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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To take (some of) DC birthday presents to charity?

6 replies

Manuiio · 16/05/2026 21:12

My parents come around with about 3 bin bags of toys at a birthday, there's double at Christmas as have 2 DC.
I've been assembling more storage today ready for expected onslaught tomorrow. I don't have the easiest relationship with them and they don't listen to me anyway. They won't stop. Asking them to limit gifts actually seems to make them then decide to gift more in between just because!
They sneer at my messy cluttered house whilst being oblivious that they are a major factor in why it's this way. We have a pretty modest sized play space.

My parents would be furious if I took toys to charity, would say toys belong to the DC and not me. WIBU to do it anyway and give all but a few away this week?
DC are preschoolers, most toys are soon forgotten anyway.

OP posts:
KilkennyCats · 16/05/2026 21:16

Just refuse to accept several binbags full, that’s ridiculous.

Twolittlebirds75 · 16/05/2026 21:23

Perhaps donate to a women's refuge, playggr or similar, I prefer to donate to ppl in need , but I know my DD1 would and has told our family not to buy any more soft toys, large sets etc due to limited space, I can appreciate your problem.

Hubbalooloo · 16/05/2026 21:23

Is there no way they’d consider getting one present and transferring the rest of mney into a savings account for the kids? They ´ll be so happy to have it when they leave school or something . Your kids are little so as soon as your parents leave ,bag up the stuff they don’t need/ really want and take it to charity with no qualms.

BudgetBuster · 16/05/2026 21:28

We do a big clearcut a month or so before Christmas and maybe a week or so before birthdays.

We give to friends, neighbours, put on free cycle pages etc. Honestly they don't play woth everything and there is just too much. We let them keep obviously anything we'll loved and played with, but anything they won't miss and I think someone else will get better use of is gone! I try to give away rather than to charity shops so people don't have to pay but charity shops near me aren't overly cheap. We also try to give anything new in packaging to homeless or women's shelters for them to use as bday presents throughout the year for kids in the shelters.

It allows the kids to have use of new presents but doesn't clutter the place up.

Renovationation91 · 16/05/2026 21:35

I've done this a few times when having a clear out, especially when some of the games/toys are unopened and it's been 6 months or more since the birthday!

Kids don't miss them because they've forgotten their existence, and the gifters have no idea.

I give mine to a local women's & baby Charity

Sunisgettinganewhaton · 16/05/2026 21:36

Tomorrow leave a bag unopened.. When they leave text them to say you are dropping the bag off at the charity shop. You asked them nicely. They don't listen. So act.

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