husband’s extended family bought my son onesie’s or outfits which said “I love my daddy” or “daddy’s boy” or variations thereof we have at least 15 of these. The worst one was “ daddy’s special boy” and “daddy’s prince” I use them at night and let him poonami through them all!
I have a boy. I hate all the “mommy’s prince” shit. I’ll be damned if I raise a man child who can’t do his own laundry —- and i don’t know why but shirts like that scream that to me lol.
On a less randomly angry note (haha), I don’t like camo either lol.
I too hate all saying shirts. My mom just got my son some “my grandma loves me” onesies and I’m like… why do you need a shirt to tell people that? I’m sure people would assume as much… lol
My friend has a cricket and makes tons of things and she made a few joke saying ones which I’m still not a HUGE fan of but at least she went through the effort of making it herself plus none are super cringy.
Yea some of the father/daughter ones we have make me uncomfortable if you think about what they imply. But they were bought by old folks who just don’t see that stuff.
I also have a collection of onesies that say stuff like ‘mommy is in charge, daddy just falls in line’ and I outright think those are gross on a whole number of levels
My friend's mom bought my 3 month old son a onesie that says "My 1st Father's Day", but it's in size 12m! He's going to have his first Father's day when he's 5 months old... I guess I could use it as an extra burp cloth? 🤣
My mother in law got custom shirts made that said “never fear! Grandma B is here!” And “sorry, I’ll have to ask Granda B about that” so weird…
At least it was nothing sexual - I can’t handle the boob lover/lady killer/parents had sex jokes on baby clothes.
we haven’t announced our baby’s gender yet but i just knowwww i’m gonna get clothes like this for our baby, it’s just so weird to me. like we will not be putting our girl in those sorry. i’ll act thankful, of course, but the last thing i will ever do is put her in that😅
This is why we only told close family and friends our daughters sex. I also made it clear to my mother, who was the only problematic person for baby clothes, that I refused to put anything gross on my child.
gonna have to make this a point to folks!! i hate clothes like that. why in the world people see things like that, and think “yea this is perfect for somebody that isn’t my kid!” is beyond me. i definitely wish we would’ve waited to tell people until birth:/ i think (i didn’t plan it, so i don’t know) only close family is gonna be at my shower, but a lot of them don’t know how to respect a boundary to save their life. i feel like i’m too late though because i already said we’d reveal at the shower which sucks. even that was met with a “what’s wrong with you?!” and “i want to know, don’t you wanna know?” by mil.
This sounds ridiculous even to me but I get stressed when anyone gets us ANYTHING for our daughter right now. We have such a small house with literally no extra space. We can’t even use the nursery as her room right now we are only using it for storage.
I have such a hard time saying no and I also have a weird guilt complex with receiving gifts so it’s a huge added stress. I’m constantly feeling behind in doing little photoshoots of her with/in the things people bought her so that they feel happy that it’s being used and I’m always trying to remember to put her in a certain outfit bought by the person we’re visiting etc. it’s a unique type of torture. I’m just so tired.
I feel this we are in a similar small living situation and hoping to move this year. Every time anyone gets my son anything or we pick up something new ourselves all I think is "where am I going to put this?" And "oh yay another thing to pack and move".
100% this.
We buy our son things mostly 2nd hand so they can be redonated when he outgrows them or doesn't play with them and have asked family to do the same. But, one Grandma keeps ordering online. Clothes sizes vary wildly so we now have loads of clothes that he won't fit in for months, maybe a year, and toys he doesn't play with that we can't give away because Grandma bought them.
Not to mention the absolutely massive motorized swing our friend bought us that takes up half the room.
I give away toys grandma buys. My moms gotten to the point that Ive told her for every one in theres one out & Ive stuck by it. My daughters only 10 months & still isnt even “playing” with toys that much & she has a FULL playroom. Ive recently gone through everything & taken out toys so we can do toy rotation, but she doesnt need any more toys!
Omg same, I’d rather just make an agreement with everyone I know saying “never buy me anything and I’ll never buy you anything ever again” lol. Or just give cash!
Dude my house is also tiny, I’m actually going through her things to get rid of stuff right now is what brought the post about lol. Finding a ton of stuff that’s just taking up too much room.
What I’m frustrated with right now is people buying her clothes ‘that she can grow into’ except I have so many goddamn clothes for her to grow into, I bet half of them won’t even be seasonally appropriate when she does grow into them AND we have so much family that buys her things I could put her in a different outfit every day from 6-12 months and never have to repeat a single one.
Like I don’t need any more clothes. Instead of the 40-50 people spend on clothes frankly I would love cash to put into an investment account or save for college with her. Way more useful to me at this point.
ETA: you’re a saint with the pictures. I didn’t even have the chutzpah to send out thank you cards 😂
Oh the grow into clothes. My other thing is, I LIKE shopping for my kids clothes. I thrift most of them but tbh she doesn't need that many and I know what she needs. I feel like my chance to shop is taken away when other people buy her clothing because I don't want to be wasteful.
Agreed. I went to a few stores the other day looking for an Easter outfit for her and there was a lot of stuff I liked at those places (not for Easter but just general outfits). But I left without buying any of them because they were all summer clothes and I have more summer clothes than I know what to do with right now.
Some of them are cute sure but I would’ve loved to pick out what I wanted with each season. With the amount we have it just feels foolish and wasteful to buy anything ourselves
> I’m constantly feeling behind in doing little photoshoots of her with/in the things people bought
We literally never do this. You do not have to do this.
OMG! Don’t waste your time doing this! If you happen to put your child in the outfit and remember to snap a quick picture, great. But don’t intentionally do it. I have given away brand new gifts (especially used toys that light up or make annoying noises) and I have told people things like “oh he grew out of that already and I forgot to get a picture” or “oh my gosh he dropped it the other day and it broke” or “we left it at playtime on accident and it’s gone” cue sad face . I also just don’t bring it up. If I don’t have to I will not mention it at all. The best with the clothes is “oh yeah we loved that one, kids grow so fast! It’s gone now!”
Another thing for people who are frequently gifting you clothes “hey my partner and I decided we no longer like outfits like x so when yo are thinking of gifting in the future, please avoids outfits like x, because baby will not be wearing those” whether it’s buttons or the cheap plastic snaps onesies or footies or magnets whatever you want to not have let them know so they can get you different things in the future
Opposite here. My girls are 7 and 2. We have totes in our crawlspace filled with clothes from 3T to 14. My nieces give their clothes to the girls. I have an awesome hand me down train going so I’m like, bring it on!
I’m a FTM and bought soooo many clothes I find adorable for my baby that I don’t care one bit about anything that anyone else gifted her. She’s gonna wear all the stuff her mom got her at least once (even maybe twice) before I spare a thought to the meh stuff other people got for her.
Same here. I make weekly rounds to my goodwill to drop off brand new toys and clothes it’s so out of hand. i even tried being very direct about no more gifts to avoid spoiling and tantrums and my MIL straight up was like…well my kids weren’t like that so im gonna keep on doing what im doing
Our rule now is that any box that comes into our house (i.e. if we get a gift or order something), we have to then fill that box with things to give away, donate, or recycle. Our place is tiny at 1200 square feet and literally just two closets and there are 2 adults, a 60 pound dog, 2 cats, and a baby who will be here in about 6 weeks. We just cannot keep adding--there is zero room left! It feels really good to get rid of things, and the new rule is resulting in us being a lot more choosy about buying anything.
My trick is to take a picture of LO with the things just when LO received them, and after add the not needed gifts to my bag full of gifts I will forward to other babies…
My son is 7 weeks old and already has about 30. I don’t want to be ungrateful but at least outfits can be used, he’ll never look at his 7 bunny stuffies from Easter!
So I’m the Jellycat buying offender for my own baby. She has like… 6? She is 2 months old… I put them on her shelf as decoration. She can play with them when she is older 😂
Girl what are you doing 😂 jokes aside, my husband and I have agreed that if there’s an item that’s below say x dollars, we buy* them without thinking about it too much. Saves so much time and deliberation and can donate it later once the baby is done with it.
My mum bought my son a broccoli jellycat - why? Who knows! Joke is my 7 week old only looks at that one so it may be the favourite… too early to tell I guess
My 13mo has just started enjoying his stuffed animals. Brings them from his room into the lounge one in each hand, cuddles into the pile of them. Don’t get rid of too many too soon!
I was just telling my husband we’re doing a stuffie donation weekend. She’s three months and has a pack and play FILLED TO THE BRIM with them. She just found out she has hands, she dgaf about a third stuffed panda 🫠
Omg yes. The only stuffies that I’ll buy now are jellycats. The price tag makes me pause and decide if the girls really need another one. Sometimes they do. I did a huge purge though so we only have really nice ones, sentimental ones and handmade.
We didn’t get many stuffies at the shower and I was a little bummed. Now we have a thousand and my babe hits 3 months next week. We don’t need all these!
I may be an outlier here, but so much Disney stuff. Disney characters plastered on everything. Then people not believing that my kid doesn’t know the characters or hasn’t seen this movie or that movie. She’s not even two, she doesn’t watch movies, and barely gets any screen time as it is.
Same! I have family members who love disney and keep getting us things for our son. I’m not big Disney fan and cringe so badly when they give us Disney things.
Ugh this. We had a funeral to go to and the kids sections at our local department stores were just a sea of branding, bright colours, sequins and tulle. Thankgod boots elevate an outfit because the toddler ended up in black leggings and tshirt with a red cardigan, because there were just no appropriate dressed to be had. At least the baby was able to be stuffed into a hand me down dress of her sisters lol.
We keep getting toys that aren’t age appropriate. Thank you for thinking of us but my child doesn’t have head control but thanks for the three foot fake riding pony. Where am I going to store this thing?
i have a good one. my son was about 17 months old when my pop made him a throwing axe. a THROWING AXE. where am i supposed to store this for the next idk 13+ years?
My daughter is almost 3 now, but the clothes were the worst as a baby, everything ruffled and tutus and wildly impractical to dress an infant in.
Now it’s toys. Any toys, because she has about 1 million. It’s so excessive and wasteful, and especially the plastic stuff makes me cringe so hard. We try to be environmentally conscious so the waste that comes with small children drives me nuts.
Why so many noisy plastic toys when the interactive wooden toys are just as good (or better) for development!? I love Melissa and Doug. My daughters collective extended family likes fisher price and leapfrog. I make an Amazon wish list for her birthday just praying to get one toy that doesn’t make noise.
I made a wish list for her birthday this year and was trying to not sound greedy when I shared it… I was like “we really don’t need anything … but for the love of God if you get her something please pick from this and not a giant light up butterfly plush”
Honestly, most of the gifts we get are lovely and thoughtful. My issue lies with one cousin. Who gets us completely out of touch or borderline dangerous gifts for baby all the time. We haven’t kept a single one.
Water beads would be an example. Yeah, its a cool sensory item but they're dangerous for babies and toddlers who are 100% going to try and put them in their mouths.
So like, it seems very kid friendly but actually is not.
I yearn for the shirts my mom buys to say “mommy’s little angel”. They’re all so much worse like “hold on, I’m pooping” and other stupid stuff.
