Odd kids' birthday gifts, is it just us? (LH)

[JacobeanWilson]

Light hearted, I need cheering up.

My DC's birthday this weekend. Turned 9, average size for age. Gift from one of the BFF's... clothing age 7! She has not been in that size for over 2 years! The bff's parents would know this won't fit, as their DC is the same size (not a money issue, parents in good jobs, nice house etc.) so it's just weird!

But it reminded me of a couple of years ago when another of my DC got one of those messenger bags you colour in yourself. Except the pens were missing. And the tags keeping the bag in place had all been removed with the bag slid loosely back in place ie it had obviously been opened & toyed with but decided against keeping & palmed it off with vital bits missing! (again a well off family, not a money issue).

Maybe a symptom of birthdays after Christmas & people getting rid of things they received but didn't want! So is it just us?

Note: this is about inappropriate / dubious gifting kids in any form and not about complaining re cheap gifts (the clothing example wasn't cheap so it's nothing to do with value of the item but the actual item itself). I personally spend more time than I should getting nice / appropriate gifts for people I know & my kids friends, therefore I notice blatantly inappropriate gifts at 100 paces, yin to my yang.

So... has anyone else's DC had equally random, surprising & amusing gifting experiences you care to share..?

Don't give the children a replacement present, why would you?

My 1 year old got size 8 (for an 8 year old) for his bday

Big fan of appropriate regifting

Lol that was meant to say size 8 SHOES!!!

For Christmas just gone my dad told me he’d bought matching pjs for my sons so I just confirmed the sizes my ds(5 &1) wore.
Come Christmas Day we open the pjs and both pairs were too small sizes.
I appreciate the gesture (and the initial error) but surely once someone tells you the sizes you would double check and only give if they were correct???
I also got given a sale scarf for my birthday from sil. I’ve never worn scarfs as I have scars on my neck and they irritate the skin!

A door stopper for an 8 year old. 🤷🏼‍♀️

For DS's 7th birthday, we took a couple of his best friends out and for a meal. One of them gave him a set of three cardboard boxes with lids. A4 size, so the kind that you might use to store documents or certificates or something. They were just brown boxes so not like something bright or funky that you might buy a child like a treasure box or something. I assume the parents had just totally forgotten about the party and grabbed something they had in the house. Was a bit sad for DS as he'd only invited these two friends, and was very excited. It was definitely not a present for a 7 year old to get excited about, in fact even I'd probably be disappointed if someone gave it to me for a birthday present!

My BIL has just sent my DS an old £10. In the past he has regifted, to our children, presents we gave his children.

My MIL always buys DS clothes that are at least two sizes too small, even when she's asked me what size he's in and I've told her, even when we've just had a conversation about how tall he is for his age. She always takes the tags off as well. He tries them on in front of her and she can see that they're too small but she just does not blinking learn! She's been doing this since he was a toddler - he's now 12!

When one of my DC’s has their last birthday party, they were given an Easter egg as a birthday present from one of their classmates.

Nothing intrinsically wrong with Easter eggs as a present, my DC’s all love chocolate.

The problem was that, firstly, their birthday is nowhere near Easter and secondly, the egg wasn’t intact. Someone in the givers house had already opened the box and eaten half of it.
I was a bit WTF when they unwrapped that one.

Ihate I sometimes see regifting as an 'everyone wins' situation. I save time having to go shopping, regift is only if it suits new recipient so theg would be happy with it & my child gets money / decent gift in lieu of the rough one. No losers, all winners on one level or another.

Other days I think, I've earnt any inappropriate gifts by way of paying for the party that the gift was gifted at, as usually the party I paid for & spent time organising is the only reason child X is giving to my child anyway! So it's karma if I get to save a little time & money back down the line.

Not consistent in which I do at all tho 😆

DD opened a gift this year and a small dress designing/colouring book was in the gift... with the first page already coloured in!

