My mum has bought DD a dress knowing we won’t like it.

Your daughter will like plenty of things you don’t. So will her grandparents. You are her mother, not her controller. Why is it such a big deal to put her in the dress? If she’s like most one year olds, she’ll need more than one outfit per day, anyway.

Unless there is a massive backstory you’re about to drip feed, just let it go. Seriously, life is too short to kick up a fuss about something this trivial.

I’m as middle class as they come and a gigantic snob. Like, next level.

But even I think the snobbery and denigration of this harmless little dress is just ludicrous. If you get all stressed out about this, how in the name of all that’s holy do you handle life’s REAL stressors. Jesus wept.

I'd lose the skirt as well.

The T shirt is acceptable {especially for a few pics} but the sombre sludgy colour and mass of exploding fabric around the waist?

Very impractical.

Headbands on babies are naff anyway- there was a trend for bald baby girls to be put in them- {as a baby I was bald as a potato} 🥔 but head bands weren't around then.

Ironically bald babies tend to have very luxurious, thick fine hair from 2 and up.

I always bought my DGC clothes that I AND their parents liked. Therefore no waste of money and we were all happy.

Now they're teenagers I buy the clothes they like and I dislike the least!

You never know! A soon-to-be one-year-old Other Lily might love it!

It's beautiful.

The only issue I'd have is that I'd want to have the joy of choosing the outfit for my daughter's first birthday. So I'd say that's lovely and we can dress her up and do a little photoshoot with it, but then I'd put my outfit on for her party. She can have more than one ... after all, it's her birthday : )

I also wouldn't lie about a poonami -- just say 'Thanks mum, here are photos of her wearing the dress, the dress is really not to our taste and not very practical for a baby, so we got her redressed after the photos'.

Charity shops will struggle to sell it, as it can only be sold to a family that has a one year old named Lily !

It’s awful, kind of thing people who put crowns on babies and get them to smash cake would buy. You don’t have to dress her in it. The skirt would be nice for dressing up.

I think there's an ENORMOUS difference here between innocently buying something you think is nice (which, I agree, at least dress them up for one photo), and DELIBERATELY buying something you KNOW the parents will HATE, and expecting it to be worn for a special occasion too. That then isn't a nice, well-intentioned gift, it's literally a badly-intentioned gift, they are literally giving something they know will annoy you.

It's your daughter, but your mum's granddaughter, potentially her only granddaughter, and she cares about her. She bought something naff, but there is no reason to see it as an act of 'asserting dominance'. She likes the dress and would love to see her granddaughter in it. If it's not to your taste, take some photos, share them with your mum, then dress her in something else. Give the dress to charity afterwards so it doesn't go to waste.

Think it’s kind of cute. Like the dusty pink, it’s girly and only borders on tack.

The real issue is why are you allowing your mother to choose if you want to choose?

I love it 😂. Me and my DD don't have the same taste in her 6 year old D clothing but my DGD has her own ideas now so tough on us both!!!

Go to a seamstress and see if they can make one in your mum's size then suggest they twin for the day?

Depending on your relationship - you could do a pic and have some fun - put some kind of Halloween head gear on as well as outfit or you could at one time buy black t-shirt with less cute pics - and put that with the skirt.

https://skeletots.co.uk/collections/skelly-skull
https://www.feralandfunkykids.co.uk/product-tag/skulls/
https://www.babymoos.com/product-tag/skull-baby-clothes/

Or just do a pic and not think about it or just ignore entire outfit.

But absolutely none of that means she can't also wear this dress for gain an hour to take some photos for her grandma, does it?

Let's be honest, whatever she wears will end up covered in food, drool etc. anyway!

Awww its really not that bad. Okay so its not something I would chose but my Mum had different tastes to me when my DD's were little and she would often buy something knowing its not my taste but she would think it was cute. We would laugh about it. It's just an outfit at the end of the day. Why the drama?

To me it was never a big deal. I would just put them in it, take some photos and leave them in it for a while to please my Mum and I would laugh and I would tease her about her awful taste in clothes.

But then that was the relationship I had with my Mum. I knew she wasn't being disrespectful or 'going against my wishes' to annoy me or anything. It was just my Mum wanting to see her Grand daughter in a cutesy dress she liked. I never got offended or thought she was trying to dress her up like a doll etc. I would just roll my eyes, laugh and get on with it.

Only you know the relationship you have with your own Mum but as this has annoyed you so much then maybe she has form for doing this kind of thing?

@Glasscabinet I thought 'that's a rather naff T shirt, but not too heinous..

Then I saw the ghastly ruffles - yup, it's hideous!

As a little kid {3 yrs} my absolutely favourite ''party dress'' was pale blue silk and I LOVED that dress so much..

This one however is impractical. Those encumbering ruffles!

I am a granny and I think the OPs reaction is correct. No way would I chose what one of my grandchildren wore on their birthday. My children would not spare my feelings. The dress is tacky!

Get over yourself and take a photo of your daughter wearing the dress for your mum. One day she won't be here and you'll give anything for the chance to do something to make her happy

If OP takes a series of photos of the outfit being trashed by dark choc cake she saves her daughter's normal clothes and gives her mum the photos with a big dominant statement back! Of course the top can’t have a bib over because you lose the message.

Well, sure, they're allowed, but the question is why? Do you actually want your gift to be used? Do you want it to bring pleasure? Be useful?
Those are the only reasons I can think of for buying a gift, and getting something the parents hate doesn't fall into any of those things (Bearing in mind that the age of 1 we're talking about the parent's wishes, the child doesn't care at this stage.)

The grandmother also is expecting that the child will wear it on her first birthday, not just any day.

@Tengreenbottles2 but the gift is for the grandchild, not their parents

You don't have to like everything your child is gifted, but the polite thing is to say thank you, take a couple of cute photos and then donate it to charity when it's too small.

I'm not sure why everything has to be taken so seriously, it's just a dress.

It’s a bit weird to buy a 1yo something that you know the parents won’t like. I’d put her in it, take a quick photo and keep hold of the photo til her bday then send it to your mum. Then after her birthday I’d charity shop it.

personally I think it looks extremely impractical - but each to their own. I’d have her wear the skirt literally for a photo and that’s it - looks impossible to get food/spills out of or wash.

Mmm I can see it is one that you either love or hate and it wouldn't be to many people's tastes I'll give you that!

So no I don't think you're unreasonable with it