To not want to use the gift.

[Mumtobe12]

Now I don't want to sound ungrateful but MIL is very excited about new arrival which is lovely. But the other day she brought us a Moses basket with out us seeing first and well it so not what I envisioned. It silk and covered in lace looks like something straight out of queen Victoria's nursery.
I don't know what to do DH doesn't want to hurt MIL feelings and has already told her how pretty it is and how much we like it. But I really don't and know he is not a big fan either,
I do appreciate the kindness of the gift but I'm a bit upset I didn't get to pick this out myself.
I have attached picture so you can see for yourself.
What can I do? I can't not use it now?

Crikey that is hideous!! I'm sure it was kindly meant, but honestly I wouldn't use it. What else will she then buy that's not to your taste but you feel obliged to use. Get DH to say thank you but you'd already got your eye on one you wanted. Surely she can return it?

I am in stitches over the basket looking like a Victorian trollop ah now.. How do you think of this stuff

Sorry but the photo made me laugh, it's so hideous.
Could you accidentally spill something on it.

Ooooft. That is quite something.

We got something similar with yellow gingham and lots of yellow bows. The covers were taken off. It was too faffy.

Oh dear it's hideous!

My MIL dragged out a musty old 'family' Moses basket that apparently had been used for all DH's cousins and his brother then all their kids... I hated it.

So we hid it in the garage and I got the troll bed I wanted and whenever they visited we got it out and put it in the lounge and made like we were using it downstairs for him to so in.

MIL seemed to believe that. I still shudder thinking about it. Good luck!

Blooming phone, not bigger car, bigger car!

Awful! But I agree with OuchBollocks - mine were very vomity babies so that hideous lining wouldn't have lasted an hour before needing a wash. And it would be such a shame if in baby brain state you washed it at 90/with a red sock or something else that ruined it. Then you're left with a normal moses basket everyone's happy! (same works for the awful clothes you'll probably get next!)

Cot lol

Before I read your post fully, and enlarged the pictures, I thought it was a frilly cover for your toilet

If the frills aren't removable, you'd be well justified in saving it for "best" and getting one of your choice for every day (now you've told her how lovely it is- that's an error you won't make twice ) or, alternatively, invent a freak projectile vomit and poonami incident to explain it's absence. Good Luck, OP!

It is suitable for needs just ugly. And the frills can't be removed as the lace is firmly attached to the silk. I have graciously accepted and know if only for few months but i still will have to look at it lots and when people visit and want to see baby and baby asleep I can't hide it m.

Many cross posts - slow typer tonight!

Why don't you replace the covers with ones you like, cotton not whatever that shiny stuff is and tell her you do t want to ruin the lovely covers it came with. Tis hideous I agree. I hope she doesn't buy you anything else

Christ, how are you supposed to wash it if it's all attached

Mil got us a moses basket that we hadn't wanted. In fact it turned out to be very useful - after I had removed all of the filly coverings (they just slip off). The plain basket was fine. DS puked everywhere so it was more practical and gave me the perfect excuse (in the wash) if mil said anything

You need two
Moses baskets for ease. Have this one upstairs.

Are you sure the whole silky bit doesn't come off? Just leaving the basket? If it doesn't what happens when it's covered in shit?

Mine slept in the pram carry cot downstairs, Moses basket stayed upstairs. Too much faff moving it around. Could yours be the same? Seriously, based on babies of my acquaintance, chances of yours spending long in a Moses basket is slim to none. There seems to be some sort of baby conspiracy against Moses baskets.

Presumably you've said 'thank you'? So now put it on one side. When the baby comes, try the Moses basket. If the baby likes it, you're on a winner. If the baby doesn't like it, you have the perfect reason not to use it, so once again you win.

I thought Moses baskets went out of style years ago - surely you weren't looking for one yourself? They're a complete waste of time and suspect from a safety point of view, so I heard.

If the grandparents want to spend more, why not discuss the things you're interested in, with them? They might want to buy, thus saving you money and ensuring your house is not filled with things you don't like.

Not suitable material I would think, should be breathable cotton I think. Just remove all the satin & use. Tell her you the material isnt recommended. Its hideous!

Sorry about the autocorrect fails in my previous post...

Anyway, all the lining should be removed for safety reasons, same reason cot bumpers are unsafe. And baby bedding should be cotton. Other (flammable) materials may be treated with harsh chemicals fire retardants. So you need to change all the ugly stuff anyway!

Good god, where did she even find that?
None of mine lasted longer than 3 months in a basket, but I agree with others: projectile vomiting is your friend. The top cover might not look that bad if you've changed everything else.

your cat is very cute, it's a shame the claws are damaging the fabric and you have to change it? You know, on top of the projectile vomiting (from the cat).

Crikey! If you feel you have to use it, I'd take all the covers off (they look like they'd combust if you so much as looked at them), and get a new cotton mattress and cotton Moses basket liner/hood.

Tell her that unfortunately the baby vommed on it and it shrank in the wash/you loved it too much to ruin it so are keeping it somewhere "safe", and you've replaced it with some spare not pure polyester items.

Alternatively, buy your own for upstairs and keep this one downstairs as a handy muslin/nappy holder/place to put baby when opening to door to the postman. We never used our Moses basket as DD hated it with a passion, so it acted as a handy place to store laundry and muslins for ages.

My MIL was forever bringing us out things she'd kept in her loft from the 80s and which were totally fugly and unsuitable (plus all baby items in the 80s seem to have been made from the most static synthetics that could be found - nylon cot sheets anyone?) and tons of knitted baby items made entirely of acrylic which set us all off in electric shocks from the static. It's a wonder we didn't all end up in flames as babies. I normally "put them aside for a special occasion as I didn't want to ruin them" (ahem )

Cute cat, OP!

Donate it to your local cat shelter. There is a furry creature out there who will love every last nasty polyester fibre of it.

Ooh, hadn't spotted the cat. Perfect scapegoat. Cat sleeps in basket, covers need washing, oops, they shrunk. Bit unfair on the cat, but it'll never know....

Gosh - think you'll have a very static baby in that!!

Could you accidentally drop a fag in it - and whoops - went up in flames....?