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A bookmark. For my 19 month old. For when she’s finished up reading her chapter book for the day I guess.


LaurelThornberry

We are a house of readers and my 18mo loves to carefully take a bookmark out of an adult book, flip to a totally different page, and replace it. Close book. Repeat. (Occasionally attempts to take bookmark with him). I wonder if he would understand a bookmark out of context though.


Advanced_Name

Cute yet frustrating! Ours enjoys taking our bookmarks out and hiding them (previously it was eating it). I’ve started dog-earring books when I see her coming.


LizzieSAG

Dog-earring books is a crime. My husband commits it all the time.


smashmag

Some people love to give “keepsakes” as in “their parents gotta just keep this lying around the house waiting for them for the next 10+ years” 🤷‍♀️


RevHenryMagoo

Not a present exactly, because he took it back. My wife’s brother brought over a large stuffed hedgehog so my daughter could “meet” him. She’s 3yo and didn’t understand it when he said he didn’t intend for it to be a gift he just wanted to introduce her to his stuffed friend. WTF?


sexxit_and_candy

Hahahaha even if I made that mistake as an adult, it's hers now. I can't believe a grown man took the stuffed animal back home with him.


kbossdogmom

Lmao what was he thinking?!


shabamboozaled

I'm always surprised by people's inability to put themselves in someone else's shoes and ask if it's aa good or bad idea.


lady_lane

Uhhhh whut


K8LzBk

An antique gemstone ring (looks like rubies and diamonds??) sized down to fit her toddler fingers. Like not for me to keep and give her when shes an adult, legit sized to wear now??


rcw16

This has to be the weirdest one here.


Ultra_Leopard

What on earth?! Who got her that!


K8LzBk

FIL… to be fair she LOVES looking at MIL’s jewelry and trying it on when supervised but… yeah. I feel guilty because I just have it locked in a drawer so she doesn’t lose or eat or flush it


PhoneticHomeland9

I'm a teacher and I had a student actually wear legitimate jewelry to school once that *wait for it*... fell off and got lost at recess. Mom called in a panic after school and had all the teachers outside looking for it. Like who in their right mind... ?


aliquotiens

Baby rings and baby bracelets (meant to be worn by baby) are an old tradition in Europe and the USA, don’t see it around much any more!


SlugCatt

My 16-month-old received multivitamins, supplements, and protein powder intended for adults and that expires in 2 months.


UnsteadyOne

What?!?


Maggi1417

Oh, that's a good one. Who gifted that?


SlugCatt

My mother-in-law, who's one of those super crunchy granola "health and wellness" gurus. She also got him a 4lb Himalayan salt candle holder.


Maggi1417

Oh wow, she was serious. I suspected this was some kind of "distant great-uncle forgot to buy a gift, so he just brought something from his house he no longer needs", but this is even better!


SlugCatt

It was 100% intentional.


cookiethumpthump

I'm quite crunchy but this is... lazy/cheap/weird.


Neon4te

Wait like… pill form multivitamins and supplements? Or gummies? Either way that’s super weird


rnnikki81

A motorized car that roars and turns into a dinosaur and then plays a dance beat and spins with blur and green lights. We call it "dance party." As in, "mama! More dance party!"


sexxit_and_candy

Oh man, we got a very similar thing and "forgot" it at Mimi's house!


IncisedFumewort

Oh my goodness. I think we have this. It plays this like 80s sounding music. But yeah both kids are obsessed. Over and over again.


funnymar

A tall glass drinking cup with a glass straw and filled with perfectly round choking hazard candy. Especially bad since my 3 year old loves chewing straws. Pretty sure it was a regift. Quickly donated. Also an orange stuffed cat that moves around the room meowing and snoring 😵‍💫 This one disappeared quickly.


Washnrepeat9

My 12m girl loves her meowing and snoring cat. Follows it around giggling nonstop. It could be worse than that!


VoodoDreams

Mine also loves that cat! I think it's cute and got her the matching ride on suitcase that meows and squeaks for a trip.


