Baby's first birthday to ask for no boxed gifts?

No its absolutely not ok to specify money only. And your child will need lots of new toys over the next year - whats suitable at o months is outgrown by 18. Better to adk for them to buy something later in the year. Or nothing at all.

I’d buy a book or an experience of some kind e.g a couple of swimming lessons.

Feel it’s a hit CF of her to expect £50+ off people!

a voucher is a great idea - at Tesco you can get ones that are specifically for young children where it is fair things like swimming lessons or baby groups 😊or come a local baby toddler group and see if they do vouchers!

x

How much would you have spent on the keepsakes? £20? Give that in a card with a lovely note.

I would buy her a gift that I could afford. Or put an amount of money in a card I could afford. No one can dictate how much money you give or spend

had planned to get her a lot of personalised keepsakes.

Well thats why, she doesnt want tat
A lot of personalised keepsakes will not be quality items

I agree with previous posters, you can never have enough books!
Ask for book tokens or a voucher or say that you'd really love to be able to start collecting Duplo and ask for them to buy that.
There are ways to word things. You could say "If you wish to buy baby a gift, baby already has enough clothes, we'd love to be able to start collecting xyz for him/her. We'd be grateful for xyz token so we can put it towards xyz"

Is this your brother’s wife (in which case talk to him) or your husband’s sister (in which case, what does he think)?

Good lord, there’s obviously quite the backstory. Just give your DB the vouchers if you’re that worried. Or, as above, get him to bring your DN out for the day and get her something then. But really, is it worth the hassle for £15?

This, and the personalised keepsakes thing, gives me the sense that you’re just itching to turn this into a petty row.

No adult still has ‘my first birthday’ keepsakes, do they, OP? It’s not really a good gift for a baby. I promise she won’t care that you didn’t buy things she’s got no room to store as she grows up.

I’d buy a cute sun hat the child can use in this hot weather, and a fun interactive book the parents can read with the child, and leave it there. The child will be totally unaware of the meaning of the day.

Just choose a nice gift the child will appreciate and shake off the feeling of obligation the parents are trying to set up.

No to personalised keepsakes.
No to cash - unless they give minimum of £50 cash to each of your children

i wpuld buy two books or one nice hardback one. They can be kept as memories of all those special times being read to and favourite stories.

Oh god please don’t buy anybody personalised keepsakes, they are just tat that clutters up the house and ends up in a charity shop (or if it’s an unusual name or includes the date of birth then it’s more likely to be landfill).

I agree on a lovely outfit or a set of books maybe? The little Beatrix Potter or Brambly Hedge ones are lovely.

I think she’s greedy and ungrateful would be my first thought
I’ve always accepted everyone’s gifts gracefully and if I haven’t wanted/liked them - either sold or regifted
£50 cash is just a bit much

I have had one alternative request once tho a little girl in my daughters class - she said in a party invite that her daughter was saving up for a swing for the garden and if people wanted to put afew pennies in a card that would be lovely. This however is an entirely different sort of request isn’t it???

This mum had just moved to her new rental, they didn’t have much so it was a great idea. I wrapped up a £1 bag of haribo and put £10 In a card - job done. Something to open and something to spend.

but £50+ that would not be happening!

I can absolutely understand not wanting personalised keepsakes TBH, in my house they end up unused/ going to charity and some are absolute tat. But I do think the “over £50” is batshit. Just tot up how much you’d have spent and give it in vouchers/ cash.

I definitely wouldn’t do personalised keepsakes. Won’t mean anything to the wee one and will just be more stuff for the parents. I also would ignore ‘no boxed gifts’ as a command as that just sounds ridiculous. Just get a couple books and offer to take her out one afternoon with your kids.

love this!!

I’d buy a little outfit and wrap it in paper - not a box. I’d hope she’d be too polite to say anything but if she does I’d say ‘my gift is not boxed, as per your request, the only other thing I could think of was that you were asking people for money and I know you are much to polite for that’

It's really crappy to give personalised keepsakes when you aren't the one obliged to keep them forever.

Oh my god don’t get personalised keepsakes. This is exactly is why people don’t want random gifts for their child. If I received this I would be polite and might even think how sweet for about ten seconds then I’d just be thinking ‘oh great, more crap to have lying around the house’. ‘Keepsakes’ honestly sounds like pointless landfill. If you don’t want to give cash (understandable!) pick a book

Personal keepsakes can be really annoying if they mean nothing to the parents. She will have her own keepsakes from them.

Peoples homes are full of tat and it’s a real
problem.