Relatives ordering baby birthday gifts straight to our house… normal or not?

[BlackCat14]

Not sure if I’m ungrateful here but wanted to see what others think.

Our baby is one in a few weeks. We’re having a little family party at home for him on the day. In the last week, three separate relatives have sent (large!) gifts directly to our house. I’m talking a swing, a water tray thing and a play kitchen. They are all huge and have come in loads of cardboard packaging. One of them turned up as a total surprise with a note on the inside as to who it was from, the other two, the relatives text on the day or on the day before with a screenshot saying like “we ordered this for Maxs birthday, it’s arriving at yours today.”
I just feel a bit…ffs… about it all. His birthday isn’t for a few weeks, it’s just another thing for us to have to do. Unwrap it all, take the huge pieces of cardboard to the tip, store it somewhere. All three of these people are coming to his party. I just would’ve thought it would’ve been more the norm for them to get the gift sent to their house, sort it out themselves and then bring it round on his birthday? Not just send it straight to us weeks before? This is our first baby and the first baby in the family for this generation so maybe I’m just clueless on how things work. I’m grateful for the gifts but just a bit irked that they’ve turned into jobs for us!

Kindly, he’s one. He has no idea about birthdays yet. Just let him play with the presents that have already arrived. No point in ‘storing’ them! You sound awfully ungrateful. People have gone to the thought and effort of buying your child lovely gifts and all you can think to do is complain..

I understand where you are coming from tbh! My side of the family all send their presents directly to my house, unwrapped. This means that I end up wrapping all the presents and it does add to the workload especially at Xmas as I have two children. Sometimes the gifts aren’t even in boxes which hide what they are and the courier just leaves it on the drive - my kids are old enough now to be aware of these things.

I’m not being ungrateful but they buy the gifts they want to buy and sometimes it’s things we already have. We have tried offering direction without it coming across as grabby.

I would never gift a child a present without wrapping it up but reading this thread perhaps I’m in the minority.

OP this is perfectly normal, you're sounding a tad ungrateful tbh

I think it’s normal these days tbh

They just wanted to do a nice thing

No good deed etc etc

Save us all from this insanity, is this your first child?

How exactly were you expecting them to transport a beautifully wrapped swing, a water tray thingie and a play kitchen…..do they all own transits and adore assembling children’s toys.

They were probably just being kind and generous, it might lessen when you have another child so maybe practice being a little gracious.

Same.

We can be in the minority together 😂
Yeah I think I’ve understood from people on here that it’s quite common practice and doesn’t make sense for others to assemble then bring over etc etc, which is fine. Especially at his age where I don’t need to think about wrapping and it doesn’t matter if he sees it. But your situation… older kids and having to wrap presents from other people, that’s frustrating!!

We do actually already have a swing 🙈 but this one is bigger and will last him until he’s a bit older so seeing the positive there!

I’ve said I get it now, so you don’t need to be like that. And we aren’t having another child.

I usually request gift wrap if it’s available. It isn’t always.

My favourite person is my brother, because he always gifts the right type of batteries with the toys that need them.

Do NOT wrap the gifts for them!

I think it's fair enough for big things that need assembling. If it's a normal sized present, I always had it delivered to my house, wrapped it and then posted it if I wasn't going to be seeing the recipient on their birthday. Things often come in a much bigger cardboard box than they need to be and I got fed up of having to wrap stuff for other people when my kids were little.

You're a mum now though, so lots of people here think you should just suck it up because obviously we've got all the time and energy in the world and you should just be grateful!

I remember finding Christmas and birthdays a bit of a shock when I became a mum because of all the building and unboxing that’s involved.
It made me think back to when there was a bike or dolls house under the tree all ready to play with that my parents must have spent ages assembling. Sometimes they would semi wrap it or add a bow.
My DC are summer born DC so they’d often get a big thing for the garden, it would arrive at our house in a box. I would not expect someone to turn up with a fully assembled trampoline on their roof rack.

Do you think OP "adores assembling children’s toys", @Wowthatwasabigstep ?

Normal and ok if they have let you know to expect it beforehand. Especially with larger items.

Surely they’d give it to you in the boxes anyway- so you’d still have to recycle the boxes anyway.

You sound ungrateful tbh!

At this age, with those gifts, it wouldn’t phase me.

longevity, good play fun, outdoor ability.

I might have sent you this, but would be happy to build at party, if you wanted me to.

I have been more stressed by piles and piles of awful unwanted toys, no thought, landfill type stuff. My mum is the worst. One play and break type things.

Your child sounds loved and those are thoughtful gifts.

I would absolutely hate this!
What’s wrong with having it delivered to their house, removing the outside packaging and then wrapping in your little one’s favourite character paper for him/her to open on the day?

Maybe, they'd appreciate him getting the good weather out of outdoor toys. He's one, it makes no difference. Get it built and let him play and make sure to send the sender's photos!

I am imagining someone travelling on the bus with a fully assembled swing wrapped in Peppa the Pig paper.

Don't bother trying to hide or store the stuff before his actual birthday. A one year old will have no concept of the bonkers traditions that come with birthdays.

just unwrap and give him the boxes to play with and sell the gifts on eBay.

Indeed.
Or the play kitchen.
Not even on the bus - cram it in to the back seat of your car (ripping the Peppa wrapping as you do) only for a one-year old to think "Good lord! Is that my favourite character? I was beginning to move towards Paw Patrol..."

This! Maybe they won’t fit in the car very easily and better in a delivery van 🚚

how lovely they’ve treated your son tho x

For a big gift like that it makes sense to send direct to you. It's very difficult to wrap up.and transport gifts like that

I would appreciate that people had bothered to chose, pay and send my child such generous gifts