Can I do a stupid, lame vent?

MickeyM04

So it's Hanukkah, and tonight is night 6 so DS has gotten most of his gifts.

Well ya'll know how I feel about my IL's.  They have no involvement with DS and it has shown with his gifts.  I know it's the thought that counts but it doesn't seem like there was a lot of thought put into these gifts, which makes sense because they don't really know DS at all so how would they know what he likes.  Anyway, one of the gifts they got him was a giant stuffed elephant.  Does he like elephants?  No.  Does he play with stuffed animals?  No.  But this is not my vent.  My vent is why, oh why, do people feel the need to buy children giant stuffed animals???  It just makes me nuts.  We live in a small house and these giant stuffed animals take up so much freaking room and DS never plays with them.  I am sure I will just donate a bunch of them soon but I just am always like what are people thinking when they get a kid a ginormous stuffed animal.  Where do they think we are going to put it? 

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm not grateful or anything, because it is very nice that they sent him anything, it's just a general pet peeve that I have.  I feel like every occasion (birthday, Chanukah, when DS was born) we get at least one oversized stuffed animal that I have no place to put.  I mean he can't sleep with it, it's too big for him to carry around, I just don't know what the thought process is.  Stupid lame vent over!

ravenclaw1

my FIL was bringing Alice a huge stuffed animal every time he came over for awhile. H finally put a stop to it. 

Mmm79

I don't get the stuffed animal thing either.  DS is 9 months old and has no interest in stuffed animals.  Thankfully, we haven't gotten too many of them yet.

MickeyM04

Yeah DS has literally, no joke, about 70 stuffed animals, and he's not even 2.  He cares about one, his stuffed giraffe that he sleeps with.  Every other one he shows interest for a day and then he's bored with it.  Just stuffed animals in general I'm not big on but the HUGE ones??  I agree that likely people just don't think about it like we do, and they just think OMG that's so cute!  I think the reason it frustrates me more is because it's from my IL's and they know we live in a small house, they know that DS has over 50 stuffed animals, they know we don't have room for them.  These are the same people who refuse to buy him any toys because, "He has so many already, he doesn't need anymore."  Really, but he needs his 71st stuffed animal??  And it needs to be twice as big as him? 

FmrAFBrat

Really, I feel your pain. We have a ton of stuffed animals...some are repeats from different people. We have 4 stuffed frogs.

I try to get (& gear people) towards developmentally appropriate toys like blocks, stacking toys, and books. I love the classic Fisher Price toys, as well as some of the V-tech toys. My favorite gift is getting the kids Steven Joseph GoGo bags and personalized useful items.

Anyways, my MIL loves stuffed animals that sing. We have a singing duck now. Everything that woman buys I "forget" to replace the batteries on.