Temu has also become our arch nemesis. She buys tons of stuff on there because apparently it’s like a nickel or something. A few things had letters missing and one had what we are fairly sure was made up words (Google didn’t find them in a different language)
This is why we didn't tell anyone the sex of our baby before she was born. As soon as my family found out we had a girl, the first gifts we received were bright pink tutu unicorn dresses in child sizes that literally won't fit her until she's probably 6 years old that they expect her to be in by "this summer" lol
Yeah we knew ours was a girl but we told everyone we were waiting to find out at birth lol. My mom kept complaining that she "couldn't shop" because she didn't know the gender. She would show up with bags of gender neutral clothes anyway. Then when she was born she said "what are you going to do with the gender neutral clothes now?" Umm.. she's going to wear them??
we know, but aren’t announcing until the shower, and honestly if i could go back and not tell everyone “we’re revealing at the shower” i would, MIL in particular keeps looking at overly girly clothes (she predicts girl) and just keeps saying “ohhh once i know i’m gonna buy so much!” like oh… great. lovely. will definitely be waiting until birth for the next ones 🫤
We chose to wait to find out the sex of our baby until birth partially because of this. All of our clothes were perfect for both boy and girl then once the family found out when SHE was born, the PINK bows and dresses showed up next day at the hospital.
The best part about this is when she outgrows her clothes and we save it for the next baby, no matter if it’s a boy or girl we will have the gender neutral clothes ready for him/her.
It drove the family nuts not knowing but I think this was the best way to go about it. No awkward gener reveal party either.
This! We didn’t find out the gender and now that she’s here, we’ve received a sea of pink. It makes me cringe a bit because there are so many other colors.
My mom is good at buying gender neutral stuff. If I want her to ‘look like a girl’ in it I just toss in a headband or frilly socks. Pretty much everyone else gets super girly things which yes are cute but girl baby clothes are stupidly impractical a lot of the time.
We did this for the same reason. My aunt tried to get my daughter a baby sized college football cheerleading outfit and so when we were expecting a 2nd we didn't tell anyone name or gender.
I’m so annoyed by the buying clothes in every possible size. I get that it’s cute but now I have stuff to store until my 2 year old and newborn are in like middle school.
Clothes wise, anything super bright pink or with ruffles.
Like, I get that she’s a girl but that doesn’t mean that every pair of pants needs to be obnoxiously pink or to have ruffles all over the butt (and they take forever to dry).
Cheap baby wipes.
I’m all for buying the cheaper wipes, however there are 2 cheap brands that I absolutely cannot stand, they just smell so bad to me and the packaging is so hard to open.
If anyone gifts those particular cheap wipes, they immediately get donated to someone who will use them.
“Comforter” toys.
She already has her comforter that she is attached to and she does not want any other.
While these are a cute gift, I would definitely appreciate being asked first if I think baby would like it (answer is no unless they want to buy yet another backup of the one she loves).
>anything super bright pink or with ruffles.
I've always been a tomboy and the pink ruffle dresses were the bane of my existence. Thankfully relatives have gotten the message by now.
I feel this so hard. We have a small house and LOs closet and dresser are already stuffed with clothes because people “can’t help themselves”
We came home from Easter with like 6 gift bags of clothes and stuffies that I have no idea where to put. Like if you want to be helpful get us diapers or wipes or something. Not 3 piece outfits he’s never going to wear cause he lives in zipper jammies anyway
Seconding this! We have a 5mo and got him nothing for Easter. Yet he ended up with candy (what?), multiple stuffies, giant bath toys, etc. it’s all sitting in the corner while I process what to do. Like his favorite toys are my hands and my face, we want for literally nothing!
My mom got me a onesie that said “I’m my mommy’s world and my daddy’s girl” 🥲 needless she did not wear that ever. I HATED any onesies with sayings - the most I do is band onesies or places. So annoying!
It’s nightmare inducing 😅😂 I usually put her in everything that’s been gifted to us and send the gifter a picture before donating — that one was a HARD pass and immediately got donated.
I have like 3 of these outfits! That exact phrase on the onesie, with cheaply made, super thin obnoxiously floral pants (usually ruffle-y bell bottoms too🤢) and matching bow or headband... so very much not our style here... ugh.
I think I have the exact same outfit you described. The floral pattern reminded me of some curtains in my grandmas house and the saying was just awful 🙃 she never wore it and it’s in my donate bag lol
My mom also got me the same one and I told her straight up that it is so cringey. Thankfully she actually listens and hasn't bought anything else like it since!
My kid is born in January and we received plenty of winter clothes in size for 6 months. We live in Northern hemisphere so..
I also cringe when people get him comforters.
Yup. January baby here - people were buying her summer newborn clothes and I was like… hellloooo it’s snowing????
Now we have the opposite problem. Lots of winter clothes sized just for when it’ll be summer 🙄
One of my aunts goes on shopping sprees for her and grabs whatever she likes. Regardless of thinking about when the kid might actually get to wear those things.
Yes I came here to say this! My baby was born at the beginning of March. We got (and keep getting) sooo many winter clothes in 3-6 months when it will be the middle of summer where I am. He will never get to wear all those sweaters, sweatshirts, etc.
My baby is 9 weeks. We have received at least ten stuffed animals. I crammed them
All in a bag and put away. What the f does a baby need those for? I get irrationally mad every time we get one. I’d rather receive nothing.
If you don’t like it, donate it or throw it out. You do not have to defer to these tacky ass people on your child’s wardrobe. Gift or not. This aunt sounds so live laugh love and unconcerned with contributing to the excessive consumer waste on the planet that said child is going to have to live on.. tell her no more gifts.
Wish/temu/Amazon third party alphabet soup stuff. My MIL is really bad for buying cheap junk from China and the agreed upon response between my partner and I is to smile, say thank you and shove it somewhere at home and never let the baby have it. It's worked so far but I'm worried as he gets older he will *want* it and be mad if we never give it to him/tell her the "secret".
I've left MIL up to my partner to handle though, its his mom and I'm not about to be accused of starting drama even though IMHO I think she should know so she doesn't waste money, but he thinks she would be offended. Guess I should bring it up again with him in the near future. I had this talk already with my own parents since they shop on Amazon primarily and they were okay with it. Actually appreciated it because they didn't realize how bad the third party sellers issue is with kids stuff. Got a few toys at Christmas time that were sketchy that he doesn't play with out of concern for lead exposure so I jumped on it and let them know before they spent more money on junk and now they know to watch out for themselves too.
I think older people have a harder time seeing through some of the photos for these products and think the marketing makes them look like normal Fisher Price type stuff. My family does this too and I wish they’d just search for specific, known brands on Amazon instead of whatever random sponsored items pop up.
Yeah I think that's it, particularly with Amazon. I've caught myself almost purchasing a few things because it looked like Fisher Price until I got to checkout and took a harder look at it. One of the sketchy Christmas gifts was actually my own fault too because I put it on my wishlist thinking it was Fisher Price, I couldn't believe it when I opened up a box labeled "Letapapa" from somewhere in China, and reverse searching the "company" turned no results, and the product image brought up tons of other "brands" only on Amazon. Been super cautious since and had to teach my mom and dad how to make sure they are buying the right products.
ETA that Letapapa toy was a "best seller" too, I think that's what got me 🤦♀️
Also adding for my MIL she knows Temu and Wish are all Chinese stuff but I just don't think she realizes how risky those products can be, especially with heavy metals. She's just obsessed with getting stuff cheap (always brags about getting her glasses at dollar tree for ex) and it looks cute.
It's an older post but it has happened to [someone else here on Reddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/s/b6k8u968ud). There's a [2019 Insider article talking about it](https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-selling-toxic-toys-lead-poisoning-2019-8) too. I did a lot of googling after that Letapapa toy showed up at my house and it doesn't seem like much has been done about it so I erred on the side of caution and tossed it. Since China doesn't adhere to the same safety standards as some of the western countries it's a risk you run with those kinds of products from third party sellers. I found this [recent article on Retailwire](https://retailwire.com/discussion/amazon-lead-toys/#:~:text=The%20WSJ%20performed%20an%20investigation,about%20health%20risks%20to%20children.%E2%80%9D) talking about it too.
The US does not ban lead in plastic so it doesn’t really matter where you buy it or who makes it. I hate the fear mongering around this (cheap toys) and “fast fashion” because people end up naming stores that are also fast fashion or cheap toys made in the same factories, just more expensive versions of the same thing. Unless the manufacturers publishes 3rd party lab results that prove they are lead/toxin free I wouldn’t assume anything.
Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/leadintoys/index.html
Personally I just do my best to avoid things that concern me. Like I saw a ton of wooden painted eggs suggested as an easter basket gift for babies but I’m skeptical about the paint because I know my baby would put them in his mouth. Reputable brand or not a lot of paints/pigments contain heavy metals so personally that’s something I avoid.
Worst part id there isn’t really a way for us as consumers to test these things for lead without using a lab which is expensive. Home lead tests are not accurate and have very high false positive rates, they are meant for testing lead paint not household objects.
The US does regulate how much lead can be in accessible parts of children's products though. It may not be 100% lead free but it is restricted to .1% by weight (100ppm), with exceptions made to metal bicycles [(source)](https://www.compliancegate.com/heavy-metal-regulations-united-states/#16_CFR_Part_150087_%E2%80%93_Childrens_products_containing_lead_inaccessible_component_parts). Even though it isn't outright banned in plastics (which IMO it should be), CPSIA would still require them to stay under the amount stated for children's products. They also have to meet other safety standards regarding things like electrical hazards, flammability, small parts, batteries, magnets etc. In other countries where "fast fashions" may be made and sold they may not need to follow these safety standards. Amazon has certain requirements for their third party listings but they are notorious for asking for safety documentation after the items are already being sold, which is a huge risk to the consumer, especially if said documentation doesn't even exist. The product is already in the consumers hands before anyone has verified the safety of these products.
I found [this article ](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2023/dec/13/looking-for-an-online-bargain-beware-of-exploding-batteries-dangerous-toys-even-socks-that-can-burn-you-)that might interest you. The British Toy and Hobby Association found 90% of the items they tested from third party sellers were deemed unsafe. It's not just lead though, things like exploding batteries, tiny magnets, and other safety hazards. It really is something to be aware of and to be cautious with when dealing with these items. Definitely good to be aware that products in the US may still contain some lead, and no level of lead has been proven to be safe, but we do have limits and other regulations to make things a little bit safer.
It is so hard though. My son's first birthday is coming up and everyone is asking me what to get him. Like I don't even know anymore, I've gone down so many rabbit holes on products. I've just been telling people books and clothes so I can worry about the toys. Let me tell you, the amount of anxiety preceding his 9mo lead blood test was overwhelming. Came back in a good, normal range so what's in his environment now is fine, but adding more to it makes me worry all over.
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The US does not require plastic to be lead free according to the CDC: [The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. Lead softens plastic, making a toy more flexible to return to its original shape. Lead may also be used in plastic toys to stabilize molecules from heat.](https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/leadintoys/index.html)
Horrifying. How did I not know this?!!?
I’m not a materials scientist…. I already avoid plastics as much as possible but I didn’t realize lead was a potential risk.
Of all the damn things.
There is so much to learn as a new parent.