My MiL has form for random gifts. One year she told me that she had bought all their Christmas presents in the Disney Store. Oldest son (11) had a hat and a pastel coloured scarf with Minnie Mouse on it. Younger daughter (3) had an outfit that she eventually wore when she was 6 and the younger son (1) had a Minnie and friends top that was a little large for his older sister. Remaining daughter had a very smart outfit with matching bag that actually fitted her.

My dc were big babies and are very tall for their age. Everyone comments on it, it's a running joke about compost bags, what on Earth am I feeding them, etc. They always need the next size up in clothing so my 4 yo needs 5-6 or 6-7 for example.

My mum and my BF always buy them clothes for presents and they are always much too small! My mum bought my 4yo baby socks for Christmas, he's a size 12?! My BF bought my 6yo dd a dress up costume in 3-4 yrs?! It's so strange! I feel rude asking them to exchange it...

My uncle got my 4yo one of those adult puzzle balls for Christmas... obviously much too advanced for a little boy

ilmmaiss - the tiny wheelie bin sounds like the one DD has from Asda. It's a pen pot

yeah, strangest ones were both at DS1 4rth birthday, he was given a clothes set, shorts and t-shirt, size 12... I mean, he would have grown into it, but I am not waiting 8 years! other one, was a plastic Chinese New Year type red lantern with a fake candle inside...

Appropriate re-gifting is fine. However DS9 was given a pink glittery lunchbag by his aunt this year; said aunt has an 8 year old DD. He didn't really know what to say when he opened it, and he knows that there aren't girl things and boy things, but come on... I felt bad for him, trying to be polite, but it was a bit rubbish of her. There is no way my sister went into a shop and chose this for him. I am not ungrateful, and normally I buy gifts and cards and pretend they are from her as I don't want him to think she doesn't care (but she doesn't care). And no, money is not an issue.

She also gave me a novel, the synopsis of which is pretty much her life situation, so I think that is a rejected gift from a friend to her. I can't think when she has last gave me anything that doesn't appear to have been sent by clients, or a regift.

@ilmmaiss they used to sell something like that in Poundland. It was a pen pot type thing.

opened & toyed with but decided against keeping & palmed it off with vital bits missing! (again a well off family, not a money issue).

Haha you should have sent a worried email asking them for the receipt so you could return it, as bits missing. CFs deserve to have their noses rubbed in their CFery.

My MiL adored DD1 (who looked like her side of family), but couldn't care less about DD2 (who looked like my side). DD1 would be given lovely thoughtful expensive presents, DD2 got any old shite. One Christmas DD2, aged 8!, got a make-up bag! the inside all marked from lipstick and eye-shadow and powder. Luckily MiL was there when DD opened it and displayed the inside to the rest of us, while rolling around laughing. MiL scarlet.

Appropriate re gifting fine. You know its appropriate if there's no way the person would guess it wasn't chosen for them (I.e. it co incides with what they actually like)

I don't mind being given clothes too big or toys for an older age group. It's too small, too young that's ridiculous as they aren't Benjamin button

I have a sports and gaming mad 11yr old.
He got play dough and pop out cardboard dinosaurs for 5 year olds.
He always says to his dsis here open this it'll be for you :)

The thing is the relative does know them and sees them often, its not like the old Frank Spencer sketch!

DD was given the following "odd" gifts for her birthday, she turned 4 just before Christmas:

Miniature nun bowling - knock the nuns over with a firey ball of hellfire
Inflatable drinks holder for the bath, shaped like a unicorn
A "this girl loves Christmas" jumper-dress a size or 2 too big (fyi, this girl doesn't care about Christmas!)

We’ve not had anything too awful, but any duplicates or things that won’t get used (army themed Lego for 10 yr old obsessed by unicorns and all things pink) can be regifted so I buy them off them.
If I didn’t offer this they’d unbox them and then ignore them. I’d much rather they get used by someone who actually likes them.

My brother gave my son an Arsenal top on his 5th birthday. My lad is now a strapping,Chelsea supporting 23yr old and the top is still miles too big for him

The miniature nun bowling sounds great! I’d have loved that!