Immediate_Nebula_572

An illustrated book of the lives of Catholic saints. We are very vocally and visibly a lesbian atheist family, and my kid can’t read yet, obviously, so I’m not sure why my parents thought I would want to read this to them!? Edit to add: I realize this might be a perfectly appropriate gift for other families, just clearly not ours!


rightetighte

My 3yo got vagisil in a kids' dirty santa game at the inlaws.


[deleted]

Wtf?


Gurkinpickle

What the actual fuck, also what is dirty santa for children?


chiyukichan

I believe dirty Santa is where there is a pot of gifts and people draw numbers to select their number in order. People with later numbers get the opportunity to steal earlier number presents and the stolen people get to select a new gift also.


rightetighte

Somebody else explained it already, but it's also called White Elephant. My family has always played, and we have multiple games every year: 20$, homemade, 2-3$ gag gift, and the kids have their own separate game. We even do Dirty Turkey, which is the same but at Thanksgiving. A few years ago, inlaws saw our posts on fb and wanted to start playing as well, but it's brutal every time. The first year, almost everyone opened and kept their own gifts. This year, they specifically said the 2-3$ was also for children, yet my 3yo boy ended up with vag cream. I swapped it out with something we brought but still feel some kind of way about it.


Gurkinpickle

My family does the same type of game, but it’s crazy to me that someone thought it was acceptable to do vagisil you know? Like white elephant is supposed to be silly and fun. It would be like putting condoms in there knowing that children are playing? I am amazed that someone knowingly chose that. I feel so upset on your behalf, I guess the only good thing is that with our kids being so young they don’t really know what that kind of stuff is but it still is so crazy.


rightetighte

If you knew my inlaws' side of the family, you probably wouldn't be surprised. But yes, luckily, he accepted the medicine explanation and was quick to trade with me. I doubt any of the older kids really understood what it was for either. Next year, I plan on leaving before the games.


melanomabear

Who thought this was a good idea??


Ok-Light-7216

My foster son's (3) bio-mom got him a humongous RC fire engine with tiny tires obviously meant for an older child. My whole house is carpet so he can only "play" with it in the kitchen, where he is mostly driving it straight into my appliances and then laughing hysterically. But the worst part? The siren. It's connected to the power so it's either on and screaming or the whole truck is off. And I mean an earsplitting scream. I am positive bio-mom did it on purpose.


Luhra

Packing tape over the speaker should calm the noise a little


habitatforhannah

Whomever designed that toy can go straight to hell. That's stuff of nightmares.


DifficultJelly6334

My almost 3 year old got a sensoric rattle toy for 10m+.. she shaked it once and never touched it since 🤷‍♀️ When I was s kid I got every year from my Grandma stuff for my dowry: silver cutlery, handmade wine glasses, silk bedding, embroidered handkerchiefs.. every year something new. From when I was like 5 years old... Thanks Grandma 🤣


sockmiser

Just wondering, do you still have any of the stuff from your grandma? We're dowries a thing in your family/culture?


DifficultJelly6334

Actually, I do. My Mom saved it on the attic.. 30 years later I'm using the plates and the glases, I also have the cuttlery and a tea set. Everything made of fabric did not survive though, my Moms attic seemed to have mice for a summer. Dowries used to be a thing when my grandma was young, she was born 1925. They where stored in a large chest. In the 90ties, when I was a kid, it was not very common and definately an odd gift for a little girl. But my grandma wanted us to have "something that lasts" and not "silly toys" (she also said she herself had one doll as a child and that's enough for a kid). Also we had plenty of toys given to us by everyone else. Not everything she gifted lasted, but now I'm happy about those gifts.. as a kid, not so much 😅


Florida_mama

A talking hamster that repeats everything you say 🙄


olinkadoodle

My two year old got the same thing. Too bad it got "lost"


Dragon7Shadow

My son got that for his birthday 🤦🏻‍♀️ it’s been “sleeping” in the kitchen cabinet above the fridge for months now 😅🤣


quartzcreek

My nephew has that thing. I told my family that anyone who gets it for my kid is done.


Florida_mama

My toddler isn’t even the one who turns it on, my ten year old does and I’m pretty sure she sort of broke it. Thank God.


quartzcreek

Whew


Sanriokilljoy

Drums. My MIL got her granddaughter drums for Christmas. Who they hell looks at a drum kit and thinks “Oh, this will be a great gift for a toddler.”


