What does the baby want for Christmas? Can you just order that for me?

is she busy?
does she work full time?
perhaps the shops do not sell exactly what you are asking for

Oh lots of people in my family do this too, only we have 3 children so it is a lot of faff, it's also hard finding space to hide things for weeks and time to wrap/space to dispose of packaging so our children don't suss. My mother was messaging me at work 8.30am yesterday and getting annoyed about me not replying about sorting gifts for my husband and 3 children, I pointed out I'm at work and have a lot on my plate to organise as it is her gifts will have to wait!!! She actually wanted me to reply with what I was getting and order it 🤣. People seem to think you have nothing else to organise. The annoying thing is my mum does this thing every year where she laughs at me for leaving stuff until late on, I work ft, juggle 3 kids, have everything to organise for everyone else, all the extra school shit, events, social gatherings etc etc. She's bought 6 presents and is done, the rest she's made me and my siblings sort for our own families. She will no doubt be gloating next week that she's all organised for xmas. If I was retired, only had 6 presents and nothing else to think about id be done too! Rage.

I'd refuse to have it delivered to your house if I were you.

It's a bit annoying but just return the favour.

"OK mil, that probably does make things easier.....why don't you keep the cash and use it to buy what you want from us for Christmas....that will be easier for me too"

This is the way I see it. And ordering off Amazon is hardly work for you when you have an account, you literally just press a button. You can ask her for the cash beforehand if it's going to leave you short.

At this stage i would push back on having it delivered to you. Maybe order it and just stay after "oh whoops it's coming to you" and she can sort all the faff out.

I think i find these situations stressful as I already find it hard trying to decide what presents to get for the kids, then I also have to think for everyone else. People are of course well meaning and want to get the children something they want, which I appreciate, but it's just something else to do.

annoying!
order it to be delivered to her house so she has to wrap it and next tome she asks say ‘a puppet set please’

I think that asking for a list is fine (I do with my nieces and nephews - avoids disappointment and duplicates). But, asking you to do all the actual buying is annoying.

If she can use the internet, she can order it herself. You are making it beyond easy for her. Does she not get any enjoyment whatsoever from buying and wrapping a present for her grandchild?

36?! But last year! Last year I had THIRTY SEVEN!!

I don’t think the list is bad because otherwise MILs would be criticised for buying the wrong thing but next time just send a list not from Amazon and leave her to buy it

I hear you op, I’ve had fifteen years of choosing, buying, wrapping and writing “love from grandpa” on gifts my DDad has been completely uninvolved in. The worst moment was when he said something disparaging about the jumper ds was wearing, and ds replied “Er, you bought me it?” in confusion. I literally saw the penny drop in ds’s eyes.

I fucking HATE this.

I am a huge believer in “it’s the thought that counts”

And this behaviour is zero thought. In fact, it’s worse as its NEGATIVE thought as you’re having to do all the fucking thinking for them!!!!!!

My parents are minted, but by far the best present I’ve ever had from them was when I’d asked Dad to mend a beloved jewelled hair clip and he couldn’t as it was too far gone so he scoured eBay for weeks tracking down a similar one for me instead. Cost less than a tenner but meant the absolute world to me.

I agree OP!

My family and DH family does this too!

Sometimes the mental load is a lot for me to organise Christmas presents we are given everyone let alone also organising what people are buying DS and DH for birthday (December birthday) and Christmas

My mother does this and I either never see the money at all or just a fraction of it.

Hmmm I used to try and do present shopping for my nephews but it was always “oh he’s too advanced for this” when it’s an item for 3-6 year olds and they were 4, or “oh this doesn’t fit with our colour scheme” or blah blah blah. Now I just request the list and have done with it. Do you pick at everything your MIL does? We don’t know if that’s you, but my relations wouldn’t think they did it either!

At least she isn’t buying something you don’t want. Especially large or noisy things you don’t want.

You could just ask her for money each time and invest it for the dcs future, let her have the account details to pay into?

That is much worse. Definitely say no. You got that present, she has to get something else.

Yes why are you answering these questions? Leave it to her son. My Mother in law buys a ton of crap, orders it to her house, spends a fortune on postage, then is too poor to ever visit her own Grandchild. If we have her a list she would buy everything on it, but buy the Temu version. Let your husband sort this. At least you will get what you want.

YANBU. That is pure laziness on her part. If she genuinely can’t be bothered to find a present and wrap it up herself, given that you have provided a good list of suggestions, then that’s on her. You do not have to do her life admin.

I'm shocked I didn't realise it was older than me! I was born in 97 so I grew up with like blockbuster but I had no idea about Amazon!

I make a list before Christmas with an item for each person to buy. My family is very big on buying a gift my kids want rather than picking something and it possibly being a duplicate/not played with.

My granny is in her 70s and will reserve it at (I always pick smyths because she likes the click n collect) and my auntie takes her to collect it! dh can help his mother with the same thing for your dc.

With my sister I send her a few options and let her decide, but I never send different people the same gifts if that makes sense. That way I know no one will be buying a duplicate haha

It only did books back then! I remember when it started doing film rentals, I was one of their first dvd customers that got switched over from LoveFilm about 15y ago. Only after that did they do other stuff like toys.

Ha! Is your MIL my mum?!?!
My mum is the same. Asks for ideas, I give ideas, asks me to just get it for her “as that’s simpler” (she shops and has deliveries to her house daily!) I end up paying for shipping as she’ll give me the amount for the gift, I have to get the present to her and yes it’s a simple thing but when your bin is full every week yet another box to throw away is so annoying. This year I pushed back and never ordered any of the items they asked me to. I just kept saying I hadn’t done it yet. They quickly did it at the last minute.

Amazon is 30 years old???? What😵