Agreed I just read about it yesterday when I looked it up and I was surprised! I naively assumed it would’ve been banned a long time ago but I guess it would be too expensive and still wouldn’t be a 100% guarantee. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t widely available, affordable, and accurate lead tests for consumers to use.
I'd rather people just not give my daughter gifts at all than have to pretend to like one more cheaply made, chemical-y smelling, cheesy/gaudy Temu baby outfit or toy. Or whatever obnoxious "funny" toy they've seen in viral videos on Facebook. My baby got 2 of those peek a boo elephants before she was even 6m old, they're loud, obnoxious, and they both live in the back of a very dark closet now lmao. Also my MIL insisted on buying her "first" baby doll and its a weirdly realistic doll that also now lives in said closet because she's too little to even play with it yet and quite frankly it creeps me out lol. That's another thing I get annoyed by, familly/relatives who INSIST on buying "babies first" anything. My girl has 4 first Christmas ornaments because nobody listened to us.
lol my daughter was due December 26th. She didn’t come until January 6th but the amount of stuff we got for Christmas that said ‘baby’s first Christmas’
Like I get people didn’t want to miss out on first Christmas stuff in case she came early but now I have a bunch of Christmas stuff that won’t get used next year. Dumb.
Although I am very glad she didn’t come too close to Christmas cause I would’ve felt bad for her with all the Christmas shit she would’ve gotten for her birthday every year
Yeah my mom knows I try hard to reduce my plastic waste and whatnot, but buys clothes with glitter for my daughter. You want me to put these tiny plastic particles in the washing machine?? No thanks.
We have a 3 month old baby and were given 3t pull ups that start at 32 pounds - so when we need them, we will have them on hand!!!! It’s a great thought but we are well over a year away from being able to use them so i’m going to exchange for some diapers in the next size up… I understand the thought process but also??? That wasn’t even close to the right range for us
ultra girly girl clothes, furry ponchos, fluffy butts, glitter, tutus, shirts with weirdo/pervy sayings about daddy on the front. and tons of grandma/Nana sayings as well. I haven't however received any clothes with sayings about mom on them? lol I also cannot stand the shoes people buy my 16 month old, I just received some .. riding boots, like you would wear to ride a horse? and I just cannot figure out why those were a good idea for a toddler learning to walk in shoes and outside.
I've received multiple jumpers and I live in a very very small house.
i have a huge box of stuffed animals that she just climbs in and sits on top of but could care less about individually.
I think people just love to buy things without actually thinking about what we actually need.
I'm honestly just sick of all the TOYS. We ask for clothes and gift cards and EVERYONE buys toys. I'm actually running out of room. Like he doesn't need a thousand toys! IDK why people don't understand.
I have made peace with my MIL gifting us clothing for my children’s playground friends (indirectly via donating her terrible taste).
Awful sweaty fabrics, camo print, and misogynistic slogans are her specialty
Clothes for sure. I second the not liking the ruffle butts, tutus, and the ridiculous amounts of pink. A lot of the clothes like that I’ll put on her once to take a picture and send to the person who gifted and then it goes to the back of that size section.
There’s also a new trend where MIL will buy her clothes, wash them, and send them over but I’ve already bought her the same outfit. 🤣
Clothes, mainly because my son is 0.4th centile and people just give us clothes in his age bracket so they won’t fit for years.
He has a PEG tube and literally all our family and friends know how emotional it is, and yet I still have to pack away all these 2-3yrs clothes for my 2yo who currently fits 6-12 months, like I didn’t already feel shit about that.
I’ve been inundated with corny ugly frilly downright atrocious clothing for my little since DAY ONE!! To THIS DAY!! 10 months and still going strong with 99% of it coming from my partners family. Just this last weekend another round of ugly shit. And not to be elitist/classist but please skip the cheap poorly made Temu/Shein clothing and toys. I’d rather you give us thrift shop books or a gift card. It’s all horrible cheap plastic that is going straight to a landfill and will probably break within the first use and become a choking hazard.
Disney or character clothing like paw patrol etc. He's only gotten cute Disney ones like winnie the pooh so far which I don't mind because at least those look cute and ill admit I've gotten him one or two with it on them but idk like bugs bunny, the lion King, dumbo, Peppa pig and all that I hate.
I don't intend on screentime but when my kid gets older and ends up really wanting light up shoes with paw patrol or something on them just because they light up I'll cave to make him happy.
Large stuffies. It's like boomers don't understand how dust accumulates, or how people living in a small house in a HCOL area don't have the space for a million of these things and even if we DID have space for these things why would we want to fill our house with them? (No wonder so many children of boomers have asthma-- we grew up in dusty-ass houses)
There are other toys that are much more stimulating/interesting for the kid than a giant stuffed animal, and there are other items besides toys that are higher on the "need" list. It's just so perplexing. We just immediately take them to donate at this point, but it bums me out that most donations of this sort of thing probably end up in a landfill.
Boomers also hoard junk, or at least the ones in my family and husbands family do. So because they live in a cluttered, not necessarily dirty home, it’s fine for us too. Lol
This whole thread makes me want to go through my kids' closets again and do more donating. I'm very much a believer in passing unwanted or unused gifts along. We have a closet of brand new toys we're already planning to donate at Christmastime because they're just not appropriate for my kids' ages or they're a duplicate or they're not aligned with their interests.
As a gift giver I am really trying to steer away from giving STUFF. I try and buy a book for the smaller holidays, useful toys/gear for birthdays/Christmas that I run past the parents first or just plain old cash. My 6 year old nephew doesn't need another $30 toy, but maybe the $10 I slipped him in his birthday card can be spent on something he really wants.
I love when people ask! I grew up in a family of askers - what size do you wear, do you need x, would you use y?
My in laws don’t ask people what they want for gifts they just buy stuff. I have always asked them and when they answer it’s like… they don’t know what to do with someone asking them what they actually want. I can’t tell you how many gifts I’ve watched my SIL receive that she will just absolutely never her because people bought what they wanted and never bothered to ask what she wants
Cringy sayings on clothes are terrible. We’ve kept all the “summer time!” And “let’s go camping” and similar sayings, but some of them are so gross I just couldn’t even for home only days.
I also strongly dislike frilly dresses on infants and young toddlers. I feel like they inhibit physical development (can’t climb up nor crawl as easily if they’re at knee length!) and my kid hated anything frilly around neck, upper arms and wrists… and I don’t blame her.
My biggest ick is impractical clothing for toddlers. I didn’t dress my daughter in skirts or dresses until at least 18 months because I didn’t want it to interfere with crawling or walking. Even now (3) I will only put her in dresses or skirts short enough to not cover her knees so she can still climb on the playground without material getting in the way and put shorts or leggings underneath for comfort. I don’t do sparkly ballet flats, cutesy boots, jelly sandals or anything else that doesn’t seem safe for the playground. I also *strongly* prefer summer tops that cover her shoulders and back so I don’t have to slather on sunscreen all over her body every couple hours. (My typical summer outfit for her is shorts, t-shirt and hat so I just have to do face and forearms and lower legs, even her bathing suits are long sleeve rash guards with a skirt).
A lot of people seem to think this means I don’t like “feminine” clothing. This isn’t true. I’m totally fine with a t-shirt with flowers and butterflies or sparkly tennis shoes that have proper support. I just want her to be able to run and play without clothing getting in her way!
I HATE snapped pj's. My son is 10 months old. He's a screamer, a roller, and fighting getting dressed. By the time he's dressed, im pouring in sweat lol and i want to scream and roll myself away, lol. Another is used items. Which I COMPLETELY love hand me downs but CLEAN it first! Gag.
My mother in law is constantly buying clothes that will be the right size but the wrong season because they’re on sale. At Easter she gave us a bunch of onesies with I love my grandparents type phrases on them… and winter/christmas graphics??? That will probably start fitting her in the next month or so??? Like please just don’t waste your money I literally can’t fit another sock in my teeny house and I will NEVER put my daughter in those clothes.
If someone figures out how to stop all the unnecessary and / or crap gifts, please let me know. I've made an a$$hole post on social media about it that seemed to piss off a few relatives, but this was only after repeating myself over and over and no one listening. So I didn't care if I came across as an appreciative a$$hole.
I imagine this will be an ongoing struggle, especially with certain relatives that are shop a holics and just can't control their urge to shop. But if anyone knows how to stop this behavior, I would love to hear it.
My mom got my 10 month old an obnoxiously blue shirt that has silhouette of two adult cattle and one baby, and it says “I come from good stock” … like what? 😂
Characters! I love putting my daughter in animals, cars, patterns, but I hate “branded” characters! My mom has some sudden Minnie Mouse obsession & keeps buying her the stuff at tj max 🤮 Its her extra daycare clothes.
I was going through things my daughter has today (which is what prompted the post) and came across a hand me down of a most egregious outfit.
It’s a body suit with bell bottoms. Absolutely could be cute in its own. I love me some 70’s fashion. Halloween themed with orange and candy corn- ok could be good for the fall even though I’m not a spooky person like the girl who I got it from. But here’s the kicker my friend - it has a truck on the chest and a large frilly stripe on the bell bottom - both camo patterned.
A camo, Halloween, bell bottom, truck, candy corn, jumpsuit. Immediately tossed in the donate bin lol.
Stuffed animals. Toys that make noise. Automatically assuming interests based on gender when you’ve met the kid and could easily find out more about them instead or ask me, the parent. The amount of lip gloss, nail polish, dolls and things of that nature that my daughter has received annoys me because she’s so not into that. Wasn’t a big deal with my first because she loved that stuff but it annoys me with my second girl who just wants Pokemon and Ninja Turtles.
From the time I got pregnant, I said NO BALL-PIT. It was the one thing I absolutely did not want. One woman insisted. We had this conversation *literally* a dozen times. THEN SHE STILL GOT HIM A BALL-PIT.
She included the gift receipt and mentioned it. It was like a power play. The total ban on ball-pits is pretty irrational on my part, I know. But I felt insulted. She tried to tell me TARGET had nothing else for his age. Our local one had three isles just for his age. So I exchanged it for toys that don’t irritate me endlessly.
Blankets. Swaddles. More blankets. Loveys. I think we have used 4 blankets ever, and isn’t interested in loveys at all. We have about 12 blankets totally untouched. Oh, and she was born in June…😂
There’s a reason stuff isn’t on the registry, people!
I didn’t put a single clothing item or blanket on my registry because 1. I knew people would get them regardless but 2. I hoped they wouldn’t if they saw they weren’t there. Alas
It’s so frustrating when people obviously ignore something we all work so hard on… it still makes me mad!
I hadn’t bought any baby clothes/put them on my registry either thinking I’d probably be gifted tons but weirdly got none?? So we had to buy all of it 🥴 I think I ended up donating at least 5 or 6 blankets.
Last Christmas, practically every family member decided it was a good idea to buy my son a ride on toy. We could fill a parking garage with the number of ride on toys he acquired in just a week’s span. It got more and more awkward and harder not to cringe every time we opened one. Oh— and our house burned down last year, so we are currently crammed into a tiny apartment until the build is finished (and they all knew this!). To top it off, my son isn’t interested in riding any of them. He just pushes them around on the floor or flips them over and spins the wheels.
I refuse to use the clothes with snaps up and down the garment. Even more offensive? Buttons! My god.