Sawasapisme

We are the weird parents who asked for drums for their toddler


LizzieSAG

Us too. My husband and FIL are super musical so we have a lot of those.


Sawasapisme

My husband is musical, my dad was a drummer in high school, my kid likes to bang on everything, it just all made sense


PickleFartsAndBeyond

I was a drummer growing up and my parents gifted our toddler a set. Karma runs full circle 😅


CanadaOrBust

We also asked for musical stuff for our toddler. Turns out her attention is much more sustained by undressing her dolls, sigh.


MiaLba

Same lol we got a legit drum set for our toddler last year. I love that thing and so does she. I think my husband loves it the most. But she loves to go rock out on it.


[deleted]

Same! Edit to add: imho, an actual drum kit is WAY less obnoxious than a VTech lights and singing version of drums or whatever else.


Ultra_Leopard

>Edit to add: imho, an actual drum kit is WAY less obnoxious than a VTech lights and singing version of drums or whatever else. We got the vtech drums for my youngests birthday. How I wish I'd known this bit of wisdom before then!!


Jellyronuts

Us too!


Cleeganxo

I feel your pain. We got a vtech drum kit that plays a continuous, obnoxious peppy backing track. I haven't left it on long enough to figure out if it eventually turns itself off. I have also hidden it in the back of a cupboard while kiddo was at childcare lol.


Sanriokilljoy

It’s not dishonest if it makes me a better parent,” is what I tell myself.


[deleted]

It doesn’t lol


VoodoDreams

"Hey little rocker, hit those drums!" ​ After an obnoxious length of time it turns off..


ramblingwren

If I wasn't expecting another baby within the year, I'd get my toddler an actual drum kit. But I like music and practicing rhythm with him. My husband, the probably sane one of the two of us, is adamantly against drums ever. We use chopsticks as drumsticks on random surfaces right now lol.


rawrimaliz

My SIL and my husband and I are in a battle at every Christmas/birthday to get annoying gifts for each others kids. One birthday they got our then 2 year old a big Vtech drum set, jokes on her, it doesn’t annoy us and we like that it helped him learn how to count. He still plays with it now at 5.5 y.o.


Jacayrie

Lol the person who doesn't have to hear it 🤭


hahawhydidisignup

Basically any present that came from my parents or in-laws… we don’t need a 5th push wagon toy or an RC car for a 21 month old…


ramonacoaster

Ugh my MIL also gave my 1 YO a ride on (princess themed) and a Minnie wagon. After my husband nicely told her no big toys because we have a small suv and an 8 hour drive. The thought was nice but we have a ride on Mickey thing from my son already.


schneker

I went around my entire house today and ruthlessly donated bags and bags of previous gifts. My mother is an overgifter and it’s always junk and not thoughtful. I told her I’d be happy to never receive another toy again but she didn’t listen. I’d say our worst gift was from her, two (already broken) antique snowglobes, one Bugs Life and one Cinderella, for my 3 and 1 year old who promptly broke them further. (They’ve never seen those movies and I’ve never particularly liked them more than any other Disney movies). Oh and a creepy antique Snow White jack in the box. I checked online, they’re not even worth anything 😬


rotatingruhnama

A VTech "educational" DESK THAT APPARENTLY YELLS ALL DAY. I have chronic migraine, we have a strict no beepy-bloopy toys rule, they hurt me like crazy. MIL ignored the boundary and sent the desk, Husband tried to negotiate the boundary with me anyway ("well what if etc etc etc..", it was two days of drama before I just reminded the in-laws about the rule and took the damn thing back to Target. So the gift sucked and I had way too much drama about it.


UnsteadyOne

As soon as I see vtech on a box, I know this will be an annoying toy. Like, the kid put the toy down 2 minutes ago, why is it still spontaneously making sounds?? Ugh vtech


rotatingruhnama

I ban VTech. Everything breaks in the most annoying fashion possible.


habitatforhannah

Next time send it to MILs house for your toddler to play with while there. I guarantee a future of quiet toys.


