‘My in-laws got me a baby gift I hate – they should’ve spent more money on it’

A mum-to-be has been left furious after her in-laws bought her a gift for her impending arrival, but it wasn’t the one she wanted and was instead a cheap alternative

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s not unusual to hold a baby shower in which your family and other loved ones may chip in to buy you certain items that you’ll need when your little one arrives.

But one mum-to-be has been left feeling disappointed after her in-laws didn’t buy her the gift she wanted for her impending arrival, and instead picked up a cheaper alternative. The woman explained that she recently had a baby shower with a registry of items she wanted, and most people chose a gift from the registry to give to her so they knew she’d use it.

When her husband’s parents asked what was left on the list, she sent them a link to a playpen that was exactly what she wanted, but they instead used the information to find a different version that was cheaper and didn’t have all the features the mum needed.

The playpen the woman wanted would have cost her in-laws $125 (£105) but they bought her one for $90 (£76), and she insists the decision wasn’t finance-related as they had initially offered to buy her a different gift that would have cost them $200 (£169).

In a post on Reddit, she said: “I’m having my first child in a couple of weeks and my in-laws asked what I was missing to buy for the baby. I sent a link to a playpen that I wanted to get for the baby which is $125 (£105), on sale from $180 (£152).

“It is the colour I want, with music and vibration features. It has multiple pockets and a big space for nappies, bottles, etc. Plus, it has near-perfect reviews.

“Yesterday my sister-in-law showed me the one they got me which is $90 (£76) but in a colour I don’t like, with a smaller area to put baby things and no outside pocket. It was like they didn’t put in the effort to order the one I wanted and ordered the first one they saw. Personally, I feel awkward with these things and just said thank you and it’s cute but I truly don’t want it.

“Would I be the a**hole to request they return it and get the one I sent the link to?”

The woman later added more information to the post, where she expanded on her in-law’s budget and questioned why they would ask her what items she needs if they aren’t going to listen.

She added: “Some people seem to think I’m entitled, so maybe I didn’t give enough information. Why ask for what I want if you’re going to get whatever you want? I’m due in two weeks, they had months to get me the more affordable things on my registry. When they called me to show me the gift they said that they liked the one they chose better because it was cute. Not because of monetary reasons, it was just something cute over something I researched and picked out.

“It’s not about money for all the ‘maybe they couldn’t afford it’ commenters. They offered to buy me a $200 (£169) present that I already had and I told them so. They asked what specifically was left that I needed.

“I sent them a link to something that cost less than what they would have bought me had I not already had it. They just wanted to get me what THEY LIKED. Just because they liked the design more.”

Commenters on the post were split, as some said the woman sounded “entitled” for demanding a new gift, while others said they understood the difficulties of finding the perfect items for a baby.

One person said: “You sound entitled. Return the gift yourself once they give it to you if you are that pressed about it.”

But someone else disagreed, posting: “You’re not the a**hole for wanting particular things. There are so many versions of so many baby products, and it can take a long time to research and select the one that fits your growing family the best. But if you want something specific, don’t ask someone else to get it for you.

“Either keep it as an extra to keep at the grandparents’ house, or return it yourself and purchase the one you want. Be appreciative of the fact that you have family that wants to help, as not everyone has that.”

And a third wrote: “Some may say you should just be grateful that they got you anything; however, the time and energy that you put into researching baby items to determine which ones are the ones you want and the reasons why are completely valid. I did this as well when I had my kids and ended up never using things that people got me but were ‘their version’ of what was either requested or on the registry.

“Realistically you’ll most likely end up getting the one you researched already and the one they bought you will end up not using.”

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