I am trying to be as gracious as I can be. And could use some advice on how to best handle this. DH and I have yet to purchase our crib though it's picked out. It's beautiful, white and is part of a set that we love. A week ago my mom called me and told me a good friend of our family called and offered her crib (she has a 3yr old and 6 yr old) to us. I told her to thank this family friend but tell her that we had a set on the way (white lie!).
Im not sure what my mom told her but today my dad brought over the crib and said that family friend was so happy she could help us out. Im greatful for generous friends but we really wanted a white crib to match our furniture. And a convertable crib.The crib is a little...plain, and Im not sure how old it is. Im thought that maybe I could paint it but Im not sure if she is giving it to us or lending it to us. How do you either graciously decline a gift or nicely say "thanks but it doesnt match...we need to paint it hope your not going to want it back"? I feel a litle guilty not being thrilled about a free crib!
Re: WWYD?
Where does your mom live? If close by, do you visit often? Do they have an extra room for baby stuff? It could be a 2nd crib at her house?
My mom has a room full of stuff for Joaquin, it's pretty nice to not have to worry about bringing all of that everytime I come over...and I'm there a lot.
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This was my first thought. I'd definitely call the woman if your mom doesn't want it and tell her that there was some miscommunication and you already had one on the way but thank her graciously!
This is almost exactly what it looks like..though it has wheels. It's this same color.
Could the crib they gave you go to one of your parent's houses (whether or not the baby actually ends up staying over is to be determined, but you can say you had the best of intentions)?
Is your family friend going to be visiting you? You could just store the crib when you get your new one, and she never has to know (unless she sees pics of your nursery or visits I guess).
Can you get around it by checking to see if it is out of date? I don't remember how long cribs are "fresh" for - 5 or 10 years?
Do you think if you told her that you had purchased a new set (your white lie) that she would encourage you to return it and keep hers? Cos that was sounding good!!
Eep, I hate awkward situations! I hope it works out for you!
A grandma crib is a great idea! My mom only lives a few miles away and will be watching the baby twice a week...excellent Idea!
I agree with pp maybe you can use it at your parents or DH's when visiting? If not maybe talk to the friends and tell them thank you for the crib. You guys are great for helping us out, but we already bought a crib thats going with the set we already have. Then send it back to them.