to tell mil she cannot use xmas batteries

[MadeinScotland2026]

This happened last xmas but it's been brought up again due to everyone making xmas plans i think.

Mil stayed with us last year and she got the kids lots of presents that needed batteries. Which she didn't get before hand or prewarn us that we needed them.

On xmas morning she noticed my bag of batteries I got for xmas and went to put them into the toys she got. I said no they were for the toys santa got ( they were brought for this reason and cost £££)
I told her she can use any left over and I will buy more when I can. She wasn't happy to say the least and then asked the kids which toys they wanted batteries in first ( they said santa which i already knew)
I was annoyed as

1. They cost £££
2. I wanted to see my children play with the toys I got
3. She couldve said before hand or got some herself

aibu?

It would be thoughtful of she bought batteries to go with gifts.

Having said that, just buy a stock of AA and AAA batteries, that way you'll likely have enough for all the toys bought for you're children at Christmas.

What did the message say?

If you buy gifts needing batteries, you should provide those as well.

Ok well with that context I can see why you're annoyed. Grab some own brand batteries for spare if she turns up without them again but tell her to bring batteries if her gifts need batteries! What a loon

I think this is good advice. I completely understand how annoying it was on Christmas Day last year because your MIL was thoughtless, really, and her reaction was petty. She must’ve realised that she hadn’t thought her present through and she placed your DCs in the centre of the problem that she had created. She should’ve thought ahead and the way she reacted was unfair.

It’s no use posters advising you of what you know already, that you can buy batteries because you couldn’t do that on the day.

You could send the message that @UsernameHoarder has suggested or you could ask her if she wants you to buy batteries for any present she’s giving and can she please let you know now? But the suggestion of a reset is a good idea.

Yes, it’s a bit petty but these things are annoying and most of us go through experiences like this.

YABU not to have rechargeable batteries anyway.

Or handover communications to her son the H and say deal with your mum please

I would have shared with her, personally.
Buy extra this year.

This just seems insanely petty to still be stewing over almost a year later.
Women not as used to buying toys for children forgets to buy batteries, how awful, what a bitch.
She just wanted to be able to set the toy up she bought for the kids for god sake! Why are you even thinking about this?
Just buy more batteries, it’s a staple in a house with very young children.

A very long message? So it's MIL who's obsessing? Or did you get arsey last year too much?
Just be light and airy, and remind her that batteries are part of the gift with children, apologise that last year ended up being difficult - and ignore the subject going forward?

Life is too short - for MIL and you to be talking about this nearly a year later.

Well at least you know what to buy her for xmas - a rechargeable port and a multipack of batteries

well the cost is the same whenever you buy them. agree it's annoying she didn't bother. you should have asked your kids which ones they wanted batteries in

Think some people are being a bit harsh on OP here. I get it's only batteries but MIL could've gone about it a bit better

I would also invest, if you don’t have one, in a battery tester. They are £10/15 - you can check battery charge

It saved us hundreds on batteries over the years hundreds - one of the most cost effective items we have ever bought
A toy would run out of charge and you would only have to replace one or two out of the 4 in there, I have no idea why charge didn’t drain equally - but it doesn’t

Agreed. I always stock up on batteries for Christmas!

This is ridiculous we always buy a load of batteries before Christmas for this reason. I don't expect people who are kind enough to buy our children presents to also buy the batteries. What you did was really nasty.

If you buy something that needs batteries you buy batteries surely ?

it used to be you bought the batteries and used them to check the thing worked before Christmas Day

We always bought a selection of batteries for Christmas (Amazon do big packs) saves any of this palava

It would annoy me, I would make sure to put the batteries in the toys before wrapping or at least wrap them with each toy.

Think about it, if in the future one of your children has a child and you are there on Christmas Day and had forgotten batteries for a present you bought and their partner said
“oh these are MY batteries for MY children for MY presents”

would you feel “welcome”?

Exactly. Underlying resentment is the problem here, disguised as an issue about batteries. Hardly the spirit of Christmas is it?

I'm sort of in two minds here - on the one hand I can't imagine getting worked up about this and tend to have a stash anyway. On the other, my childless, single BIL will always buy the relevant batteries if gifting a toy (one year he wrapped them up and gifted them to me) so it's really not that difficult

They're crap.

FFS just buy a load of batteries before Xmas, there are always toys that need them & kids will decide they MUST play with the most random toy

"Baffling"?

This is obviously very unreasonable but on quite a different level to the OP which is s childish rant.