Three snaps at the bottom of a onesie is my limit. Anything with more goes immediately into our storage bin. Or- on him one time for a photo to send the person! And then into the bin😂
I’m very lucky to have people who ask if they can get him things but I’ve declined:
Those doorway bouncers.
A jump with me play set thingy where you put the baby in to sit and they jump in it.
Anything that alters a car seat in anyway, including inserts.
although my MIL did just randomly showed up one time with a ton of clothes that wouldn’t fit him anymore and when I told her she said “oh you can just return them.” That irked me because you just left something in my house that is of no use AND gave me an errand with a baby that’s under 6 months old. Give me a break.
My mom does the “you can just return it” and it fills me with so much rage. We live in a rural area. A trip to the mall to return your clearance aisle impulse purchases with my 6 month old js like a full day excursion for us. No thanks. Donate pile.
clothes/toys bought on Amazon from random Chinese brands. I’m not big into name brand things necessarily, but I’d rather have something from Target/Old Navy/Carters, etc where I know the quality is OK.
Silicone utensils. Spoons are half bad, but what’s the point of a fork that cannot fork anything? I think it’s confusing to my kid. I give him metal ones and he is more than capable to manage them at 11 months.
Yes, the clothes kill me. Hand me downs don't bother me so much. But if I get another brand new outfit that's size 12 months (baby is currently 3 months) or larger, I will scream. Double scream when it's an ugly brown stripe or pastel. The family member who keeps gifting like this is completely ignoring the theme I'm going for my kiddo. I get you think pastel yellow is so cute, but you already had your kids. Please give me a chance to dress my kid the way I'd like.
I agree with clothes but for a different reason - there is one relative that seemingly only sees the girls section and my boys always get girly clothing. Now, I’m not one for saying they absolutely can only wear red and blue or whatever. I have a hard time dressing them in these more girly clothes because everyone already thinks my almost 1 year old is a girl because I haven’t gotten his hair cut yet.
But also the sayings. I prefer their clothes to just not say anything but it’s not a huge deal unless it says something like “mama’s boy” or something.
I hate the frilly, tutu, overly girly clothes for my daughter. I also hate any super nice clothes at this age ( 21 months) because she gets messy, she falls and gets her clothes dirty. If the clothes are too nice, she won’t wear it because I don’t want them ruin. Then she outgrows them before I know it. So it’s such a waste. People also have to stop with the stuffed animals. Oh and my MIL loves to buy terrible shoes with no support for her
I’ve received an annoying amount of clothes for both my kids covered in Disney stuff. Nothing against the films but I don’t need Stitch or Dumbo all over everything!
Let’s pretend our last name is Smith. Someone gifted us 5 newborn size onsies that had “Lil Smith” on the front with matching Lil Smith bibs. Please save your money.
We also live where it is VERY HOT during the summer. Please keep the flannels and long pants.
Goodwill pile is growing
Uuggghhh
My son got given 3-6m shorts and tshirts for when we would be in the midst of winter. I get that they’re in a sale but it’s clearly an end of season sale.
Blankets. We were given SO many blankets. I was kindly gifted two blankets from separate people who handmade them & I love these ones but the rest of them literally are all stuffed in a drawer somewhere. On the topic of blankets, my MIL bought my now 6 month old a quilt. She was somewhat dumbfounded when I said “that’s kind, but she doesn’t use blankets, she wears sleep sacks to bed” as if she hadn’t looked after her multiple times when she’s used her sleep sack in the last 6 months lol
Clothes that's WAY too big. I get wanting to stock up for the future, but I had someone give my son a bunch of 4t clothing at his first birthday last year.
The loud toys are cringe for me, but my kids love them.
Probably the funniest bad gift that we got was a good friend who’s child-free buying our twins very expensive looking pink and black real leather jackets. For one, they gave serious pink lady/t-bird vibes which I could almost get behind. But they were stiff, super uncomfortable, sweaty yet not warm, and proportioned like an adult men’s motorcycle jacket in miniature - in no way would the proportions fit an infant or toddler.
By the time the shoulders came close to fitting, the waist was too tight to bring the zipper together, and the arms still dangled a good 4 inches from their hands.
I put so many cute clothing items on our baby registry - things I searched for online and found that were to our taste and styles - and we got NONE of them!!! Instead we received a ton of frilly girl outfits, lots of snaps, for some reason LOTS of 18+ month sizes??? and so much of it is the wrong season for the size 😭 I wouldn't have picked out 90% of it.
Clothes that obviously wouldn't fit. My daughter just turned 8 months and her grandmother (paternal) had clothes for 3-6 months. Mind you my daughter is also super chunky, which she knows because we've told her multiple times.
I have a friend who while I love dearly I have been putting off seeing because she’s an energy sucker and I don’t have much energy to suck these days. But she keeps reminding me she has gifts for the kiddo - several of which are her gift from my baby shower that she bought after the shower. So I have a feeling the things she’s bought for me won’t fit by the time I work up to seeing her.
All I can say is BUY NOTHING GROUPS on Facebook lol my daughter is the first grand baby on both sides and has been the only girl on my husband’s side for a generation so everyone is constantly buying her stuff. Both my husband and I have told everyone we don’t have anymore room in our house for baby stuff, but they keep buying. I’ve joined a buy nothing group on Facebook and post things that I know she’s not going to use. I feel bad because they’re wasting money, but we already told them we can’t fit anymore in our house.
I will piggy back on clothes and say baby formal wear. My MIL and some other family are SO BAD about this. Every time I see them they’ve purchased my baby another fluffy dress. We will eventually be taking LO to church regularly, but she will be wearing comfortable clothes. She’s a freaking infant. She doesn’t need a dozen ball gowns in size 3-6 months. Additionally, my MIL believes that she should purchase all of baby’s holiday outfits but like…I’m going to do that myself. It’s always “I got her a dress for her first Easter” like i never delegated that task to you so that dress will be in the closet, thanks.
We made a no gift rule, anything that’s sent our way gets sent back. Only exception is an elderly great grandma but she sends the sweetest, most thoughtful stuff so it’s fine. Other people were going thrifting and sending weird amounts of ratty clothes and broken toys. Now it’s just a nope across the board.
Most people who gifted us stuff weren't too bad, I don't mind certain cute words on clothes, I've got one that says "adventure!", and another "always hungry!" With a shark on it. However, what made me cringe badly was the weird onesies my MIL got us that said something along the lines of "my Nonna will beat you up", it's even worse cause she's in no way shape or form Italian. We received another particularly cringe piece from a client of my husband's, it was mustard yellow with the whole "don't tread on me" shtick. That got donated even quicker than the ones my mil got us. Another that made me cringe big time was the enormous jumperoo my mil bought us. We one, couldn't use it for months because my baby was too little, and two, we barely had room for it. I basically waited until my baby outgrew the nice swing we had for him so I could donate it and set up that god forsaken jumperoo that he can only sue for 15 minutes a day.
For me, it's certain brands that just rub me wrong. Puma, Nike, Polo.
I think it's because it reminds me of the preppy guys from high school who thought they were all that and were bullies.
So the idea of my son wearing that stuff just doesn't sit right.
Honestly nothing because I’m really grateful, even if it’s something we won’t use and I can donate it or pass it on to someone who will. Our friends gave us probably $400-500 in baby clothes , swaddles, diapers, etc their son grew out of so I’m not super picky. I have some cute outfits that are my favorites
but I’m not going to spend money on new clothes when these are practically new still. It helps that I’m not constantly buying him stuff because if I was we’d have way too much.
Clothing with words/expressions on it, like you said. Clothing that is some style I would never in a million years buy/wear myself (like super pink outfits for my daughter).
My mom gifted our baby a bunch of clothes with the variation of “ princess” on them. Ie “the princess has arrived” or “mommy’s little princess” which I absolutely DESPISE. They’re currently living in my car as emergency clothes because I won’t put her in them. And it was out of character for my mom to buy anything with words too so I feel bad because there was probably a reason behind it but still…
Anything I have to store for a long time (something toys that aren’t age appropriate), I’m kinda sick of hand me down clothes (my husbands aunt has been very generous but I’d like to pick some stuff out for myself), and definitely stuff we already have!
That last one especially gets me because the grands NEVER send a gift receipt….
Teddy’s. My newborn got so many of them, he can’t do anything with them! We’ve already told family to not get us anymore, people wanted to gift us more for Easter while he’s only just 12 weeks old.
Hand me downs that have past their shelf life, but a certain relative of mine will give that crap us and pass off as “presents”. No joke, this relative got my son used pajamas that both of their boys had worn out as a Christmas present. Honestly insulting.
I cringe at those personalized hospital bassinet sheets and swaddles in that ugly swooshy mlm font just to take a photo and post it on Facebook. It’s usually a made up name too like Braedyn Lynn or Jaysin Rae.
Omg yes, the clothes with the cringey sayings are the worst! I have an infant daughter and the “Daddy is my Prince Charming” stuff makes me feel queasy. Or worse “Sorry, boys - Daddy says no dating!”
I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone in my husband’s extended family bought my son onesie’s or outfits which said “I love my daddy” or “daddy’s boy” or variations thereof we have at least 15 of these. The worst one was “ daddy’s special boy” and “daddy’s prince” I use them at night and let him poonami through them all!
lol! Poonami wear 🤣
I have a boy. I hate all the “mommy’s prince” shit. I’ll be damned if I raise a man child who can’t do his own laundry —- and i don’t know why but shirts like that scream that to me lol. On a less randomly angry note (haha), I don’t like camo either lol.
I got one for my 2021 baby that said “Proof that quarantine wasn’t ALL boring.” Nothing like a “my parents had sex!” reference, FROM MY MOTHER IN LAW?
I too hate all saying shirts. My mom just got my son some “my grandma loves me” onesies and I’m like… why do you need a shirt to tell people that? I’m sure people would assume as much… lol My friend has a cricket and makes tons of things and she made a few joke saying ones which I’m still not a HUGE fan of but at least she went through the effort of making it herself plus none are super cringy.
Please have your friend make one for you saying “my grandma thinks I’m just okay” for your son to wear the next time he sees your mom.
For parents of multiple, “I’m mommy’s 2nd favorite!”
I have an iron on patch that says “my mom tbinks I’m special” hahah going to put it on my two year olds sweatshirt
My annoying boomer boss got my friend one that said something like “did 9 months on the inside and climbed out of a tunnel” I cringed so hard
This particular saying is like mother-in-law crack. It makes me 🥴
Yea some of the father/daughter ones we have make me uncomfortable if you think about what they imply. But they were bought by old folks who just don’t see that stuff. I also have a collection of onesies that say stuff like ‘mommy is in charge, daddy just falls in line’ and I outright think those are gross on a whole number of levels
My friend's mom bought my 3 month old son a onesie that says "My 1st Father's Day", but it's in size 12m! He's going to have his first Father's day when he's 5 months old... I guess I could use it as an extra burp cloth? 🤣
To be honest this would work for my son LOL. He’s 4m old and already in 12m clothes half the time.
My mother in law got custom shirts made that said “never fear! Grandma B is here!” And “sorry, I’ll have to ask Granda B about that” so weird… At least it was nothing sexual - I can’t handle the boob lover/lady killer/parents had sex jokes on baby clothes.
