Gifts for baby

[Titchypanda]

Our friends and family are being so generous and wanting to buy things for the baby. I'm quite a frugal person and would not want things to go unused. My parents have given us a sum of money to be used for baby items and that has taken care of the large items and furniture. I have bought what I can second hand and in the sales. I don't want to appear ungrateful by asking people to refrain from buying certain things.

Would I be being unreasonable to put together a wish list of things we don't yet have and ask people to choose from there or if they didn't want to do that, perhaps to gift some vouchers for baby shops/supermarkets that will help us out with the essentials as baby gets older?

It's not unreasonable at all. I know some folk see it as grabby but just make it clear it's totally optional

Make a list. We had exactly the same when we had dd and people were desperate to buy things. I ended up with an expensive high chair and bouncer, both of which were not very good, all because I felt I couldn't say no. This time, I have made myself a list of things to buy and whenever someone else asks what I need I say I've made a list of things and we are working on getting it all. This invariably leads to them asking to see and the selecting something from it. I never ask other people to buy things but when they are set on it I'd sooner there money be well spent.

We often asked for things like clothing in bigger sizes. Books puzzles etc. Things like first sippy cups and bowls are useful aswell and it saves you having to buy things further down the line

God yes. I wish I'd done this. We ended up with so many 3-6/6-9 month old clothes and underestimated how many babygros the wee one would need.

Request 400,000 newborn babygros.

We knew we wanted to use water wipes so also asked for them as we knew we would need loads of them!

My friend gave me great advice - ask for Clarks vouchers as you'll forever be spending heaps on shoes for little growing feet!

Thanks all! It's been a much waited for pregnancy, so many of our friends want to spoil the baby! Those that have said that, I have asked not to buy until we find out the sex of the baby and that we may have a list of things we still need if they still wanted to buy a gift. I'd rather them buy smaller items like the previous posters have suggested. I would find it difficult to accept an expensive gift such as a swing, especially as we plan to donate the items once baby has grown out of them. Well I plan to, my OH may want to sell them. I believe as we have been gifted so much from our families that we should pay it forward and gift things on.

I have been saying books for gifts, particularly if they have a favourite from childhood/their own DCs.

I would absolutely make a list, if people ask what they could get you then let them know. A lot of the time people really are clueless about what to get for a baby let alone your baby specifically, it'd be a great help I think. I am that clueless person so for someone to be honest would be great otherwise I just buy toys/teething things etc which I don't even know if they want to use.