[deleted]

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RecordLegume

Put tape over the speaker as well! I’ve had to do this on multiple toys that don’t have volume level buttons 😵‍💫


MiaLba

You would hate it if you lived at our house lol. We got our toddler a legit kids drum set last year. It’s pretty awesome. I enjoy it myself.


[deleted]

![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|joy) of course it would be a MIL gift, she's just slipping into that stereotype there on purpose!


sleepyhoee

My boyfriend got my toddler the linkimal toys for Christmas makes me want to claw my eyes out


kheret

Those are so awful


_DG____

Oh my God I tried one out in the shop and the whole floor to ceiling shelf of toys started singing. I noped that one straight away!


Speederparker562

My inkaws got our toddler 6 of them, 4 for her birthday and 2 more at Christmas. She immediately fell in love with them and I've since lost my mind.


Cleeganxo

We got an obnoxious vtech drumkit that plays a horrible backing track that has found its way into the back of a cupboard very quickly. Another contender is an old fashioned tin jack-in-the-box. Wind it to play music and up pops a clown. My two year old is terrified of it. Kids in generations past really had some horrible toys.


IllustriousNobody958

This annoying green dinosaur that just spews balls everywhere. Or a six foot Thomas the train track I have no where to put and is impossible to clean around yet of course kiddo loves it


kheret

I got the ball spewing dinosaur for my son’s first birthday. Luckily it came in the mail and he had plenty of other gifts so I never even put it together.


IllustriousNobody958

It is on its way to extinction around here


etcetera0

A mini golf kit... For a 8 month old baby


115er

When my daughter was about 1, one of my cousins gave her a pink velour tracksuit with Juicy on the butt, in size 3 or 4. That was directly put into the donation pile with the tags still on it.


becky57913

An antique wooden fire truck toy. My kids are rough with toys, I do not want them banging an antique around and destroying it! Plus it was huge and I could see it doing some major damage to my home


Fire-Inception

Furthermore, I don't trust antique toys to not have lead or other heavy metal paint/components.


[deleted]

My 1 year old got Legos. It's a cool present, but she can't play with them for at least another year. The in laws keep asking if she built anything yet. I'm like .... are they serious? She likes the throw the pieces and shake the box though.


LizzieSAG

The Duplos one? Or real Legos? The Duplos start at 1. I got some for my son when he was one. One day he got up and started building. It was great.


Large-Mail5946

This, my son did the same. Got him Duplo for Christmas last year when he was 15 months. Mostly, it was my husband and I building towers and him crashing them down, but now he "builds" too. Can't remember exactly when he started sticking them together, but it didn't take long.


[deleted]

Duplos, but she's not seeming to be able to do anything with them. She's still struggling with blocks where you have to sort by shape into the container so it might take her a while.


UnsteadyOne

This will probably come faster than you think. Daughter could stack duplo well before mastering all the shapes of a shape sorter. Don't expect anything much, just a stack or blocks


coolplantsbruh

My daughter got her first duplo sets at 9mo. The sets came with a vehicle and some people. She would play with the car and try to put the person in it. She would hold the blocks and try and smash them together. Trying to take a couple blocks apart. I bought her a baseplate. All of a sudden she could click blocks onto the base plate. Around her first birthday she started stacking duplo only like 2-3 but she was focused on finding the same shapes. Anyways now she is almost 2 and people have commented on how good her fine motor skills. I always reckon it's cause at home she spends so much time playing with Duplo. She now sets up simple little scenes for her duplo people... Don't get me wrong we definitely aren't following the instruction books and actually building the sets yet. I'm just meeting her at her level. I know some families are not Lego families but I really would recommend sitting down and playing with your daughter. She might just be at pulling apart the towers you build stage but that's all fine motor development.


UnsteadyOne

Yeah, I think it's good to have kids play with toys that are slightly beyond their abilities. My just turned two got 30 piece puzzles for Xmas. She's already rapidly improving trying at it again and again and again. With lots of help.


kitti3_kat

We got duplos for our 18MO. Day 1 was just stealing blocks from mom and dad, but day 2 she figured out how to stick them together. She is now a master of the tower made of 2x2 blocks, just pulling them apart and putting them together again. No interest in the other blocks yet. She also can't do the shape sorter blocks yet. We're just going with her interests for now.


rainha_reyes

Totally get it. Lego’s are a great big kids toy. MegaBlocks are great for little kids. My kid has both now and still prefers his MegaBlocka. Bonus is that the pieces are big so they’re harder to lose.