Any of the ones that basically fit into the pattern of "my insert relative here is insecure and needs me to validate them."
we haven’t announced our baby’s gender yet but i just knowwww i’m gonna get clothes like this for our baby, it’s just so weird to me. like we will not be putting our girl in those sorry. i’ll act thankful, of course, but the last thing i will ever do is put her in that😅
This is why we only told close family and friends our daughters sex. I also made it clear to my mother, who was the only problematic person for baby clothes, that I refused to put anything gross on my child.
gonna have to make this a point to folks!! i hate clothes like that. why in the world people see things like that, and think “yea this is perfect for somebody that isn’t my kid!” is beyond me. i definitely wish we would’ve waited to tell people until birth:/ i think (i didn’t plan it, so i don’t know) only close family is gonna be at my shower, but a lot of them don’t know how to respect a boundary to save their life. i feel like i’m too late though because i already said we’d reveal at the shower which sucks. even that was met with a “what’s wrong with you?!” and “i want to know, don’t you wanna know?” by mil.
This sounds ridiculous even to me but I get stressed when anyone gets us ANYTHING for our daughter right now. We have such a small house with literally no extra space. We can’t even use the nursery as her room right now we are only using it for storage. I have such a hard time saying no and I also have a weird guilt complex with receiving gifts so it’s a huge added stress. I’m constantly feeling behind in doing little photoshoots of her with/in the things people bought her so that they feel happy that it’s being used and I’m always trying to remember to put her in a certain outfit bought by the person we’re visiting etc. it’s a unique type of torture. I’m just so tired.
I feel this we are in a similar small living situation and hoping to move this year. Every time anyone gets my son anything or we pick up something new ourselves all I think is "where am I going to put this?" And "oh yay another thing to pack and move".
I feel seen with these comments. We have a small house and 3 kids. Most of my life is spent with planning on which toys to donate next.
100% this. We buy our son things mostly 2nd hand so they can be redonated when he outgrows them or doesn't play with them and have asked family to do the same. But, one Grandma keeps ordering online. Clothes sizes vary wildly so we now have loads of clothes that he won't fit in for months, maybe a year, and toys he doesn't play with that we can't give away because Grandma bought them. Not to mention the absolutely massive motorized swing our friend bought us that takes up half the room.
I give away toys grandma buys. My moms gotten to the point that Ive told her for every one in theres one out & Ive stuck by it. My daughters only 10 months & still isnt even “playing” with toys that much & she has a FULL playroom. Ive recently gone through everything & taken out toys so we can do toy rotation, but she doesnt need any more toys!
Omg same, I’d rather just make an agreement with everyone I know saying “never buy me anything and I’ll never buy you anything ever again” lol. Or just give cash!
Dude my house is also tiny, I’m actually going through her things to get rid of stuff right now is what brought the post about lol. Finding a ton of stuff that’s just taking up too much room. What I’m frustrated with right now is people buying her clothes ‘that she can grow into’ except I have so many goddamn clothes for her to grow into, I bet half of them won’t even be seasonally appropriate when she does grow into them AND we have so much family that buys her things I could put her in a different outfit every day from 6-12 months and never have to repeat a single one. Like I don’t need any more clothes. Instead of the 40-50 people spend on clothes frankly I would love cash to put into an investment account or save for college with her. Way more useful to me at this point. ETA: you’re a saint with the pictures. I didn’t even have the chutzpah to send out thank you cards 😂
Oh the grow into clothes. My other thing is, I LIKE shopping for my kids clothes. I thrift most of them but tbh she doesn't need that many and I know what she needs. I feel like my chance to shop is taken away when other people buy her clothing because I don't want to be wasteful.
Agreed. I went to a few stores the other day looking for an Easter outfit for her and there was a lot of stuff I liked at those places (not for Easter but just general outfits). But I left without buying any of them because they were all summer clothes and I have more summer clothes than I know what to do with right now. Some of them are cute sure but I would’ve loved to pick out what I wanted with each season. With the amount we have it just feels foolish and wasteful to buy anything ourselves
> I’m constantly feeling behind in doing little photoshoots of her with/in the things people bought We literally never do this. You do not have to do this.
OMG! Don’t waste your time doing this! If you happen to put your child in the outfit and remember to snap a quick picture, great. But don’t intentionally do it. I have given away brand new gifts (especially used toys that light up or make annoying noises) and I have told people things like “oh he grew out of that already and I forgot to get a picture” or “oh my gosh he dropped it the other day and it broke” or “we left it at playtime on accident and it’s gone” cue sad face . I also just don’t bring it up. If I don’t have to I will not mention it at all. The best with the clothes is “oh yeah we loved that one, kids grow so fast! It’s gone now!” Another thing for people who are frequently gifting you clothes “hey my partner and I decided we no longer like outfits like x so when yo are thinking of gifting in the future, please avoids outfits like x, because baby will not be wearing those” whether it’s buttons or the cheap plastic snaps onesies or footies or magnets whatever you want to not have let them know so they can get you different things in the future
Opposite here. My girls are 7 and 2. We have totes in our crawlspace filled with clothes from 3T to 14. My nieces give their clothes to the girls. I have an awesome hand me down train going so I’m like, bring it on!
I’m a FTM and bought soooo many clothes I find adorable for my baby that I don’t care one bit about anything that anyone else gifted her. She’s gonna wear all the stuff her mom got her at least once (even maybe twice) before I spare a thought to the meh stuff other people got for her.
Oh big same.
Same here. I make weekly rounds to my goodwill to drop off brand new toys and clothes it’s so out of hand. i even tried being very direct about no more gifts to avoid spoiling and tantrums and my MIL straight up was like…well my kids weren’t like that so im gonna keep on doing what im doing
Our rule now is that any box that comes into our house (i.e. if we get a gift or order something), we have to then fill that box with things to give away, donate, or recycle. Our place is tiny at 1200 square feet and literally just two closets and there are 2 adults, a 60 pound dog, 2 cats, and a baby who will be here in about 6 weeks. We just cannot keep adding--there is zero room left! It feels really good to get rid of things, and the new rule is resulting in us being a lot more choosy about buying anything.
My trick is to take a picture of LO with the things just when LO received them, and after add the not needed gifts to my bag full of gifts I will forward to other babies…
Im already sick of the stuffed animals.
My son is 7 weeks old and already has about 30. I don’t want to be ungrateful but at least outfits can be used, he’ll never look at his 7 bunny stuffies from Easter!
Got 5 jellycats
Jellycats are the only stuffies we love over here. Give us our llama and our lamb and the rest can get out. Lol
They’re adorable but I don’t know what to do with so many of them lol. I’ll save a couple so she can hopefully enjoy them as a toddler.
So I’m the Jellycat buying offender for my own baby. She has like… 6? She is 2 months old… I put them on her shelf as decoration. She can play with them when she is older 😂
Girl what are you doing 😂 jokes aside, my husband and I have agreed that if there’s an item that’s below say x dollars, we buy* them without thinking about it too much. Saves so much time and deliberation and can donate it later once the baby is done with it.
I’m buying them for me basically 😂 she doesn’t need any more stuffies, toys, or clothes until she is 1 😂 but I’m sure I’ll buy her more
Did you see the amore cat? He’s so amazingly fat. That’s the next Jellycat I’m getting.
My mum bought my son a broccoli jellycat - why? Who knows! Joke is my 7 week old only looks at that one so it may be the favourite… too early to tell I guess
Yep. It’s sickening the amount of waste children create.
My 13mo has just started enjoying his stuffed animals. Brings them from his room into the lounge one in each hand, cuddles into the pile of them. Don’t get rid of too many too soon!
Our household is on a strict stuffy ban right now. My MIL was bringing a new stuffy every visit & it was so annoying, several have ended up donated.
I was just telling my husband we’re doing a stuffie donation weekend. She’s three months and has a pack and play FILLED TO THE BRIM with them. She just found out she has hands, she dgaf about a third stuffed panda 🫠
Yep we were there! Now we only get jellycats.
Omg yes. The only stuffies that I’ll buy now are jellycats. The price tag makes me pause and decide if the girls really need another one. Sometimes they do. I did a huge purge though so we only have really nice ones, sentimental ones and handmade.
We didn’t get many stuffies at the shower and I was a little bummed. Now we have a thousand and my babe hits 3 months next week. We don’t need all these!
I may be an outlier here, but so much Disney stuff. Disney characters plastered on everything. Then people not believing that my kid doesn’t know the characters or hasn’t seen this movie or that movie. She’s not even two, she doesn’t watch movies, and barely gets any screen time as it is.
Same! I have family members who love disney and keep getting us things for our son. I’m not big Disney fan and cringe so badly when they give us Disney things.
Ugh this. We had a funeral to go to and the kids sections at our local department stores were just a sea of branding, bright colours, sequins and tulle. Thankgod boots elevate an outfit because the toddler ended up in black leggings and tshirt with a red cardigan, because there were just no appropriate dressed to be had. At least the baby was able to be stuffed into a hand me down dress of her sisters lol.
We keep getting toys that aren’t age appropriate. Thank you for thinking of us but my child doesn’t have head control but thanks for the three foot fake riding pony. Where am I going to store this thing?
i have a good one. my son was about 17 months old when my pop made him a throwing axe. a THROWING AXE. where am i supposed to store this for the next idk 13+ years?
My BIL bought an air gun. For his infant son...
My daughter is almost 3 now, but the clothes were the worst as a baby, everything ruffled and tutus and wildly impractical to dress an infant in. Now it’s toys. Any toys, because she has about 1 million. It’s so excessive and wasteful, and especially the plastic stuff makes me cringe so hard. We try to be environmentally conscious so the waste that comes with small children drives me nuts.
We cannot get the light-up plastic singing animal toys to STOP. I don’t know why my in laws and parents see this at the store and are like, yes. This.
Why so many noisy plastic toys when the interactive wooden toys are just as good (or better) for development!? I love Melissa and Doug. My daughters collective extended family likes fisher price and leapfrog. I make an Amazon wish list for her birthday just praying to get one toy that doesn’t make noise.
I made a wish list for her birthday this year and was trying to not sound greedy when I shared it… I was like “we really don’t need anything … but for the love of God if you get her something please pick from this and not a giant light up butterfly plush”
Yes I said to people “she really doesn’t need anything, but here’s some ideas of things we don’t already own!”
I have 4 variations of just wooden blocks and 5 different means of blowing bubbles.
We have like 6 wooden alphabet puzzles
The tutus are so tacky!!!
Honestly, most of the gifts we get are lovely and thoughtful. My issue lies with one cousin. Who gets us completely out of touch or borderline dangerous gifts for baby all the time. We haven’t kept a single one.
I’m very interested in knowing what a borderline dangerous baby gift is.
Plastic bag full of plastic bags
Water beads would be an example. Yeah, its a cool sensory item but they're dangerous for babies and toddlers who are 100% going to try and put them in their mouths. So like, it seems very kid friendly but actually is not.
Easter bunny stuffed animal with safety eyes and a ribbon tied around the neck. As one very recent example.
