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

I’m with you OP. It’s both tacky and impractical - aside from issues with changing her, it looks like it would hinder movement. Does your mother have form for treating your DD as a doll to play dress up with?

Some people will like it, others won’t. If you don’t like it (and your DM knows it) I wouldn’t put it on your DD
Just say “you’re right DM, it’s not my taste so DD won’t be wear it. If you knew that, I’m not sure why you bought it.”
You could put it on DD for pics as some PPs have suggested, but you know your DM better than us, so is it likely to become something that occurs more often where she railroads you into something she knows you won’t like or goes against your wishes?

With you OP, it's awful. If feeling generous take a picture of her wearing it, then dress her in whatever outfit you had planned for her birthday.

Don't be so precious and let granny have some pleasure. My mother isn't here anymore and how I would long for her to buy my granddaughter a dress and be able to give her a little pleasure. You young people are so officious. Quite unpleasant really!

Lots of things my mum bought ds as a baby weren't to my taste. I didn't like the baby sailor outfit but that's OK. We like different things. In the scheme of things it really isn't a problem.

Do you get such twee stuff for boys? The DD isn’t a doll
I got a ridiculous sailor outfit as mentioned above with a horrible cap! The dress is gorgeous compared to that!

Oh wait, that looks like a separate skirt and bodysuit?

No need to cut anything up for the dressing up box, and she can wear the bodysuit under normal clothes.

I don’t have strong feelings re the dress but it’s obviously up to you what your dd wears for her birthday party!

You could do as PPs have suggested and put her in it to take a few photos.

Then put Dd in something she can more easily play/ crawl / whatever she likes to do in for the party.

But what's wrong with the dress though?

I get it may not be to her taste but I still don't see why she's so upset unless there's some backstory.

@Glasscabinet she doesn't have to put it on if you don't like it but I'm struggling to see why you're so upset. Because she said you wouldn't like it? You not liking it doesn't mean it isn't a cute dress.

Getting so upset to create a thread on mumsnet where some posters are calling your mother a bitch and asking you to go NC, is it really that deep?

My xmil, regardless of the occasion, always used to take dc out of whatever they were wearing and redress them in an outfit that she had brought with her. Never once asked if we minded.

When I raised it exh and all the flying monkeys in their family would get into a panic as they knew she would not take any suggestion that this was inappropriate well.

One of the many reasons they are xILs.

Put it on, take some pics, take it off again and dress her in what you want.

I hate personalised clothes, you can't easily sell them or give them to charity if you don't want them. Especially something like that which has a name AND an age on it, so the chances of finding someone else to palm it off on give it to are next to zero.

That said, you could always cut the skirt off and stick it in the dressing up box (it might not be to your taste but Lily might have fun with it) and then use the T-shirt part as a cleaning cloth. And you can never have too many socks.

I think it's cute but either way surely there won't only be one birthday outfit worn all day? Can't you just pop it on her for an hour for pictures and once it gets dirty change her into whatever you had planned?

Just dont dress her in it.

However, I really dont like children's cloges with their names on - it's my gripe, but I'm sure there has been guidance not to use clothing, bags, headbands etc with names on as young children (appreciate your child will be 1!) will trust people they believe know them - eg, using their name to establish a connection to say they know them.

You could mention that as a valid concern to guide about future outfits.

I can understand where you're coming from. Especially if you don't like the waste of fast fashion.

It's been designed to be so specific its something that can only be worn on one day of her whole life and can't even be passed on to another child unless you find another Lily approaching her first birthday.

And then it's also essentially your mum choosing what your daughter wears for her birthday.

I have 3 daughters and relatives have bought them all manner of hideous outfits over the years. You dress them up in them, take some photos, send the photos to the relative and thank them very much for their kind gift. End of story.

Hideous, but then I'm not a frills person and thankfully I had a boy!!

I agree. Put it on her for a photoshoot, and then feign a nappy explosion.

I'm still curious about people saying "birthday outfit" for a one year old.
At one mine would have started off the day in one outfit and gone through several and by the time it would be teatime she'd just be in a nappy and one sock 😂

It's hideous.

My grandmother wanted a little girl and got a boy instead, so as the first born grandchild born female, I was subjected to godawful clothes like that. I hated it. Hate it now.

Don't put it on your child.

This.
Perhaps OP prefers leggings & a cute teashirt which is reasonable if it's your taste for a 1yr old dd but I love the drama of this dress 😀

For me the choice between the 2 options (take a few pics to keep the peace, or just don't put her in it) would depend on what you think her intentions are and how she is generally. If you think she genuinely thinks the dress is sweet and she tries her best to support you on the whole, I'd take the pics, but if it's part of a bigger pattern of not respecting your parenting choices I'd think twice, and maybe say you've got her birthday outfit already.

Yes, it's hideous.

Just say you prefer the individual parts - pair the top with some denim dungarees (bib will cover most up). And the skirt with a plain clashing/striped top or dinosaur t-shirt etc.

Oh dear, the hair-band is a safety risk/got lost - what a pity!

Yes. I wouldn’t have bought it if it had been awful. They did like to dress her ungirly so I bought something understated but sweet when I was abroad on holiday. It probably went straight to a charity shop 😕

You think a grandparent's views on how a baby should be dressed should override the views of the parents? How odd.

It's not at all relevent whether people think it's beautiful/tacky/fun/a waste of money. It's OP's baby. She should have the ultimate say over what she wears especially for a special occasion

Haven’t RTFT but even the first page, I am so shocked how many people are telling you to just suck it up! For me it’s awful and I’d be hurt by my mum essentially saying ‘I know your preferences but I don’t care and want you to do what I want’. No way I’d want my kids 1st bday outfit to be something I hated. To me this is completely different to all the outfits you get as gifts for kids that are not to your taste - those I agree, just wear them for the gift giver, take a photo. This has another edge to it and I’d not let anyone shame you into taking it if you don’t want to. Doesn’t need to be a showdown, just ‘like you say, it’s not my cup of tea mum. Why don’t you return it and I’ll put her in something I like.’

OP I’m with you, I’d be annoyed by this! She knew you wouldn’t like it, and laughed as she said this. That’s irritating.

I don’t like this style of dresses for babies. My friends little sister dresses her baby in stuff like this and I just think they look really chavvy.

I agree with what other people have said though… put her in it, get some pics for your mum, and then say it got ruined, and put your own baby in an outfit for her birthday that you got to choose!