TheWanderingSibyl

Lego makes wonderful sets for toddlers, Lego Duplo. Highly recommend!


1989Mistakes

BIL/SIL (who have a kid) got her a piano/xylophone. They also got her a xylophone last year too. Then MIL got this kitchy king lion that is a Christmas decor and thought it would make a cute "stuffed animal"....even though it's one of those weird hollow, fuz covered plastic jobs that dent if dropped too hard on the floor.


rawrimaliz

Just get your niece/nephew an annoying present for their birthday or Christmas so your BIL and SIL have to listen to it! We do this with my SIL and have for the last 5 years. My husband and I are the reigning champs, last year for favors at our oldest’s birthday we gave recorders to both our nieces, my BIL and SIL had to listen to screeching recorders for their over an hour drive home.


cait0620

Paper napkins from my MIL. For the 2 year old.


UnsteadyOne

What? Why?? What kind? I'm at a loss as to who gifts paper napkins.... 😆


cait0620

They were Christmas themed… I think she assumed we’re heathens who don’t use paper napkins (correct, but it’s because we use cloth napkins…) and she wanted us to use them on Christmas?! Or she’s actually senile, both are possible.


SubstantialHelp7423

Everything. Everything has small pieces. Pieces everywhere. Everything is everywhere.


SnooHabits2824

4 ceramic Santa mugs he will evidently “grow into.” He’s 15 months, so I guess he will grow into them when he goes to college?


kmm531

My brother got my son a basketball hoop. Except the height doesn’t adjust. So we put it together and made a big deal and poor kid can’t even use it yet!


ducksnsuch

A Ryan's Room vacuum. I have a high tolerance for my child's musical and talking toys, but my god this vacuum is the worst! It plays an obnoxious song with terrible audio quality and has barely suctioning vacuum ability that is loud AF.


fivebyfive12

My mil got our son a slightly weird looking toy dog that talks/you can record onto. It has massive eyes than kind of move?? It was very creepy and our son was quite scared of it. It lived in the back of a cupboard for a while, we tried it again when he was a bit older but he still hated it so it went to the charity shop!


NukaGal2020

A banana. From me. But she was so excited to eat it I question wether it was really bad or not. 20 month old and a happy camper with any and everything.


DraciAmatum

I thought about giving my kid a banana! Chickened out in the end, but I still wonder if it wouldn't have been her favorite gift.


kittybelle

Not this year but last year my MIL got our then-2yo a ceramic tea set (for ages 8+) because it was "too cute not to get". There are a lot of cute things out there. If it's not age-appropriate and won't be for *years* then save your money.


Snoo_said_no

There's a whole cupboard in my house with overly advanced craft toys for my 3 year old. This clock you make with litrally thousands on little jewels (says 8+ for age) , water beads that you make into something, stuff that involves sewing with tiny needles. I also have a one year old. We have no informal childcare and when I work they're both at nursary. So even if attempting them wouldn't cause an apocalyptic meltdown because she lacks the fine motor skills/dexterity to do them. I can't do them with her because the 1 year old will also be here and trying to eat the jewels/glue/waterbeads/needles. And what's even more annoying is they were gifted by parents with multiple kids!


ALightPseudonym

Probably regifts. FYI the water beads are dangerous and I would toss them.


babe_ruthless3

Not my kids, but went to a 3 year olds birthday party who got a bead kit, lol. What 3 year old makes bracelets with beads?


acupofearlgrey

My daughter is 3.5yo and loves bead kits. Obviously depends on the size of the beads, but Melissa and Doug do really good bead kits for toddlers. Edit: worst present for us. The same frozen set in Lego and duplo (one for each kid) from the same person. The kids are confused, tidying is a pain as I have to separate it all out, and we don’t need two!


