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?

Actually snowsuits in general I find impractical. Can't use them in a sling, can't use them in a car seat. You could stick them in them for the pram but then again if they're that little to be in a lie down pram I'd just tuck them in with 100 blankets and you don't have to traumatise them by stuffing each limb individually into it in your centrally heated house while they scream.

A pair of pink Adidas trainers for my newborn, and a bottle of champagne for me. I still have both 20 years later.

Dresses where fine for DD as she was in a pavlik harness round her feet from 2 months old until she was 6 months so getting her into sleepsuits was a bit difficult. She only wore the soft cotton ones though or ones with poppers on the shoulder never any on the back, was much easier to change her nappies that way too.

Useless gift for me was sleeping bags for babies, they look useful but due to aforementioned pavlik harness we had to temperature check DD and that was much easier with her having a blanket over her.

Most useful was a beautiful thick but breathable knitted blanket by my aunt, was my DDs favourite blanket for ages and was very useful during hospital stays. Many of the Nurses and Doctors complimented it even when she was tiny. I was gutted when it got accidently ruined

Mil gave me a load of bottle teats she got cheap on holiday in France. Issue I was bf and they didn't fit any bottle from this country. She also bought a really bright horrid jump suit and impractical frilly dress (which she was dressed in photo taken and changed into sleep suit in 10 mins)
Ds she bought everything camouflage I hate camouflage on a tiny baby.

The most glaring for us and the ones I feel worst about were the season-inappropriate baby boy’s dungaree short and t-shirt sets. We got given two gorgeous ones for our October born massive 9lb 7 baby. In size 0-3 months. Bought after he was born as we didn’t know the gender. Never in a million years could he wear them!

I’m shamefully re-gifting them as they are so nice, but I feel awful. What was the thought process behind it though?! 😂

My mil spent $50 dollars on fancy shoes for the baby that I'd specifically said we didn't want. He was born massive and never worn them. They were for a tiny baby, so who would wear them?

She also bought a build a Bear (again, asked about it, said no...), Baby's first Bible...all sorts. The kicker is she's in America and is paying $100s in shipping and taxes to send us things we don't want, whilst doggedly ignoring '£30 to go wild at the nct second hand sale would be so helpful...'

My dbro and sil sent me one of those plaster of Paris bump casts, and a baby footprint thing. Both of which my sil would've loved, tbf, but horrified me and got donated.

Little dresses and shoes. DC’s stayed in babygros until they were about nine months old and didn’t wear shoes until they could walk properly outside.

Outfits with no stretch and TINY little buttons, tights, teddies and headbands

Most of these have been already covered but outfits or baby grows with buttons on the back...just why?

Soft toy mountain, such a waste when they'll definitely all end up in the bin. I was absolutely explicit in saying no soft toys but still ended up with loads.

Sleeping bags, we used a swaddle until he was big enough to roll so none of these were used.

A beautiful rose bush that inevitably died when I didn't have time to regularly water it. Still feel guilty about that one.

Ditto flowers, they became just another thing to sort out/clean up in the house.

Season inappropriate clothes and I agree totally with the pp who said snow suits. Not sure when you'd ever actually use one given you can't wear it in the car or sling and in a pram you can just layer up.

Personal to us but muslins as my DS was rarely sick so loads went to the nearest baby bank without ever being used.

Dp's friend crochet a beautiful Moses blanket for ds1. Only the holes were quite big and he promptly got his finger stuck and cried. By the time he was big enough to safely use it, he was well out of the Moses basket.

Plus the endless cuddly toys that my kids have no interest in at all. I flogged the branded ones to buy them things they are more interested in and donated more. We still have a few from particularly special people gathering dust.

Just before posts roll in about us all being entitled and ungrateful...my most memorable gifts are cheap as chips but thoughtful...paper pants from a friend in the know, Milton wipes, the friend who bought me lip balm in case gas and air made my lips sore, and a bottle of bubbly for after.

the worst for us was actually something other people wouldn't know.

All my babies were big. ds and dd2 were over 10lbs.

They started in 0-3 and within a month were in 3-6 months. Ds head was so big I had to buy him a 12 month hat.
They all also have my feet, really long.

So not one single newborn outfit fitted. All socks were too small. All hats too small, and by the time he was walking, (and he walked at 11 months) he was in shoes fit for a 2 year old.
People gave us 6-12 month stuff for the summer, but he was wearing that in january!
We lived overseas in a very very cold country, so were given 3 or 4 snowsuits. (who gives a snowsuit? you only need one, and surely the parents have that covered?) But snowsuits made in the UK are not warm enough for where we were, so they got used for about a month in the spring and autumn.
And because my babies were so big, if you gave me clothes for 9-12 months when he was 9-12 months, they were already 2 sizes too small.

It was really hard to say to people, please don't be offended, I've had to swap it for a bigger size. But so much of what we were given was usless. I now always give older clothes in mid season styles that can be used at most times of the year (unless there is a heatwave)

I agree with flowers I didn’t have enough vases and places to put them, it felt overwhelming, also a tiny baby pair of denim dungarees like a premature baby needs stiff, hard, denim dungarees 🙄

A sheet of handmade paper and a laundry pile, brought to me whilst still in hospital. The laundry pole came in handy but the handmade paper...less so.

Pole not pile

@Brokenrecord3006

I was given this stupid "bouquet" which was made up of baby clothes. Loads of sticks with tiny socks and vests wrapped up like flowers. It came with a tonne of tissue paper, I had to uncurl each thing and it was all horrible. It included a bib which was large enough to fit an adult.

I was exhausted, in pain and hormonal, so I got pissed off and chucked it all in the bin. I felt bad and ungrateful but I couldn't have cared less at the time.

Oh these things are utterly hideous

Just to say about the baby books..my DC, now in their 20s , love their books. When they were home during the lockdown with very little to amuse they were all out and they had great laughs at the photos and the little notes. Also they live showing them to their friends and especially boyfriends/ girlfriends!!! So maybe worth a go!!

@WineInTheWillows

Baby vests with great big ballerina style tutus. Just... why?

Yes!!!

One explosive nappy away from a poo-tu!

Peppa pig baby clothes. I can see why they exist if the baby had an older sibling who was super into peppa. But DD didn’t have an older sibling and the clothes were just ugly! Now DD is 3 and I buy her the odd peppa/ other character outfit as SHE loves it but I still hate them.

Frilly dresses for my girls and uncomfortable expensive looking outfits for my boys. Mine lived in babygros as newborns and after that tops and stretchy leggings.

The obligatory soft toy mountain, what felt like several hundred blankets, muslins and bibs. DD wasn't a sicky baby so I ended up with a box of bibs and muslins just gathering dust alongside the teddies and blankets also gathering dust. The trouble is any of the above items would be well received from one or two people but when every family member or friend buys a variation of them it's overload.

We would have loved flowers (which proves we're all different). The only time we got any was when DP was due to be induced, and in our innocence she sent me out to buy some spring flowers in bed as 'they'll be out by tomorrow when we come home'.

Reader, we were not home 'tomorrow' and they were very dead by the time we were! I think we jinxed things ...

I agree snowsuits are really faffy with babies. I loved getting lots of little blankets as much easier to layer and tuck them in where needed.

@ArtfulScreamer, oh no, that makes me feel guilty! I always buy new mums muslins because DD was sicky and we went through so many. Now reassessing that!

spring flowers in bud not bed! Can't type!

I would have loved flowers, with my second dc nobody even bothered to get any! I think they stop caring after the first one!