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Baby Showers
how to clarify "no baby clothes" in shower invite
Any suggestions for tacfully, even playfully suggesting guests NOT gift baby clothes for a shower?
My SIL is expecting the first little girl in the family, and let's just say friends and family went overboard at Christmas. This little girl has clothes to last her through her first year and beyond.
My bro and SIL are financially strapped, so we'd like to steer guests away from frocks and towards the items on the registry they need.
Suggestions?
Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: how to clarify "no baby clothes" in shower invite
I totally get that some folks are against this sort of thing in any case, but it's something that will be appropriate for and appreciated by this crowd.
Just wondering if anyone has something cute to offer before I write my own; I haven't been impressed with the rhymes/quips I've found so far.
But thanks for the other perspective, as well!
Your original question was "does anyone have a tactful and maybe playful way of asking for no clothes" (or something close to that).
The answer is no, there is no tactful way of doing so.
However, what you really mean to say is "does anyone have a cute poem to mask the fact that we're doing something that's really kind of tacky?" and I might be able to help you with that.
:cracks knuckles:
Fetus Fetus, still in there
Doth already hath lots to wear
Here's the list from which to buy
If you buy clothes then we will cry
We have no cash, no dough, no green
So buy only this stuff and don't be mean.
Listen up folks, this is no joke
Supply for our kid because we are broke.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
It is hard to tell people not to buy clothes, but I would suggest making sure that they are not registered for any clothes.
one suggestion could be ...
This little girl is already stylish to boot,
so please help out baby with the other loot
kind of corny
I less than three the fuvck out of you Balls!
Yup, ashamed to admit it took me a minute.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
lol I love this BallSox! Nicely done.
And OP there is no nice way to say no clothes. It doesn't matter who the crowd is or how accepting they may be. The best you can do when people RSVP is remind them where mom and dad are registered. You could also slip in that they'd really love to get something from the registry ("they registered for the cutest/most useful ::insert item::") but don't try and tell people how to spend their money. It's just rude, and in all honesty would make me want to just get clothes and give them without tags or a gift receipt.
BallSox...you are really talented. Appreciate the humor. lol
OP...it is certainly rude to dictate what the guests purchase. The only thing you can do that is not tacky is to spread the info word of mouth or when they RSVP. Other than that you can hope people give gifts with receipts.
BAHAHAHAHA!
Brava, brava! Will you be reading at my local coffe shop?
ID Twin girls 04/2012
Baby #3 Due Jan. 2017
She doesn't want neutral things, she wants to tell her guests no baby clothes. I had a neutral shower and I still got loads of clothes...they were just all green and yellow with a few guesses thrown in (a few people banked that we were having a girl or boy and got us the "appropriate" colors).
Haha. It's okay...it was late....you were tired.
I've thought about publishing my own book of poetry and doing a book tour, but nothing concrete yet. :-D
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
Can I be your manager?
If anyone asks for ideas of what she wants, you could say, "she has lots of clothes, but has a registry set up at (place!) and she'd love to get some things off of that!"
I didn't receive any clothes at my shower. Except for the side snap tees I registered for. But I was team green. We got a lot of clothes as gifts after he was born and we used probably 99% of them every day since I had a baby who spit up nonstop.
Oh, but I bet people just raaaaaaavvved about how helpful it was and no one complained about it at all! I mean, no one *had* to follow the sheet, it was just helpful advice! Stop being so hateful!
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
Some friends gave us a TON of clothes for our baby. Since I knew my shower was coming up, I posted on my FB something like "Thanks to our great friends, we have tons of baby clothes!!" with the hope that people would steer away from clothes and more towards stuff from the registry. Unfortunately our shower is tomorrow, and only 2 things are gone off the registry....
They could try something like that? But yeah... dont put anything on the invitations.
Totally this, OP. There no "cute" way to make something tacky not sound tacky.
I don't think there's anyway to outright say it without being rude. Your friend can put a note in her registry (something along the lines of "Little one has been blessed with plenty of clothes up to 12 mo size") and not register for any clothes. Other than that, hope for gift receipts. GL!
Edit: spelling
I have received invitations like that for baby showers and for birthday parties where they tell you to pick from a list of things to give. It basically says something like, "these gifts are very much appreciated and will be put in good use."
I don't attend parties like that...nor do I send a gift.
It's funny, if I have a girl it'll be the first girl in over 30 years on my in laws side. I'm not finding out the sex but if I did I'd definitely not tell before the shower!!!! lol
I think all of us would LOVE to specify gifts we don't want at our shower, but there's no way to do so without being rude to guests who are shelling out money for you and your LO.
However, if someone does ever figure out how to have it all, or if Ballsox wants to write another poem I can use, I'd love to have people not get me disposable diapers, clothes with dumb phrases on them (ex. "my mommy's a fox" with a fox on the onsie) and generally ugly stuff that people shouldn't be allowed to pay money for. Heh. Good luck to all of us and wishes for gift receipts, ladies!
I have skills, I have class,
Please don't dress me like a piece of trash.
They aren't cute, they aren't funny,
don't buy dumb clothes with all your money.
Be more green and save your cash,
Save the disposables from the trash.
One more thing, lest I forget
Only upon cloth, my bum shall sit.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
This poem is a winner!
why don't you just put "my brother and sister-in-law are financially strapped and you all went overboard at Christmas on clothes, so please stick to the registry provided for you" .. ?
You could always try "Since you a*sholes bought a cr@pton of clothes at Christmas and didn't buy anything practical then, could you please not royally suck at life and read the d@mn registry to find out what we want. Just a heads up, if you buy anything not off the registry, don't expect to see it around our house, because I'm going to run to the store and get store credit or sell it on CL for the cash so I can buy the other items I really want. Kthxbai"
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.
I asked this same question over on the 2nd trimester board and some people got really nasty, complete with name calling/adjectives such as spoiled, grabby, ungrateful, and bratty. Things seem much more tame over here LOL. I think the only sure way to not get clothing is to keep the gender a secret, which is too late for us at this point! Needless to say the no clothes thing will not be going on my invite. Good luck and I hope you guys have a wonderful shower!
Wow - we've never been called "tame" here before. I am not sure I like that.
The OP has long exited from this thread. Kinda graciously too I think.
He's the single greatest thing I've done in my life and reminds me daily of how fun (and funny) life can be. He's turned out pretty swell for having such a heartless and evil mother.