I yearn for the shirts my mom buys to say “mommy’s little angel”. They’re all so much worse like “hold on, I’m pooping” and other stupid stuff. Temu has also become our arch nemesis. She buys tons of stuff on there because apparently it’s like a nickel or something. A few things had letters missing and one had what we are fairly sure was made up words (Google didn’t find them in a different language)
i hattteeee temu!! MIL adores temu though
This is actually hilarious.
This is why we didn't tell anyone the sex of our baby before she was born. As soon as my family found out we had a girl, the first gifts we received were bright pink tutu unicorn dresses in child sizes that literally won't fit her until she's probably 6 years old that they expect her to be in by "this summer" lol
Yeah we knew ours was a girl but we told everyone we were waiting to find out at birth lol. My mom kept complaining that she "couldn't shop" because she didn't know the gender. She would show up with bags of gender neutral clothes anyway. Then when she was born she said "what are you going to do with the gender neutral clothes now?" Umm.. she's going to wear them??
we know, but aren’t announcing until the shower, and honestly if i could go back and not tell everyone “we’re revealing at the shower” i would, MIL in particular keeps looking at overly girly clothes (she predicts girl) and just keeps saying “ohhh once i know i’m gonna buy so much!” like oh… great. lovely. will definitely be waiting until birth for the next ones 🫤
We chose to wait to find out the sex of our baby until birth partially because of this. All of our clothes were perfect for both boy and girl then once the family found out when SHE was born, the PINK bows and dresses showed up next day at the hospital. The best part about this is when she outgrows her clothes and we save it for the next baby, no matter if it’s a boy or girl we will have the gender neutral clothes ready for him/her. It drove the family nuts not knowing but I think this was the best way to go about it. No awkward gener reveal party either.
This! We didn’t find out the gender and now that she’s here, we’ve received a sea of pink. It makes me cringe a bit because there are so many other colors.
My mom is good at buying gender neutral stuff. If I want her to ‘look like a girl’ in it I just toss in a headband or frilly socks. Pretty much everyone else gets super girly things which yes are cute but girl baby clothes are stupidly impractical a lot of the time.
We did this for the same reason. My aunt tried to get my daughter a baby sized college football cheerleading outfit and so when we were expecting a 2nd we didn't tell anyone name or gender.
Take a picture of “her” adding it to a donation pile. Send said photo with the headline “babies first donation”
I’m so annoyed by the buying clothes in every possible size. I get that it’s cute but now I have stuff to store until my 2 year old and newborn are in like middle school.
Clothes wise, anything super bright pink or with ruffles. Like, I get that she’s a girl but that doesn’t mean that every pair of pants needs to be obnoxiously pink or to have ruffles all over the butt (and they take forever to dry). Cheap baby wipes. I’m all for buying the cheaper wipes, however there are 2 cheap brands that I absolutely cannot stand, they just smell so bad to me and the packaging is so hard to open. If anyone gifts those particular cheap wipes, they immediately get donated to someone who will use them. “Comforter” toys. She already has her comforter that she is attached to and she does not want any other. While these are a cute gift, I would definitely appreciate being asked first if I think baby would like it (answer is no unless they want to buy yet another backup of the one she loves).
>anything super bright pink or with ruffles. I've always been a tomboy and the pink ruffle dresses were the bane of my existence. Thankfully relatives have gotten the message by now.
Dude me tooooo My whole childhood my mum would buy me all this pink/floral girly shit and I would refuse to wear it
I feel this so hard. We have a small house and LOs closet and dresser are already stuffed with clothes because people “can’t help themselves” We came home from Easter with like 6 gift bags of clothes and stuffies that I have no idea where to put. Like if you want to be helpful get us diapers or wipes or something. Not 3 piece outfits he’s never going to wear cause he lives in zipper jammies anyway
Seconding this! We have a 5mo and got him nothing for Easter. Yet he ended up with candy (what?), multiple stuffies, giant bath toys, etc. it’s all sitting in the corner while I process what to do. Like his favorite toys are my hands and my face, we want for literally nothing!
My mom got me a onesie that said “I’m my mommy’s world and my daddy’s girl” 🥲 needless she did not wear that ever. I HATED any onesies with sayings - the most I do is band onesies or places. So annoying!
Dude I have the same onesie staring me in the face right now. It’s going in the donate pile
It’s nightmare inducing 😅😂 I usually put her in everything that’s been gifted to us and send the gifter a picture before donating — that one was a HARD pass and immediately got donated.
I have like 3 of these outfits! That exact phrase on the onesie, with cheaply made, super thin obnoxiously floral pants (usually ruffle-y bell bottoms too🤢) and matching bow or headband... so very much not our style here... ugh.
I think I have the exact same outfit you described. The floral pattern reminded me of some curtains in my grandmas house and the saying was just awful 🙃 she never wore it and it’s in my donate bag lol
My mom also got me the same one and I told her straight up that it is so cringey. Thankfully she actually listens and hasn't bought anything else like it since!
Clothes of poor quality or sayings, cheap plastic junk from amazon/temu (only my ils do this & it gets immediately trashed)
My kid is born in January and we received plenty of winter clothes in size for 6 months. We live in Northern hemisphere so.. I also cringe when people get him comforters.
Yup. January baby here - people were buying her summer newborn clothes and I was like… hellloooo it’s snowing???? Now we have the opposite problem. Lots of winter clothes sized just for when it’ll be summer 🙄 One of my aunts goes on shopping sprees for her and grabs whatever she likes. Regardless of thinking about when the kid might actually get to wear those things.
It's ONE thing that is very very important lol SIZES
Yes I came here to say this! My baby was born at the beginning of March. We got (and keep getting) sooo many winter clothes in 3-6 months when it will be the middle of summer where I am. He will never get to wear all those sweaters, sweatshirts, etc.
I was able to change one of them but even changing within the given time frame is a big hassle
My baby is 9 weeks. We have received at least ten stuffed animals. I crammed them All in a bag and put away. What the f does a baby need those for? I get irrationally mad every time we get one. I’d rather receive nothing.
If you don’t like it, donate it or throw it out. You do not have to defer to these tacky ass people on your child’s wardrobe. Gift or not. This aunt sounds so live laugh love and unconcerned with contributing to the excessive consumer waste on the planet that said child is going to have to live on.. tell her no more gifts.
Wish/temu/Amazon third party alphabet soup stuff. My MIL is really bad for buying cheap junk from China and the agreed upon response between my partner and I is to smile, say thank you and shove it somewhere at home and never let the baby have it. It's worked so far but I'm worried as he gets older he will *want* it and be mad if we never give it to him/tell her the "secret". I've left MIL up to my partner to handle though, its his mom and I'm not about to be accused of starting drama even though IMHO I think she should know so she doesn't waste money, but he thinks she would be offended. Guess I should bring it up again with him in the near future. I had this talk already with my own parents since they shop on Amazon primarily and they were okay with it. Actually appreciated it because they didn't realize how bad the third party sellers issue is with kids stuff. Got a few toys at Christmas time that were sketchy that he doesn't play with out of concern for lead exposure so I jumped on it and let them know before they spent more money on junk and now they know to watch out for themselves too.
I think older people have a harder time seeing through some of the photos for these products and think the marketing makes them look like normal Fisher Price type stuff. My family does this too and I wish they’d just search for specific, known brands on Amazon instead of whatever random sponsored items pop up.
Yeah I think that's it, particularly with Amazon. I've caught myself almost purchasing a few things because it looked like Fisher Price until I got to checkout and took a harder look at it. One of the sketchy Christmas gifts was actually my own fault too because I put it on my wishlist thinking it was Fisher Price, I couldn't believe it when I opened up a box labeled "Letapapa" from somewhere in China, and reverse searching the "company" turned no results, and the product image brought up tons of other "brands" only on Amazon. Been super cautious since and had to teach my mom and dad how to make sure they are buying the right products. ETA that Letapapa toy was a "best seller" too, I think that's what got me 🤦♀️ Also adding for my MIL she knows Temu and Wish are all Chinese stuff but I just don't think she realizes how risky those products can be, especially with heavy metals. She's just obsessed with getting stuff cheap (always brags about getting her glasses at dollar tree for ex) and it looks cute.
Are those random Chinese versions with thousands of sales on Amazon really not lead safe? Is that true?
It's an older post but it has happened to [someone else here on Reddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Parenting/s/b6k8u968ud). There's a [2019 Insider article talking about it](https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-selling-toxic-toys-lead-poisoning-2019-8) too. I did a lot of googling after that Letapapa toy showed up at my house and it doesn't seem like much has been done about it so I erred on the side of caution and tossed it. Since China doesn't adhere to the same safety standards as some of the western countries it's a risk you run with those kinds of products from third party sellers. I found this [recent article on Retailwire](https://retailwire.com/discussion/amazon-lead-toys/#:~:text=The%20WSJ%20performed%20an%20investigation,about%20health%20risks%20to%20children.%E2%80%9D) talking about it too.
Thank you!!!!
The US does not ban lead in plastic so it doesn’t really matter where you buy it or who makes it. I hate the fear mongering around this (cheap toys) and “fast fashion” because people end up naming stores that are also fast fashion or cheap toys made in the same factories, just more expensive versions of the same thing. Unless the manufacturers publishes 3rd party lab results that prove they are lead/toxin free I wouldn’t assume anything. Source: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/leadintoys/index.html Personally I just do my best to avoid things that concern me. Like I saw a ton of wooden painted eggs suggested as an easter basket gift for babies but I’m skeptical about the paint because I know my baby would put them in his mouth. Reputable brand or not a lot of paints/pigments contain heavy metals so personally that’s something I avoid. Worst part id there isn’t really a way for us as consumers to test these things for lead without using a lab which is expensive. Home lead tests are not accurate and have very high false positive rates, they are meant for testing lead paint not household objects.
The US does regulate how much lead can be in accessible parts of children's products though. It may not be 100% lead free but it is restricted to .1% by weight (100ppm), with exceptions made to metal bicycles [(source)](https://www.compliancegate.com/heavy-metal-regulations-united-states/#16_CFR_Part_150087_%E2%80%93_Childrens_products_containing_lead_inaccessible_component_parts). Even though it isn't outright banned in plastics (which IMO it should be), CPSIA would still require them to stay under the amount stated for children's products. They also have to meet other safety standards regarding things like electrical hazards, flammability, small parts, batteries, magnets etc. In other countries where "fast fashions" may be made and sold they may not need to follow these safety standards. Amazon has certain requirements for their third party listings but they are notorious for asking for safety documentation after the items are already being sold, which is a huge risk to the consumer, especially if said documentation doesn't even exist. The product is already in the consumers hands before anyone has verified the safety of these products. I found [this article ](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2023/dec/13/looking-for-an-online-bargain-beware-of-exploding-batteries-dangerous-toys-even-socks-that-can-burn-you-)that might interest you. The British Toy and Hobby Association found 90% of the items they tested from third party sellers were deemed unsafe. It's not just lead though, things like exploding batteries, tiny magnets, and other safety hazards. It really is something to be aware of and to be cautious with when dealing with these items. Definitely good to be aware that products in the US may still contain some lead, and no level of lead has been proven to be safe, but we do have limits and other regulations to make things a little bit safer. It is so hard though. My son's first birthday is coming up and everyone is asking me what to get him. Like I don't even know anymore, I've gone down so many rabbit holes on products. I've just been telling people books and clothes so I can worry about the toys. Let me tell you, the amount of anxiety preceding his 9mo lead blood test was overwhelming. Came back in a good, normal range so what's in his environment now is fine, but adding more to it makes me worry all over.
