3rd Trimester

What do you do with unwanted gifts?

Our friends and family have been so generous to give us lots of gifts for the baby. We truly appreciate their kindness and love for our baby.

We have received lots of baby clothes. The problem is, I don't want most of them.  

I particularly dislike baby clothes with embroidered cartoons, sayings like "Daddy's Princess", big hearts and butterflies, etc.  It's not that I want my kid to be wearing designer labels or anything, I just prefer the more simple and modern baby clothes.

Anyway, we have received a ton of frilly, girly, (bordering on tacky in my opinion) baby clothes, and I don't know what to do with them.  I would feel like such an ungrateful brat if I gave them away, but on the other hand, I really don't want them, and I can't stand clutter.  I want to donate them to Goodwill, but DH is making me feeling really bad about it.

I am sure I'm not the only one in this situation.  What are you doing with unwanted gifts? 

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Re: What do you do with unwanted gifts?

  • If you can exchange them, do that.  If not, then give them away or even save them for an opportunity to re-gift.  We got approximately 3000 blankets when DS1 was born.  I thought there was no way we'd ever use them all.  Guess what?  Now, he has SIX special blankets and there are times that he won't sleep without every single one.  

    I did keep the girl's clothing my grandparents gave me (for a BOY) because I know why they chose it and if we ever have a girl, I want her to wear it... or be able to give it to my sister if she ever has a little girl.  Although, honestly, my son wore it a time or two when we were low on sleepwear...  

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  • Do an online search of the brand to find out where it was purchased and exchange it if possible.  If not, re-gift, just make sure you know who gave it to you so you don't hurt any feelings.  If you don't like either of those options I would take it to a used baby clothing store for cash.

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  • Our daycare provider likes to have 3 or so extra outfits just in case they have an accident, blow-out, or really just get messy for some reason.  I always used the clothes that I disliked for those since my kids almost never were in that situation and the outfits would sit there until we were asked for larger as they grew.  My mother in law sent us like 30 pairs of overalls (which I hate) and that is where some of those went.

    We returned what we could, gave some to Salvation Army and had a yard sale with the rest.

    I have a hard time re-gifting things I don't like so that wasn't an option for me. 

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  • I know where I live they do a community baby shower once or twice a year- where you donate new or gently used baby stuff and they give it to families that really need it.  You could do a search and see if there are any in your area (or areas close by) that way you will know that your not just giving it away- its going to someone who really needs it and can't afford cloths for their baby. 
  • We keep them in a box in the basement and then when something comes up (yard sale, clothing drive for needy, consignment sale, etc.) we we pull them out and they go in a bunch. Also, we post stuff on Freecycle and usually it goes within 24 hours.
  • Donate them, regift them, try to exchange them if you know where they came from, and even hang on to a few that aren't THAT bad. They come in handy for barfy/poopy babies, and I agree with pp...in the middle of the night, anything clean will do. Smile
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  • I try and return them and give it away
  • I returned them, if possible.  If not, they went to Goodwill.  I have no guilt about it.  They would have sat on a shelf in the closet at my house and now they are available to people who need them more than I do.  If you are feeling especially guilty about it, hang on to them until she is too big for them and then donate them.  Either way, give them to people who will use them.
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  • irerirer member
    donate
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  • You can ship them to me Wink.  My baby needs clothes, jk...

     

    If you can't return them, you can donate or pass onto someone else that is expecting.  You might find that you use them from time to time anyway.  The baby may change outfits several times a day - so it doesn't hurt to have extra, even if they aren't your style.

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  • imagetheresat858:

    I returned a few (writing thank you notes like I kept them), am passing a few things on to a pregnant friend (much more her style than mine--but yes, I will also buy gifts specifically for her baby), and donating the rest.

     Does anyone know if goodwill or elsewhere takes donations of unused but not in the package bottles?  We got a huge variety for the shower and I plan to pass on extras after we know what works/ doesn't work for my baby. 

    I was able to find a Pregnancy Helpline in our town that took a ton of our unused but open baby stuff.  They also took UNexpired carseats that Goodwill wouldn't take because I didn't have the original paper work for them.  I felt good about giving our stuff to a local organization that wasn't as well known as Goodwill and probably doesn't get as many donations, but still needs this stuff.  I would look it up online in your area. 

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  • I'm struggling with this myself. We've received a TON of clothes for this baby (our third girl) , and NO diapers, wipes, baby wash - things I could really use. It's definitely nice to have a few cute summer outfits for this baby, since our other two were winter babies, but now I have enough clothes for three babies when added to what I already had.

    On one hand, I want to exchange the clothes for store credit, since I'm sure I'll need something for her at some point. But I'm on bed rest with two kids under two and I don't have any desire to go to the various stores to do so. Plus I know I'm having a c/s (this Thursday! yay!) so I won't be able to drive for a bit and won't have energy for some time to come while dealing with three under three, and the things without gift receipts will totally lose any value if I wait much longer.

    So, it seems so much easier to just list the clothes on freecycle or craigslist so that I don't have to leave the house to get them out of our already overly cluttered house. But I feel bad giving them away since people who love us and our baby picked them out for her. Which makes me want to keep them, even if the kid never wears them or wears them only once. Sigh.

