Family competing to get DD the 'best' present, she is not going to care about any of them

[ibroughtxmascake]

Small rant

Just had a text from DM 'Sent DD's stuff today, wait until you see what I got her!'

Same thing happened at DD's birthday she ended up with 7 of what I would class as main presents ie quite big things and has pretty much ignored them all. Now it is happening again, DP and I have got her one big present and few small things and a stocking. My DM has got her 3 main presents and a stocking, MIL has bought the WHOLE of DD's wish list on Amazon (despite me telling her the list was there for everyone to share, ie hoping to solve this problem) and has done her a stocking and my DF has just sent £100 in a card and told me to get her what she wants (specifically saying don't bank it as he already sends money for her account for Easter)

I hate it so much, i remember as a child looking forward to my main present so much and really really loving it. She just rips the paper open and moves onto the next one. Why on earth would she need 3 stockings....

gah

Is she the only grandchild?

How old is she? Is she an 'only'?

My parents were like this at first, even buying things that I had specifically said that we were buying. But they've calmed down a bit now that there are 3 gc to buy for! (All mine, BTW.) Though TBH I don't think it's purely the money aspect that has caused them to calm down a bit on the present front.

Your DF has got it right, under the circumstances. You'll be able to spend it with her in a few month's time, when the present feeding frenzy is over and she can appreciate it better.

She is 2

And yes the only gc, well apart from DS but he is only 3mths so not much they can buy for him

It just seems so wasteful

It is wasteful. IMO it's a form of hysteria (no offence intended). I found it particularly frustrating when they seemed to discount my second child by giving her sensible amounts of presnets, while continuing to go overboard about my first child. Their POV was that ds1 shouldn't feel pushed aside for dd. Fair enough, but not necessarily the best way to show this! When I objected, instead of tonign down the present-giving for ds1, they equalised by extending the hysteria to dd as well. But only for one year, IIRC. AFterwards they began to come to their senses.

I still ahve to be careful, though. I am liable to tell them that we're planning on getting a particular gift, and the next thing I know they tell me they've bought it for the child. Grrr.

Why not play the 'we just don't have the space to store everything' card for next year, and ask for a token present, but the rest in money that you can put into an account for your daughters future.

Grandparents love the thought of saving for a rainy day, don't they?

Yes, it gets daft doesn't it? Could you bank half of the money from your dad and use the rest of it to take her on a lovely day out after Christmas? Or to buy a season ticket to a local petting zoo or something? That way she'd get something that wasn't "just another box to open".