To ask MIL not to bring children a present at every visit?

Cov - can you get your DH to say "I'm afraid that the DC's are beginning to look forward to the preents more than the Grandma so I suggest that you cut down on the presents for a while"

Or be really mean and say you have a new rule that one present in means one old present out ie donated to charity.

Yes it is nice that Grandparents can spoil the children but not to a degree that the parents object to it. You are entitled to set some boundaries.

My parents are like this, go waaaaay ott when it comes to prezzies etc. eg, dd2 was born a couple of weeks ago, they said they'd bring a gift for dd1 as well, fair enough. They actually turned up with a giant gift bag packed with about 7 or 8 wrapped prezzies just for dd1. It's really difficult, every time we discuss it and explain the practical difficulties of living in a small house with two children they nod and agree, promise to curb it a bit but nothing changes. Drives me insane.

Both sets of parents do this. I have decided not to say anything as I know I would upset both of them too much.

I do sound rather cruel

that sounds alot to me..I would ask them to cut down, or make it no more than a colouring book or pencils or a comic

I have a dgs who is nearly three and I don't buy him much now..I get him clothes sometimes but only about two or three times a year and hardly ever give him a present and I've never bought him sweets! Except I did get him some chocolate snowmen or something at Christmas (but was addressed top mum and dad too)

Actually I sell toys on my website so he has sometimes had something from my stock but he certainly doesn't get much in relation to possibility..he is supposed not to touch anything and if he does it goes back.

squonk in my experience that doesnt work

dc does somethng vaguely nice and then asks over and over again for the 'reward'

My inlaws bring sweets every time and if they don't they apologse and give the children the money to buy sweets instead. I never ask for them. Its nice but sometimes too much. They have so many still in the cupboard as I don't give them to them much. I make them last ages! I always say 'you really dont need to bring them sweets' etc but it doesn't work.

Its difficult as you dont want to appear mean and ungrateful but you also dont want the children to expect toys every time they see them. Could you say something like 'we have so many toys we're running out of room'in a jokey way or maybe suggest a magazine or a book if they really want to bring/buy something.

OMG

my IL's do that

i tell them - it got to the point when FIL came in the dorr dds would say "have you somethihng special for me?"

of course he did, and he would smugly say "of course doenst grampa always"

it made me sad and mad, like they were happy for the gift not his visit

i got dh to tell them

also what bugs me is if you go out to the shops he always buys them a shitey comic or bag of sweets

makes me fume

can you make it a sort of reward? If you know she's coming, tell the kids if they do something (really, really simple) nicely, then granny will bring them a present. This way, they don't associate it with granny visiting as much as them being good and granny rewarding their good behaviour.

maybe?

I can see huge problems with this if the kids don't do what you've asked of them, but if they're likely to...

can you suggest she opens a bank account for them. you really dont want them expecting gifts from her