MIL & the nursery rug

[Sunshine1996]

I know I’m going to sound like a completely ungrateful bitch but MIL has bought a rug for the nursery and it is not to my taste at all. I adore my MIL, it is her first grandchild and she is so excited which is lovely. It’s not even something I could stash away as she comes round often. I realise this isn’t really a huge problem but I’m 36 weeks pregnant and very hormonal 😂 it clashes completely with her room, just a rant really.

Just put it down when she's around and roll it up when she's not. It's not like it's a pair of curtains or something. No biggie.

What's her own home like? Is it tasteful, co-ordinated? If so buy her a hideous rug for Christmas and see how she handles the situation.

Gosh I don't like that rug. I'm in the same impossible situation with DD's Christmas present. MIL has bought an enormous (and ugly) toy box. We need one and it's a great sentiment, but I don't like it and because our house is small, it will have to go by the side of the tv and I'll have to see it all of the time.

I don't know what to do. No easy way out. For the rug - perhaps as pp said keep it rolled up out of the way to keep it clean because it's so special and save it for tummy time?

2 opinions, don’t use it and she if she notices, say you didn’t like it or just say thank you but it doesn’t go with the room.

God, it's horrible. And who buys something like a rug for someone else's house? Could you just tell her it doesn't fit your colour scheme, or that you already had your eye on another rug that you really love? Or say that you read something terrible about chemicals and babies' lungs in a medical journal (that you can't lay your hands on right now) and think you'd better return it and poison somebody else's baby instead? Trouble is, it's so synthetic it will probably repel all stains other than a chainsaw massacre.

Yes. That’s not a good rug.

I would have to tell MIL some polite lie about why I couldn’t keep it. I don’t think she would believe me, and would be offended, but I couldn’t live with the rug.

Can you put it underneath something? Baby's chest of drawers or changing table?

It'll be covered in all manner of stains soon. Leave it a month after baby arrives and just say you couldn't get some bodily fluid out and had to chuck it.

Ideally mention that you can give her a list if she wants to help in future, to avoid further gifts"

Think poeple are a bit mean. The quotes a bit twee but it,s not a bad rug. I would keep it and over time donate it? Sell it?.

It'd be wasteful to stain it/deliberately damage it, as someone out there might actually like it (your mil did after all!).
I'd just put it away until it's forgotten about, then donate or sell some time in the future!

Could a friends visiting dog ,have a large accident on it ,so you had to throw it out ( give it away )

This is precisely the kind of thing my MIL would adore. Thankfully she confines herself to buying cheese rhyming birthday cards.

How about (obviously in proper English):
"Thank you DMIL it's a lovely thought, but it doesn't fit in with my interior design concept / environmental stance / of whatever the truth is. Would you mind greatly if we'd ask you to try and change it? We would love to have sth given by you in DC's room." And take it from there.

Retaliation gifts, accidental spills etc. just seem unfair.

Oh dear. That rug is just awful in every possible regard. However, I would feel compelled to use it if your MIL is really nice, because I couldn't bring myself to say anything other than "ohhhh... it's so lovely". In due course, it will become part of the family, and eventually you will be able to get rid (only you won't get rid of it, because you'll be all sentimental about "that awful rug which reminds you of your DC being born" )

Depends on relationship, if you dont think she will take honesty well, keep it in the nursery until baby is born then a week later remove, if she notices its gone, tell her you tripped on it and it gave you such a fright that it could happen again with baby in your arms so you've rolled it up and put it in the loft/garage. Make sure DH is on board with the story.

How about keeping it for the living room to bring out for "floor time" and accidentally forget unless she's there to remind you?

oopsie baby puked on rug, Just CANT get the smell out, oopsie baby pooped on rug and it stained and smelt awful. Uhoh

When we bought our house my MIL kept turning up with her old furniture and putting it in the house. It drove me mad, she was trying to be nice but I found it irritating as I had fixed ideas about what I wanted and my husband and I both have good jobs so we could just buy what we wanted. I had a word in the end and she stopped

How about you put it down in the nursery straight away and just happen to be standing on it when your waters break and you lose your mucus plug .

A little baby play area rug somewhere downstairs? Buy a lovely soft blanket that fits over it for the majority of the time, but when the in laws come round you can whip the blanket off and their rug is back on display. It would provide a soft pad for baby to lie on under the nice blanket the rest or the time.

I was talking to someone about a similar issue. I asked my mum for a buggy for my, then, toddler dd, just expecting a £20 cheapo vanilla type thing. She turned up with this bright pink one with giant roses all over it, it was hideous. But I had to use it, I was so glad when it broke a few months later

That is ugly. I would tell her you have tripped over it and are now worried about tripping whilst carrying the baby, and then donate it. I am a complete wimp and would hate the confrontation. Don't ruin in or throw it out.

"Accidentally" destroying it seems so childish and petty.

Why not just tell her the truth?

DS1 was a projectile vomiter. He would have seen that rug off in a matter of weeks.

That said, I don't think ruining it will solve the problem. You (or preferably DH!) needs to tell her that it isn't to your taste or it will just continue.

Obviously one has to accept gifts given with love graciously - but that's bloody hideous. The off-centre slogans are giving me the wiggins as much as the sentiments. Use it to protect the carpet and get rid of it as soon as is feasible.