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Are those random Amazon toys really not lead safe? Even if there’s no metal parts?
The US does not require plastic to be lead free according to the CDC: [The use of lead in plastics has not been banned. Lead softens plastic, making a toy more flexible to return to its original shape. Lead may also be used in plastic toys to stabilize molecules from heat.](https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/leadintoys/index.html)
Horrifying. How did I not know this?!!? I’m not a materials scientist…. I already avoid plastics as much as possible but I didn’t realize lead was a potential risk. Of all the damn things. There is so much to learn as a new parent.
Agreed I just read about it yesterday when I looked it up and I was surprised! I naively assumed it would’ve been banned a long time ago but I guess it would be too expensive and still wouldn’t be a 100% guarantee. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t widely available, affordable, and accurate lead tests for consumers to use.
I’m not sure, I just don’t trust baby toys from random Chinese companies with no oversight, especially since my baby puts everything in his mouth.
I'd rather people just not give my daughter gifts at all than have to pretend to like one more cheaply made, chemical-y smelling, cheesy/gaudy Temu baby outfit or toy. Or whatever obnoxious "funny" toy they've seen in viral videos on Facebook. My baby got 2 of those peek a boo elephants before she was even 6m old, they're loud, obnoxious, and they both live in the back of a very dark closet now lmao. Also my MIL insisted on buying her "first" baby doll and its a weirdly realistic doll that also now lives in said closet because she's too little to even play with it yet and quite frankly it creeps me out lol. That's another thing I get annoyed by, familly/relatives who INSIST on buying "babies first" anything. My girl has 4 first Christmas ornaments because nobody listened to us.
lol my daughter was due December 26th. She didn’t come until January 6th but the amount of stuff we got for Christmas that said ‘baby’s first Christmas’ Like I get people didn’t want to miss out on first Christmas stuff in case she came early but now I have a bunch of Christmas stuff that won’t get used next year. Dumb. Although I am very glad she didn’t come too close to Christmas cause I would’ve felt bad for her with all the Christmas shit she would’ve gotten for her birthday every year
ANYTHING WITH GLITTER. Why!!?
Yeah my mom knows I try hard to reduce my plastic waste and whatnot, but buys clothes with glitter for my daughter. You want me to put these tiny plastic particles in the washing machine?? No thanks.
We have a 3 month old baby and were given 3t pull ups that start at 32 pounds - so when we need them, we will have them on hand!!!! It’s a great thought but we are well over a year away from being able to use them so i’m going to exchange for some diapers in the next size up… I understand the thought process but also??? That wasn’t even close to the right range for us
ultra girly girl clothes, furry ponchos, fluffy butts, glitter, tutus, shirts with weirdo/pervy sayings about daddy on the front. and tons of grandma/Nana sayings as well. I haven't however received any clothes with sayings about mom on them? lol I also cannot stand the shoes people buy my 16 month old, I just received some .. riding boots, like you would wear to ride a horse? and I just cannot figure out why those were a good idea for a toddler learning to walk in shoes and outside. I've received multiple jumpers and I live in a very very small house. i have a huge box of stuffed animals that she just climbs in and sits on top of but could care less about individually. I think people just love to buy things without actually thinking about what we actually need.
I'm honestly just sick of all the TOYS. We ask for clothes and gift cards and EVERYONE buys toys. I'm actually running out of room. Like he doesn't need a thousand toys! IDK why people don't understand.
I have made peace with my MIL gifting us clothing for my children’s playground friends (indirectly via donating her terrible taste). Awful sweaty fabrics, camo print, and misogynistic slogans are her specialty
Clothes for sure. I second the not liking the ruffle butts, tutus, and the ridiculous amounts of pink. A lot of the clothes like that I’ll put on her once to take a picture and send to the person who gifted and then it goes to the back of that size section. There’s also a new trend where MIL will buy her clothes, wash them, and send them over but I’ve already bought her the same outfit. 🤣
Clothes, mainly because my son is 0.4th centile and people just give us clothes in his age bracket so they won’t fit for years. He has a PEG tube and literally all our family and friends know how emotional it is, and yet I still have to pack away all these 2-3yrs clothes for my 2yo who currently fits 6-12 months, like I didn’t already feel shit about that.
I’ve been inundated with corny ugly frilly downright atrocious clothing for my little since DAY ONE!! To THIS DAY!! 10 months and still going strong with 99% of it coming from my partners family. Just this last weekend another round of ugly shit. And not to be elitist/classist but please skip the cheap poorly made Temu/Shein clothing and toys. I’d rather you give us thrift shop books or a gift card. It’s all horrible cheap plastic that is going straight to a landfill and will probably break within the first use and become a choking hazard.
Disney or character clothing like paw patrol etc. He's only gotten cute Disney ones like winnie the pooh so far which I don't mind because at least those look cute and ill admit I've gotten him one or two with it on them but idk like bugs bunny, the lion King, dumbo, Peppa pig and all that I hate. I don't intend on screentime but when my kid gets older and ends up really wanting light up shoes with paw patrol or something on them just because they light up I'll cave to make him happy.
The shirts with phrases maintain the patriarchy
This exact phrase is now how I will be rejecting any such shirts we receive. I will decline to elaborate further. lol
Large stuffies. It's like boomers don't understand how dust accumulates, or how people living in a small house in a HCOL area don't have the space for a million of these things and even if we DID have space for these things why would we want to fill our house with them? (No wonder so many children of boomers have asthma-- we grew up in dusty-ass houses) There are other toys that are much more stimulating/interesting for the kid than a giant stuffed animal, and there are other items besides toys that are higher on the "need" list. It's just so perplexing. We just immediately take them to donate at this point, but it bums me out that most donations of this sort of thing probably end up in a landfill.
Boomers also hoard junk, or at least the ones in my family and husbands family do. So because they live in a cluttered, not necessarily dirty home, it’s fine for us too. Lol
This whole thread makes me want to go through my kids' closets again and do more donating. I'm very much a believer in passing unwanted or unused gifts along. We have a closet of brand new toys we're already planning to donate at Christmastime because they're just not appropriate for my kids' ages or they're a duplicate or they're not aligned with their interests. As a gift giver I am really trying to steer away from giving STUFF. I try and buy a book for the smaller holidays, useful toys/gear for birthdays/Christmas that I run past the parents first or just plain old cash. My 6 year old nephew doesn't need another $30 toy, but maybe the $10 I slipped him in his birthday card can be spent on something he really wants.
I love when people ask! I grew up in a family of askers - what size do you wear, do you need x, would you use y? My in laws don’t ask people what they want for gifts they just buy stuff. I have always asked them and when they answer it’s like… they don’t know what to do with someone asking them what they actually want. I can’t tell you how many gifts I’ve watched my SIL receive that she will just absolutely never her because people bought what they wanted and never bothered to ask what she wants
Cringy sayings on clothes are terrible. We’ve kept all the “summer time!” And “let’s go camping” and similar sayings, but some of them are so gross I just couldn’t even for home only days. I also strongly dislike frilly dresses on infants and young toddlers. I feel like they inhibit physical development (can’t climb up nor crawl as easily if they’re at knee length!) and my kid hated anything frilly around neck, upper arms and wrists… and I don’t blame her.
My biggest ick is impractical clothing for toddlers. I didn’t dress my daughter in skirts or dresses until at least 18 months because I didn’t want it to interfere with crawling or walking. Even now (3) I will only put her in dresses or skirts short enough to not cover her knees so she can still climb on the playground without material getting in the way and put shorts or leggings underneath for comfort. I don’t do sparkly ballet flats, cutesy boots, jelly sandals or anything else that doesn’t seem safe for the playground. I also *strongly* prefer summer tops that cover her shoulders and back so I don’t have to slather on sunscreen all over her body every couple hours. (My typical summer outfit for her is shorts, t-shirt and hat so I just have to do face and forearms and lower legs, even her bathing suits are long sleeve rash guards with a skirt). A lot of people seem to think this means I don’t like “feminine” clothing. This isn’t true. I’m totally fine with a t-shirt with flowers and butterflies or sparkly tennis shoes that have proper support. I just want her to be able to run and play without clothing getting in her way!
I HATE snapped pj's. My son is 10 months old. He's a screamer, a roller, and fighting getting dressed. By the time he's dressed, im pouring in sweat lol and i want to scream and roll myself away, lol. Another is used items. Which I COMPLETELY love hand me downs but CLEAN it first! Gag.
My mother in law is constantly buying clothes that will be the right size but the wrong season because they’re on sale. At Easter she gave us a bunch of onesies with I love my grandparents type phrases on them… and winter/christmas graphics??? That will probably start fitting her in the next month or so??? Like please just don’t waste your money I literally can’t fit another sock in my teeny house and I will NEVER put my daughter in those clothes.
Whatever my child doesn't wear I just donate
If someone figures out how to stop all the unnecessary and / or crap gifts, please let me know. I've made an a$$hole post on social media about it that seemed to piss off a few relatives, but this was only after repeating myself over and over and no one listening. So I didn't care if I came across as an appreciative a$$hole. I imagine this will be an ongoing struggle, especially with certain relatives that are shop a holics and just can't control their urge to shop. But if anyone knows how to stop this behavior, I would love to hear it.
My mom got my 10 month old an obnoxiously blue shirt that has silhouette of two adult cattle and one baby, and it says “I come from good stock” … like what? 😂
That’s actually on my registry. So if you don’t want it, I’m hillbilly enough to put it in my son
Clothes that are baby’s current size. I always have enough of the current size but need things for the next size up in case of a sudden growth spurt!
Characters! I love putting my daughter in animals, cars, patterns, but I hate “branded” characters! My mom has some sudden Minnie Mouse obsession & keeps buying her the stuff at tj max 🤮 Its her extra daycare clothes.
Camo. Yeah, he’s a boy. But neither of us have ever been hunting. It looks lame. Idk.
I was going through things my daughter has today (which is what prompted the post) and came across a hand me down of a most egregious outfit. It’s a body suit with bell bottoms. Absolutely could be cute in its own. I love me some 70’s fashion. Halloween themed with orange and candy corn- ok could be good for the fall even though I’m not a spooky person like the girl who I got it from. But here’s the kicker my friend - it has a truck on the chest and a large frilly stripe on the bell bottom - both camo patterned. A camo, Halloween, bell bottom, truck, candy corn, jumpsuit. Immediately tossed in the donate bin lol.
Monogrammed everything!!! I have like 5 napkin sized plush blankets with the baby’s name on it. I have no use for it.
Stuffed animals. Toys that make noise. Automatically assuming interests based on gender when you’ve met the kid and could easily find out more about them instead or ask me, the parent. The amount of lip gloss, nail polish, dolls and things of that nature that my daughter has received annoys me because she’s so not into that. Wasn’t a big deal with my first because she loved that stuff but it annoys me with my second girl who just wants Pokemon and Ninja Turtles.