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  • sasa625sasa625 member
    We got tons of clothes for DD that I didn't care for (mostly from MIL... she also got her 6 and 9 month summer clothes and she was born in June). I kept most of them for awhile. I used some as daycare/diaper bag beck up outfits. We eventually sold a bunch at s garage sale and then donated some. We have sooo many outfits from DD that we didn't need extras we don't want for this little girl (and I'm sure we will get more!) I will say that it never ends... MIL just bought DD 4 outfits for her upcoming birthday and they will all be daycare outfits/extra clothes this summer!
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  • We sold them along with clothes and toys that DS had outgrown, at children's consignment events in our area and deposited the money into his college savings account- about $1,000 so far! I'm not sure if these particular ones are in your area but they were called Munchkin Market and Just Between Friends. There are several like them.
  • If you really dont want them I highly recommend finding out where you closest women;s shelter or teen mom home to donate to! this way you are helping out people in need and they are going to good use to those less fortunate or cant afford it!
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  • If they have tags, I return them ASAP and get store credit.  If they don't I either give them away or give them to a friend.
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  • Maybe try exchanging some of the ones that are absolutely not your taste. Ones that aren't to unlike your style keep. Trust me, after the 10000000 outfit change of the day your not going to mind to much what your baby is wearing. Especially at 3am lol
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  • I was also going to suggest that you donate to a woman's shelter or even call and see if your local child protection services know of any foster parents that need clothing.  Sometimes they can get a child overnight and not have much in the way of clothing to put them in.
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  • We got a ton we didn't want too.. and ended up taking them back. Most were Carter's brand and we were able to take to BRU - we ended up getting over $400 back from there alone. I felt bad at first, but now I don't, because we got what we needed with the credit and now I don't have to deal with a bunch of clothes I didn't want.
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  • We only got a few things, so only a few were extra, but we just donated them to the goodwill. We couldn't exchange them since we don't know where they were purchased (not the registry). Also, DH's mom has been trying to force all of his siblings' kids hand me downs on us... Normally, not a problem, but they all chimney smoke and everything smells and looks really grimey. We might be able to use a few washable things, but anything that can't be cleaned or de-fumed is not coming in contact with our child. Unfortunately that stuff we're gonna have to store somewhere because I know that the ILs aren't done having kids and will probably want it back. We don't have much room, but I don't feel like we have a choice either (otherwise we'd throw out or donate those things too).
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  • imagemkflower3000:
    We only got a few things, so only a few were extra, but we just donated them to the goodwill. We couldn't exchange them since we don't know where they were purchased (not the registry). Also, DH's mom has been trying to force all of his siblings' kids hand me downs on us... Normally, not a problem, but they all chimney smoke and everything smells and looks really grimey. We might be able to use a few washable things, but anything that can't be cleaned or de-fumed is not coming in contact with our child. Unfortunately that stuff we're gonna have to store somewhere because I know that the ILs aren't done having kids and will probably want it back. We don't have much room, but I don't feel like we have a choice either (otherwise we'd throw out or donate those things too).

    I wouldn't keep the stuff from your ILs. Have your H tell them thanks for the generosity but you don't have the room or dont need all that stuff, and whose house do they want it taken back to. And if no one agrees to store it by x date, you have to get rid of it some other way.

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  • I tried to exchange them for something more our style, offered to give them away to friends or donated them. I've never regifted anything I didn't like myself Indifferent
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  • imagemoonfaerie:

    imagemkflower3000:
    We only got a few things, so only a few were extra, but we just donated them to the goodwill. We couldn't exchange them since we don't know where they were purchased (not the registry). Also, DH's mom has been trying to force all of his siblings' kids hand me downs on us... Normally, not a problem, but they all chimney smoke and everything smells and looks really grimey. We might be able to use a few washable things, but anything that can't be cleaned or de-fumed is not coming in contact with our child. Unfortunately that stuff we're gonna have to store somewhere because I know that the ILs aren't done having kids and will probably want it back. We don't have much room, but I don't feel like we have a choice either (otherwise we'd throw out or donate those things too).

    I wouldn't keep the stuff from your ILs. Have your H tell them thanks for the generosity but you don't have the room or dont need all that stuff, and whose house do they want it taken back to. And if no one agrees to store it by x date, you have to get rid of it some other way.

    I agree. Don't store items you don't want. Kindly tell them that these items aren't needed and ask what they want done with them.

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  • First, I returned the stuff I could. Then I gave the rest away to Goodwill.
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  • I'm expecting my first child, a girl, and I've been relying heavily on thrift stores, yard sales, and friends with children to gather all the things I need. I don't have a lot of money, but I am so thankful that there are people out there who are willing to help me. I'm sorry your DH is making you feel guilty, but if you don't NEED the clothes, then sooner or later you'll need to be rid of them. Have a yard sale or, like you've mentioned, donate them to Goodwill. I know I'm not the only low-income mother-to-be who would appreciate your generosity!

  • There's a pregnancy center in our area that helps single or low income mothers that might need things. This was a great help to my sister a few years ago and when she got a new job and more on her feet again she was able to donate to them. :) Its funny that small gestures of things you don't need or want make a huge impact on those who do. I'd look to donate to a local place first
  • My DH and I have agreed that the thought still counts and we will write the thank you cards and not mention anything but will then do one of two things with anything we don't want/got doubles.

    1. Things with gift receipts will go back, lets face it the less we have to buy with our own money the better

    2. I will make up a box for operation baby shower, an organization that throws baby showers for partners of deployed soldiers.  The org was featured on Rachel Ray a while back and I love the idea... deployment is hard on everyone and supporting a new mom feels like the right thing to do.

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  • Keep a few of the least offensive and then give the rest to a local shelter. Most towns have a shelter for women and children in bad situations- a lot of the time the families show up with little else than what they could pack in one bag. You would really make a huge difference to one family.


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