My mum has bought DD a dress knowing we won’t like it.

[Glasscabinet]

It’s DD first birthday soon and my mum has asked me to collect an outfit from hers ready for DD birthday.

My mum was laughing as she said that neither me or DH will like it/to our tastes but in her eyes it’s lovely.

What planet would I dress my DD, on her first birthday, in an outfit that caused a round of laughter over.

One hand I could be polite and pretend that DD got it dirty or I could straight out refuse to accept it.

What a waste of money and material. If anything I’m actually quite annoyed.

It looks like there’s a skirt and a top - two separate items. It’s not to my taste but the T-shirt isn’t horrendous and is good for a year, the socks are cute and the headband would go nicely around the neck of a soft toy (or the dog if they’re cooperative!) I’d say the skirt is a fire hazard near birthday candles because that’s politer than BURN IT WITH FIRE

She'll look cute in it. At 1 she'll probably have a few changes of clothes after poonami or spilling food or drink. I'd put her in it for a bit when DM is there, take a couple.of photos, change her out of it into something I preferred at next nappy change.

I agree with the waste of money and environmental impact concerns, but it's her money and her impact. It sounds as though she knows your thoughts on it so you are not "encouraging" her.

Why would it bring you pleasure to buy a gift for someone that you know full well they won't like? (Bearing in mind here that the gift is not for the child, as a one year-old neither knows nor cares what they are wearing, so any clothes you buy for the child are actually a gift for the parents). I think some boomers just have an addiction to buying stuff for the sake of stuff, that they really need to work through.

That's hideous! I would just put her in it take a photo and take it back off, never to be seen again. One of my friends bought my dd a baby grow with a tutu attached when she was born so I did the photos then charity shopped it.

Doesn't matter if your Mum thinks it's cute or not if she knows it's not to your taste then she shouldn't have bought it.

Do dress her in it and take a few photos (for embarrassing your DD when she's a teenager if nothing else).

Then if you don't want to reward your mother in the way she would probably want, why not refashion the outfit into a fetching Halloween one? A bit of zombie-style facepaint, or a fake 'bolt' through your DD's head, or similar - take photos of that version to send to her... This might prevent a reoccurence of her weird behavioural choices next year...

But it is a problem - she deliberately bought an outfit OP said she did not like? And expected to override OP by insisting it be worn on her birthday? Of course it’s a problem - it’s passive aggressive, controlling and disrespectful.

No issue with GPs buying gifts for children, clothing or otherwise, but my MiL chose stuff she believed I would like, that were practical as well as pretty/cute and always gave me the receipts so that I could exchange it if by chance she got it wrong. And she never presumed that she could dictate what either of my kids wore at any stage, especially a birthday.

Am bemused that no one can see how out of order OP’s mother is being.

I wouldn't have put my DDs in that either, and not really practical for a crawling baby either.
But can't you put her in it for the beginning of the day then change her?

I wish this was the only worry I had in life.

Your baby is one with zero sense of style.
A frilly dress for a day is really not worth getting worked up about.

It's junk from Shein, made in a sweatshop by an indentured child labourer only a few years older than OP's daughter. That's the only way they can ship it all the way from China and still sell it for £8.49.

First thing on DD’s birthday, pop her into dress & take luvverly photo for your mum & send it to before breakfast*. That is it.

Remove dress from child & dress her as you wish.

If you care to, remove froufrou skirt to gain useful T-shirt for DD to run about in & in due course assign reuse as a duster. Otherwise, consider putting dress to bin or bonfire.

Next step, ask your DM for gift certificate for DD outfit at your preferred store for Christmas & future birthdays.

*if so inclined give DM a small framed print of DD in her frock as a gift.

What's the fun in embarrassing a teenager over an outfit they had no say in wearing?

In fact, what's the fun in embarrassing anyone deliberately let alone your own child...

I hate that dress but I would accept it, dress your daughter in it for 5 minutes, take a photo then change her back into something more comfortable. Not worth falling out over, imo.

I think it's very cute. Love the frothy pink froufrou.

Point is, the op DOESN’T think it’s cute and her mum knew she wouldn’t like it but bought it anyway.
So people replying saying they like it is irrelevant.

Not sure if I've missed anything but is the assumption from your mother that your dd is to wear this on the day of her birthday? If so, it's not really her decision what your child wears on her birthday as presumably you already have something in mind? I'd either put it on her in the morning for a photo and change it, or not put her in it at all - no one can decide what someone else's child wears on their birthday!

Also agree with you on the fact that it's not a nice dress, looks quite cheap and tacky to me but I appreciate some people like frilly things on girls!

But it's also not really relevant that OP doesn't like it. It's not a gift for her.

I'm disappointed.

The description had me assuming this would be Julia Roberts' dress from Pretty Woman or maybe a N*zi uniform.

Not this ugly but fairly inoffensive thing.

I think some boomers just have an addiction to buying stuff for the sake of stuff, that they really need to work through., So buying unnecessary stuff is a “boomer” problem is it? Why couldn’t you have just said “I think some people just have an addiction to buying stuff for the sake of stuff, that they really need to work through.”?

So what?

That dress has no redeeming features whatever. Dress her in it at the crack of dawn on her birthday, and take a photo. Then give her breakfast. Weetabix would be ideal, and make sure you let her smear it everywhere feed herself. Then give her a drink of Ribena. You might need to help her with spilling it.

Job done.

my mum bought my DD loads of things I didn’t like but you know what, it gave my mum loads of pleasure dressing her up. She grew out of the clothes pretty quick and I have immensely fond memories of that time with all of us bonding over the kids.

I actually think the dress is cute but even if I didn’t I’d still put her in it, take some photos and make my mum happy.

On this occasion I'd say just indulge your Mum. Pick your battles!

It's cute but not practical. Put it on her and take some pics to send to your DM. Then do what you want with it.

Oh come on, babies have no opinion on clothes so it’s about the parents’ choice until the child actually starts to like or dislike things themselves.