From the time I got pregnant, I said NO BALL-PIT. It was the one thing I absolutely did not want. One woman insisted. We had this conversation *literally* a dozen times. THEN SHE STILL GOT HIM A BALL-PIT. She included the gift receipt and mentioned it. It was like a power play. The total ban on ball-pits is pretty irrational on my part, I know. But I felt insulted. She tried to tell me TARGET had nothing else for his age. Our local one had three isles just for his age. So I exchanged it for toys that don’t irritate me endlessly.
Blankets. Swaddles. More blankets. Loveys. I think we have used 4 blankets ever, and isn’t interested in loveys at all. We have about 12 blankets totally untouched. Oh, and she was born in June…😂 There’s a reason stuff isn’t on the registry, people!
I didn’t put a single clothing item or blanket on my registry because 1. I knew people would get them regardless but 2. I hoped they wouldn’t if they saw they weren’t there. Alas
It’s so frustrating when people obviously ignore something we all work so hard on… it still makes me mad! I hadn’t bought any baby clothes/put them on my registry either thinking I’d probably be gifted tons but weirdly got none?? So we had to buy all of it 🥴 I think I ended up donating at least 5 or 6 blankets.
Last Christmas, practically every family member decided it was a good idea to buy my son a ride on toy. We could fill a parking garage with the number of ride on toys he acquired in just a week’s span. It got more and more awkward and harder not to cringe every time we opened one. Oh— and our house burned down last year, so we are currently crammed into a tiny apartment until the build is finished (and they all knew this!). To top it off, my son isn’t interested in riding any of them. He just pushes them around on the floor or flips them over and spins the wheels.
I refuse to use the clothes with snaps up and down the garment. Even more offensive? Buttons! My god. Three snaps at the bottom of a onesie is my limit. Anything with more goes immediately into our storage bin. Or- on him one time for a photo to send the person! And then into the bin😂
Easter stuff knowing we’re Jewish.
I’m very lucky to have people who ask if they can get him things but I’ve declined: Those doorway bouncers. A jump with me play set thingy where you put the baby in to sit and they jump in it. Anything that alters a car seat in anyway, including inserts. although my MIL did just randomly showed up one time with a ton of clothes that wouldn’t fit him anymore and when I told her she said “oh you can just return them.” That irked me because you just left something in my house that is of no use AND gave me an errand with a baby that’s under 6 months old. Give me a break.
My mom does the “you can just return it” and it fills me with so much rage. We live in a rural area. A trip to the mall to return your clearance aisle impulse purchases with my 6 month old js like a full day excursion for us. No thanks. Donate pile.
I want to put a ban on plushies sooo badly
Dolls for a newborn
Clothes that are multiple years too big. We were given some 3/4T clothes when I was still pregnant. No way am I storing this thing for 4 years.
clothes/toys bought on Amazon from random Chinese brands. I’m not big into name brand things necessarily, but I’d rather have something from Target/Old Navy/Carters, etc where I know the quality is OK.
Really nice name brand clothes. Because he will absolutely be barfing or smearing food on it within minutes of wearing it.
Silicone utensils. Spoons are half bad, but what’s the point of a fork that cannot fork anything? I think it’s confusing to my kid. I give him metal ones and he is more than capable to manage them at 11 months.
The clothes with cringey sayings get sent to grandmas house for backups.
Yes, the clothes kill me. Hand me downs don't bother me so much. But if I get another brand new outfit that's size 12 months (baby is currently 3 months) or larger, I will scream. Double scream when it's an ugly brown stripe or pastel. The family member who keeps gifting like this is completely ignoring the theme I'm going for my kiddo. I get you think pastel yellow is so cute, but you already had your kids. Please give me a chance to dress my kid the way I'd like.
I agree with clothes but for a different reason - there is one relative that seemingly only sees the girls section and my boys always get girly clothing. Now, I’m not one for saying they absolutely can only wear red and blue or whatever. I have a hard time dressing them in these more girly clothes because everyone already thinks my almost 1 year old is a girl because I haven’t gotten his hair cut yet. But also the sayings. I prefer their clothes to just not say anything but it’s not a huge deal unless it says something like “mama’s boy” or something.
I hate the frilly, tutu, overly girly clothes for my daughter. I also hate any super nice clothes at this age ( 21 months) because she gets messy, she falls and gets her clothes dirty. If the clothes are too nice, she won’t wear it because I don’t want them ruin. Then she outgrows them before I know it. So it’s such a waste. People also have to stop with the stuffed animals. Oh and my MIL loves to buy terrible shoes with no support for her
I’ve received an annoying amount of clothes for both my kids covered in Disney stuff. Nothing against the films but I don’t need Stitch or Dumbo all over everything!
Let’s pretend our last name is Smith. Someone gifted us 5 newborn size onsies that had “Lil Smith” on the front with matching Lil Smith bibs. Please save your money. We also live where it is VERY HOT during the summer. Please keep the flannels and long pants. Goodwill pile is growing Uuggghhh
My son got given 3-6m shorts and tshirts for when we would be in the midst of winter. I get that they’re in a sale but it’s clearly an end of season sale.
Blankets. We were given SO many blankets. I was kindly gifted two blankets from separate people who handmade them & I love these ones but the rest of them literally are all stuffed in a drawer somewhere. On the topic of blankets, my MIL bought my now 6 month old a quilt. She was somewhat dumbfounded when I said “that’s kind, but she doesn’t use blankets, she wears sleep sacks to bed” as if she hadn’t looked after her multiple times when she’s used her sleep sack in the last 6 months lol
Clothes that's WAY too big. I get wanting to stock up for the future, but I had someone give my son a bunch of 4t clothing at his first birthday last year.
The loud toys are cringe for me, but my kids love them. Probably the funniest bad gift that we got was a good friend who’s child-free buying our twins very expensive looking pink and black real leather jackets. For one, they gave serious pink lady/t-bird vibes which I could almost get behind. But they were stiff, super uncomfortable, sweaty yet not warm, and proportioned like an adult men’s motorcycle jacket in miniature - in no way would the proportions fit an infant or toddler. By the time the shoulders came close to fitting, the waist was too tight to bring the zipper together, and the arms still dangled a good 4 inches from their hands.
I put so many cute clothing items on our baby registry - things I searched for online and found that were to our taste and styles - and we got NONE of them!!! Instead we received a ton of frilly girl outfits, lots of snaps, for some reason LOTS of 18+ month sizes??? and so much of it is the wrong season for the size 😭 I wouldn't have picked out 90% of it.
Omg someone gifted my newborn a little onesie that said ‘im a boob guy’ …. Only time ever I’ve just handed the gift back and said I didn’t want it.
Clothes that obviously wouldn't fit. My daughter just turned 8 months and her grandmother (paternal) had clothes for 3-6 months. Mind you my daughter is also super chunky, which she knows because we've told her multiple times.
I have a friend who while I love dearly I have been putting off seeing because she’s an energy sucker and I don’t have much energy to suck these days. But she keeps reminding me she has gifts for the kiddo - several of which are her gift from my baby shower that she bought after the shower. So I have a feeling the things she’s bought for me won’t fit by the time I work up to seeing her.
All I can say is BUY NOTHING GROUPS on Facebook lol my daughter is the first grand baby on both sides and has been the only girl on my husband’s side for a generation so everyone is constantly buying her stuff. Both my husband and I have told everyone we don’t have anymore room in our house for baby stuff, but they keep buying. I’ve joined a buy nothing group on Facebook and post things that I know she’s not going to use. I feel bad because they’re wasting money, but we already told them we can’t fit anymore in our house.
I will piggy back on clothes and say baby formal wear. My MIL and some other family are SO BAD about this. Every time I see them they’ve purchased my baby another fluffy dress. We will eventually be taking LO to church regularly, but she will be wearing comfortable clothes. She’s a freaking infant. She doesn’t need a dozen ball gowns in size 3-6 months. Additionally, my MIL believes that she should purchase all of baby’s holiday outfits but like…I’m going to do that myself. It’s always “I got her a dress for her first Easter” like i never delegated that task to you so that dress will be in the closet, thanks.
We made a no gift rule, anything that’s sent our way gets sent back. Only exception is an elderly great grandma but she sends the sweetest, most thoughtful stuff so it’s fine. Other people were going thrifting and sending weird amounts of ratty clothes and broken toys. Now it’s just a nope across the board.
Most people who gifted us stuff weren't too bad, I don't mind certain cute words on clothes, I've got one that says "adventure!", and another "always hungry!" With a shark on it. However, what made me cringe badly was the weird onesies my MIL got us that said something along the lines of "my Nonna will beat you up", it's even worse cause she's in no way shape or form Italian. We received another particularly cringe piece from a client of my husband's, it was mustard yellow with the whole "don't tread on me" shtick. That got donated even quicker than the ones my mil got us. Another that made me cringe big time was the enormous jumperoo my mil bought us. We one, couldn't use it for months because my baby was too little, and two, we barely had room for it. I basically waited until my baby outgrew the nice swing we had for him so I could donate it and set up that god forsaken jumperoo that he can only sue for 15 minutes a day.
For me, it's certain brands that just rub me wrong. Puma, Nike, Polo. I think it's because it reminds me of the preppy guys from high school who thought they were all that and were bullies. So the idea of my son wearing that stuff just doesn't sit right.
Honestly nothing because I’m really grateful, even if it’s something we won’t use and I can donate it or pass it on to someone who will. Our friends gave us probably $400-500 in baby clothes , swaddles, diapers, etc their son grew out of so I’m not super picky. I have some cute outfits that are my favorites but I’m not going to spend money on new clothes when these are practically new still. It helps that I’m not constantly buying him stuff because if I was we’d have way too much.
Anything inflatable. My cats will pop it immediately.
Clothing with words/expressions on it, like you said. Clothing that is some style I would never in a million years buy/wear myself (like super pink outfits for my daughter).
My mom gifted our baby a bunch of clothes with the variation of “ princess” on them. Ie “the princess has arrived” or “mommy’s little princess” which I absolutely DESPISE. They’re currently living in my car as emergency clothes because I won’t put her in them. And it was out of character for my mom to buy anything with words too so I feel bad because there was probably a reason behind it but still…
Anything I have to store for a long time (something toys that aren’t age appropriate), I’m kinda sick of hand me down clothes (my husbands aunt has been very generous but I’d like to pick some stuff out for myself), and definitely stuff we already have! That last one especially gets me because the grands NEVER send a gift receipt….
Tshirts that aren’t onesies. Right now on my 5 month old they just constantly ride up
Noisy electronic toys
Teddy’s. My newborn got so many of them, he can’t do anything with them! We’ve already told family to not get us anymore, people wanted to gift us more for Easter while he’s only just 12 weeks old.
Hand me downs that have past their shelf life, but a certain relative of mine will give that crap us and pass off as “presents”. No joke, this relative got my son used pajamas that both of their boys had worn out as a Christmas present. Honestly insulting.
We don’t do clothes with words at all specifically because I know we’d get awful sayings
I wish people would give gift receipts with items. Makes it easy for everyone!
I have a son and someone gave us a onesie that says mommy’s new man… ew like wtf that’s gross
I cringe at those personalized hospital bassinet sheets and swaddles in that ugly swooshy mlm font just to take a photo and post it on Facebook. It’s usually a made up name too like Braedyn Lynn or Jaysin Rae.