to be disappointed in this newborn present?

[mysticalgardens]

Friends of ours had their 1st baby a couple of months ago around the same time we had our 3rd baby.

Because it was their first child, I put great effort in buying them an amazing gift. I spent well over 100 pounds and put gifts in the box for the baby as well as the new mom and dad (think of nice tea, hot chocolate and soap and glory stuff for her)

I didn't expect them to reciprocate this, I know not everyone has the money available to spend so much time on a gift.

However, when they came over, she gave
me a bag from Shein. When I opened it it had the most disgusting plastic polyester smell. It contained a pink towel and a pink body suit for my baby girl that were made out of really cheap polyester material.

It smelled so bad that I threw it away after they had left.

My sister is due to have her 3rd child at the end of November. She already has a lot, but I bought her some nice socks, body suits and trousers for the baby from Asda (George). The stuff is really lovely and was inexpensive.

So I know that nice baby clothes don't have to cost a lot at all.

AIBU to be a bit disappointed that they made 0 effort when choosing their present?

I'm only here for the entertainment value 😁
Popcorn and wine at hand 😂

I’ve never heard of Shein so I have no idea. I would just be happy to get a little present I can’t remember if we had any presents for our second baby at all!

Finally someone noticing that Soap & Glory is a shit gift 😂

Agree that most cheap clothing comes from similar origins and also pretty sure some 'designer' products do too.
But 'cheerfully dressing their children in toxic shrouds' had me howling 🤣🤣🤣

Wouldn’t touch Shein with a barge-pole.

Wouldn’t put that stuff near my kids or gift it to anyone else’s either:

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/56979/taking-the-shine-off-shein-hazardous-chemicals-in-shein-products-break-eu-regulations-new-report-finds/

There’s even more ethical reasons why I wouldn’t shop there:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65452976.amp

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22278037

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-55794071

For what it’s worth most of the stuff I’ve bought from Shein has been ok! I like to get kids clothes from there rather than spend a fortune as they grow so quick and my daughter as a few nice outfits from there. I also have quite a few decent tops for myself. So I don’t think the stick they are getting on here is entirely fair. Maybe your friend hasn’t had any bad experiences either and thought the clothes would be ok. Or perhaps they are just skint. It’s not a big deal, let it go.
It was absolute madness you spending £100!
I do agree they could have just got a few bits from Asda or even primark easily enough.

Wow what an awful way to look at things. I’m sorry but you’re not coming across as a nice person at all. Ever heard of the expression “it’s the thought that counts?”. I’ve received plenty of presents that I didn’t like but surely you have to focus on the fact that they took out of their day and used their money to buy you something. It doesn’t really matter what it is.

To be honest you sound ungrateful. Maybe they can't afford more than a few bits from Shein as a gift. In all fairness Shein does some nice kids stuff. Throwing a gift in the bin is just rude in my opinion be grateful they made an effort

Well they literally didn't make zero effort did they. Tbh I think you are rude and ungrateful. Why did you describe what you bought them? Was it because you expected the same in return?

By the time you get to baby 3 I think you’re doing well to get any present at all.

I’ll never understand why people think they deserve to have significant money spent on them because they’ve had yet another child.

Your friend bought you a present. She had a newborn herself and still managed to get you something. Be grateful you have friends who still care when it’s your 3rd.

Probably best you don’t look into what every garment of clothing contains that you and your kids wear daily then……there’s harmful chemicals in everything whether it’s Prada or primark!!

I understand what you are saying and there could be harmful chemicals in expensive brands as well, but still, we as consumers need to be more aware of what we are buying. In this example above, op’s friend could have bought them a box of good quality chocolates or some fruits for e.g. that would have costed the same as the plastic clothes. I would add more, in an article I was reading tap water was tested and they found microplastics and forever chemicals that we all consume daily. There was another research on microplastics where they found that it contaminated our waters and food, it was found in the placenta and semen.
This is happening also because we buy clothes made of man made material (essentially plastic) like polyester, polyamide, acryl, nylon. We wash them and that ends up in our water system.

I wouldn’t take it that there was fault, ordering online doesn’t mean that at all. Also things on SHEIN do look different to what you get sometimes. I got a couple of bits of a friend from SHEIN and thought they were lovely, came with a head band 😍. I wouldn’t get upset they liked it you didn’t. Maybe charity would have a been better rather than throwing, I did want to ask did you try washing it? 🤣

How on earth did you manage to spend £100 on some tea bags and cheap boots toiletries??

Both these gifts sound pretty awful/thoughtless to me tbh but I would have thanked you nicely and moved on.

They might have liked it and thought it was nice. Not everyone is aware of the ethical issues around Shein. And frankly, if anyone says they've researched every company's ethical issues before buying from them, they're lying.

Don't like it, sell on, put it in a charity back, whatever, then forget about it.

Why can’t you just give the benefit of the doubt and think they didn’t know this would be the case when they ordered it. It was probably a nice picture, and didn’t specify ‘cheap smelly grosuit’, so they thought ‘nice gift’. Then when it came, they had no headspace/capacity to change gears.

Personally, I think this is a case where ‘it’s the thought that counts’ as I have never purchased a gift for anyone after baby No1, nor did I expect/receive any after baby No1, so assume it’s fairly standard. The gift really is ‘welcome to parenting’, not baby specific, so it’s weird to give a ‘and you are still parenting’ gift after the first.