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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

We want to get rid of this present

122 replies

EwwNo · 07/01/2018 00:22

ILS have bought the baby the most hideous, presently unusable gift for Christmas. We smiled and thanked them but it's horrible. My DH never says a bad word about any of their presents but he actually said as soon as we left their house "it's tacky and I hate it." It's more of a novelty item in my eyes but bulky. The thing is, they also bought the 3 other grandkids the same thing so they all have an equal present that they know is from them.

We won't be seeing them for a while but FIL will want to see the baby use it at some point when we do but we want it gone and I don't know if taking it back to theirs will work in a couple of months, their SonIL has already left one at theirs 'for use there'. Are we being unreasonable? We're stumped at how to get rid of this thing without offending them.

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Lofari · 08/01/2018 09:39

My sister bought my 2yr old a robot for Xmas that's eyes light up red and it moves around and says "I see you...."
He loves the bloody thing. I personally think they could use it in a horror film of some sort.

Snowysky20009 · 08/01/2018 09:43

Easy- you had a friend come around with their 8 year old child. 'I told him not to sit on it' But he didn't listen and two of the legs snapped.....

Snowysky20009 · 08/01/2018 09:45

Disclaimer: I did not use the above excuse to MIL regarding the stupid wooden chair she bought ds when he was 3 months old, which took up loads of room and looked hideous!

SleepingStandingUp · 08/01/2018 09:45

To parents really break / hide / give away toys not because of a principled stance or for health and safety but because THEY don't like it even though their children will??

paxillin · 08/01/2018 09:50

To parents really break / hide / give away toys not because of a principled stance or for health and safety but because THEY don't like it even though their children will??

Some do, most stop once baby is old enough to scream their head off at the boredom of worthy wooden blocks.

Loyaultemelie · 08/01/2018 10:06

Could you accidentally polish it with sulphuric acid? My dsis had a habit of buying loud musical toys for dd1 knowing how I have chronic migraines. Oh how I laugh to myself when people buy her ds loud musical toys now and she asks "why would they do that?!"

PocketCoffeeEspresso · 08/01/2018 10:08

My sister bought my 2yr old a robot for Xmas that's eyes light up red and it moves around and says "I see you...."

we once got a dinosaur that roared and tried to walk around when you pressed a button on its head and had no off switch! this was before B/SIL had kids themselves.. perhaps we should return the favour :S

Actually, once we gave someone this plastic tree thing that popped balls out - having seen a room full of toddlers go crazy over the thing at a relations house. Now possibly the people we gave it too thought it was plastic tat (and it kinda was) but it was plastic tat that any toddler we saw with one absolutely loved.. so I refuse to feel bad about it.

Whinesalot · 08/01/2018 10:26

Put it away until the child is old enough to get its 5 minutes of play value.

Trufflethewuffle · 08/01/2018 10:38

When our DSs were toddlers, BIL bought them an activity centre with farm animals in the shape of buttons. You pressed the button and got the usual animal noise.

The best one was the whinny that the horse gave. Cue adults sitting round chanting Crazy Horses, Rah, Rah while the toddlers wanted their toy back!

whiskyowl · 08/01/2018 15:08

How often do the in laws visit? Can you shove it in the loft for a bit, and get it down as/when needed? It won't be long before they grow out of it and you can get rid for good to the local charity shop.

SciFiFan2015 · 08/01/2018 15:19

Honesty is the best policy here - otherwise you might have years and years of toys and gifts that annoy you. Early diplomacy and honesty may lead to more enjoyment of gifts for all.

LunchBoxPolice · 08/01/2018 15:24

Picture or it didn't happen.

BellyBean · 08/01/2018 15:28

Take the batteries out and use?

ObiJuanKenobi · 08/01/2018 15:33

A metal stool? For a baby? I wanna see!!

Idontevencareanymore · 08/01/2018 16:19

I'd just pop it in the loft for a month or so,
Especially if baby/child isn't old enough to love it yet.

I too don't understand the point in destroying a toy my child would love. On a par with my husband breaking my phone or straighteners because he thinks I'd be better off without imo

LondonHuffyPuffy · 08/01/2018 23:25

StarUtopia that works if the DiL is not horrible and/ or batshit. My ex-SiL refused to allow my nephew to play with any toys or wear any clothes that anyone else other than she or her Mother had bought for my nephew. Even my DB was not allowed to choose things for him. I only found this out recently and DN is now 23. I was a student when DN was born and wasted a shedload of cash over the years on stuff that got taken to the charity shop without ever being used or worn.

Original poster

EwwNo · 09/01/2018 02:43

FIL has said today that he has seen a musical potty if we wanted it and I have had to decline in fear of what it'll actually be. I'm hoping it wasn't a joke or dig after finding out how much we hate the present because although we want nothing to do with this gift, I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings, they are great GPs.

We usually get the whole 'we can take it back if you don't like it' or 'do you like it?' Not with this we didn't. It's not that we're ungrateful it's just that it's weird and garish. We're going to let nature take it's course because we've seen their other DG fall off of it this week when we visited DH's DSis. Will keep it in the loft for a bit and bring it out for a few visits but hoping SIL will tell them it's not a reasonable toy it has some design faults.

I won't post photos as I'm wishing on my lucky stars that I can get away with PIL not finding the thread (fingers crossed PIL work colleagues/friends or random church acquaintances aren't on MN and if they are then at least they can't show PIL photo of it whilst laughing to them about it unknowingly )

OP posts:

Theshipsong · 09/01/2018 03:22

My PIL gave my children metal stools as well but they didn't play music. Within an hour of receiving the stools, they had scraped and put indents in my wooden floor and resulted in numerous falls. Before the PIL had finished waving goodbye, the stools were in the bin!

Sweetpea55 · 09/01/2018 04:22

Try and get into the mechanism with a screwdriver and bugger it up somehow,,

TroelsLovesSquinkies · 09/01/2018 07:50

When he suggests this stuff keep repeating, no noisy toys please.
My friend and I used to buy each others kids the noisy toys for Christmas, but they were bigger, it was a running joke. Then we moved onto singing tree ornaments. We'd roll our eyes at each other and groan while all the boys would get excited at the rubbish toys.

JakeBallardswife · 09/01/2018 09:10

Just give it to the local toddler group. Job done, sharing and caring in the most amazing toy ever. Tell them you've done that....take photos of your DC's on it too.

minisoksmakehardwork · 09/01/2018 11:43

I am so throughly intrigued by this item now. I need to see a picture of it to get an idea of how hideously tacky and unsafe it is.

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