What was the most impractical baby gift you were given?

[LolaNova]

Was just in the kids bedroom looking at a blanket DS was given shortly after he was born by a friend of my mum’s. It’s absolutely stunning. White, hand crocheted, really intricate, very fine yarn, took hundreds of hours to make. It’s also massive, heavy, and wholly impractical for use as a blanket by anyone, let alone an infant! You could probably use it as a gorgeous beach cover up or a christening shawl for photos. It’s hung on the bannisters in DS’ room for the last 2 years.

What gifts were you given that never got used?

Agree with clothes for the wrong season

0-3 months and 3-6 months proper outfits - sooooo many! You kind of want to choose some stuff yourself 😂 and even if you didn't it's hard to get through them all before they've grown out of them

Most useful were just basic babygrows as you can never have too many when they are having leakages from both ends and it helps to be able to just put a new one on and if it's really bad actually throw it away as you know you have plenty. Blanket for parents for the night feeds, snacks you can eat one handed for fuel while doing something else and holding the baby

A friend was just scraping by with twin nearly one year olds when she was gifted Santa outfits for them on Xmas day. She'd already picked out outfits for their first Christmas and this stole her thunder as she was basically forced to change them. She was in tears when she found out they cost £100 EACH! What she could have done with that money, instead of it going on an outfit worn for part of one day 😔 also upsets her that most of their first Christmas photos have these outfits on and not the ones she chose

A push along bike for a newborn. It was a handy doorstop for a while.

Jeans in 0-3 months. Why are they even a thing!?

[quote LolaNova]@SarahAndQuack I love slings but I’d never buy one for someone else. It’s like buying a bra or running shoes. Just because something works for you, doesn’t mean it will fit right or work well for aomebody else.[/quote]
YY!

I think it was really well-meant. But just ... no.

Some expensive outfits that were for a tiny baby (dc was over 9lb) they were from an independent shop no where near me so ended up giving them to the local children's centre (hopefully someone will have got some use out of them).

@teanosugar2

Jeans in 0-3 months. Why are they even a thing!?

Because some odd bods like my DS still fit into rediculously small clothes depsite being 15 months. He was wearing a 0-3 jumper and 3-6 month jeans yesterday.

Clothes from the COS baby range. Did you know that COS made baby clothes? Nope, me neither. Thanks mum. DD has several photos where she resembles Tilda Swinson.

A beautifully hand-made quilted cot bumper, complete with lots of really long ribbons to tie it to the bars of the cot.

Sorry, thanks all the same, but I don't really want a strangulation hazard in the cot.

Some friends bought my younger DD an outfit consisting of a very structured skirt, top and stiff cardigan when she was first born. Completely impractical for a newborn. They had a daughter a few weeks after ours was born and I’m pretty sure soon realised it wasn’t the most sensible choice

I agree about the out of season items. For some reason, my MIL was adamant my oldest needed another snowsuit her first winter. I reminded her that we already had 8! but she was determined. She insisted that DHs grandmother bought DD one for Christmas, two sizes too big. When we told her we couldn’t use it (she wouldn’t have been big enough until the summer) MIL had the cheek to tell Grandma we didn’t want it because I didn’t like it!

Oh, god, yes, MIL got us cot bumpers. And then complained we weren't protecting DD when we didn't want to use them.

It was totally irrelevant anyway; she refused to sleep in the cot for months and by the time she was in it I'm fairly sure MIL would have forgotten.

A five foot tall teddybear with matching tshirts.

China plates, bowls, feeding cups etc. Received several sets at both Christenings.

I'm not sure what you are actually supposed to do with them.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

China plates, bowls, feeding cups etc. Received several sets at both Christenings.

I'm not sure what you are actually supposed to do with them.

I guess those things are just traditional token gifts for a christening. Like my sister got a silver spoon and egg cup for her christening and they sat in the dresser with all the other ‘best’ china. Never actually used for eating!

My cousin got me a fathers family tree record book...

I was an 18 year old girl who had just been dumped at 8 months pregnant! Thanks babe.

@EssentialHummus

Clothes from the COS baby range. Did you know that COS made baby clothes? Nope, me neither. Thanks mum. DD has several photos where she resembles Tilda Swinson.

I came on to say babygrows with huge, chunky buttons down the back, but I've been diverted by the Cos baby range. Teeny-tiny architect babies in tasteful navy. Love it.

I don't have DC but I've always given a patchwork blanket that doubles as a play mat and that's been well received, hopefully nobody thinks impractical!! (Washable too and neutral so they can grow up with them)
I saw an outfit that had buttons up the back and it was raised up buttons like those tiny Pearl ones. How uncomfortable?!

DD was given, what I can only describe as, a hand-knitted cloak. It was about 3 times the length of her as a newborn, with a little hood and one button at the top. I have no idea at what point she would have ever used it or when you would put a cloak on a baby, she'd have looked like a little Robin Hood. It was all white with a lemon colour on the edge, lovely and soft but totally useless - she was a December baby so it was thick pramsuits for the first 3 months!

A beautiful perennial plant that would flower at the time of birth each year. I was utterly overwhelmed with reflux baby and little/no support at home and never got time to plant it out, I just about managed to water it on my windowsill couple of times, hoping to manage it one day (I could hardly way myself once a week never mind so gardening) as it slowly died. It was a lovely idea but was basically a huge lump of guilt in a pot and the giver may add well have handed me a sign saying 'you're a failing new mum'. Had they given it to me and actually planted it for me before they left to go to their childfree home leaving me to manage the washing up from the hospitality they enjoyed , I would have watched it flourish and gazed fondly at its flowers every year around his birthday. But that didn't happen. Not that I'm bitter.

@WhenTwoBecomeThree

DD was given, what I can only describe as, a hand-knitted cloak. It was about 3 times the length of her as a newborn, with a little hood and one button at the top. I have no idea at what point she would have ever used it or when you would put a cloak on a baby, she'd have looked like a little Robin Hood. It was all white with a lemon colour on the edge, lovely and soft but totally useless - she was a December baby so it was thick pramsuits for the first 3 months!

I wonder if you’re a relative to me.. I was given the exact same thing in pink for my dd

She never wore it much to the annoyance of my nan

Wellies. They were size 4 infant - both DC were in size 6 when they started walking and so size 4 wellies served no purpose.

A 0-3 month thick fleece blanket wrap type thing. I don't actually know what it was for as the instructions stated it wasn't for use in a bassinet, cot or carseat . Dd was also born at the end of May and it was rather warm so we would never have used it even if I could have worked out what I was supposed to do with it.

@StoneColdBitch

We were given a COOK voucher. I cringe when I see it recommended on here as an ideal present for new parents. The voucher wasn't enough to make an order which qualified for free postage, and we couldn't easily afford to pay the extra for this. So we collected the order from our nearest shop, which was a 45-minute drive away. The actual food was fairly nice but in no way worth the price. Terrible present IMO.

I got given a Cook Voucher, for a substantial amount. It was bloody brilliant. The give needs to think about the logistics.

A expect a COOK voucher needs to be for at least £50 (?) to qualify for free delivery/justify delivery costs.

Shoes for babies too small to walk, why?

DD was MIL's first grand child. She spent most of my pregnancy knitting cardigans and handed them all over to me when she visited me in hospital. She claimed they were all in newborn size but I think she must have knitted very tightly because they seemed much smaller. The arm holes (which would have been round baby's wrists) where she had cast on were so tight that I would never have been able to get them over DDs hands. They weren't my sort of thing anyway but I did feel quite bad for MIL having spent all that time on something that we could never use.