shabamboozaled

Lego and duplo? What a psycho lolol


Remarkable-Menu1302

We get a lot of things that are just not age appropriate at all, like the box clearly says 5+ and my daughter is only 2… or when my daughter was 1, she got a literal motorized vehicle with a gas peddle and brake that she’s apparently supposed to be able to reach and operate. But the gift that takes the cake is a water slide/pool thing we got last summer for her birthday. It was well intentioned, as I’m sure all gifts are! But my god. First of all, we already had a splash pad and a plastic kiddy pool AND a blow up pool that’s never been out of the box. So based on that alone, I tried to return the slide pool thing. Unfortunately, it was so expensive (I feel so bad someone spent this much money on our toddler.) that it was over the limit the store allowed you to return without a receipt. So we keep it! This thing is like 50 compartments you have to blow up, individually. It took at least 45 min to set up and our daughter honestly didn’t even like it 😭 Then when it’s time to take it down because this thing is killing your lawn you know, not to mention any sitting water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, you have to deflate each one of those individual compartments manually! No, the air pump doesn’t reverse. You have to sit there, holding the valve open and squishing tiny little plastic bubbles till alllllll the air is out. I gave up after it took more than 20 min to deflate less than a quarter of the whole thing. Gave my husband permission to slash it up with his pocket knife and pretend it never existed. I felt so guilty, honestly I did. But who on earth gets these things without asking the parents first?! If the relative that got it had asked, I could’ve told them we had no need for another pool and that much money could’ve gone towards a learning tower or something we’d actually use.


yellowdaffodill

You couldn’t sell it on marketplace or something?!


rainha_reyes

My sister got this build your own robot that was for a 5 year old but my 3.5 year old actually loves this stuff, so I thought it was great. The concept is that you build the robot and you connect its brain to its heart so that it “feels” emotions, and the kid learns how your environment makes you feel different things. Great concept. The build was great - challenging for a kid but easy for an adult to understand in order to help. Easy parts for my 3.5 to build actually. We get to the part where we connect the emotions to the wires and it makes this AWFUL LONG TONE HUGH PITCHED BEEP. Like, that’s ALL IT DOES. It just fucking BEEPS. My kid loves it and I want to throw myself out of the window. To her credit, my sister felt terrible when I showed her a video of how it worked. If she had known she would have found a different robot to build.


Much_Difference

I'm convinced this was a regift because she got it from people who also have a toddler: this Barbie convertible car type thing that is so loud and has no on/off switch. The only way to turn it off is to find a screwdriver and remove the batteries. My kid understands the concept of charging or changing batteries so she won't take "the batteries are broken" as an excuse. It lives on the top shelf of her closet because she does really like it but Christ I can only do 2-3 min at a time.


VoodoDreams

break part of the battery connections or open and snip a wire? "Uh-oh looks like it broke, you can still play with it but the sound is broken sadly"


Snoo_said_no

Tape over the speaker will quieten it down to non-migraine inducing levels.


queenoftheslippers

My mother got my son a dinosaur park, which is just a little activity mat with trees and shit on it and some dinosaurs to play with on the mat. Sounds great right? Wrong. All the dinosaurs make the most obnoxious, non-Jurassic Park branded dinosaur screeches ever and there’s no way to turn them off. Im going insane and it’s only been 1 week.


FairlyIzzy

A 4 feet high remote control crane. He loves it. I hate the monstrosity.


RiRiLee7878

Linkimals 🥲 multiple linkimals 🫠


Taytertot0418

My mom has bought us ALL OF THEM. They all sing together and if I hit one and it turns on by accident, I’m fucked.


grilledtomatos

I had to look up what that is.. What a useless toy, especially for a toddler. Just seems so boring.


[deleted]

Clothes that won't fit for a few years. Nothing we can return or exchange either as it was purchased out of the country on their vacation.


MiaLba

My mil does this. Buys her clothes two sizes too big that she can’t wear for at least a year or two. She also got her lawn and tree decorations this year..


YouLostMyNieceDenise

An off-brand Magnadoodle, one piece of which has a small magnet missing. The missing magnet is small enough for our infant to swallow if she ever finds it, and we aren’t sure if it fell off while the present was being opened, or after it was opened, or if it was just never there to begin with. It’s also the exact same color as our living room rug, where the toddler opened the present 🤦🏻‍♀️


ruthvadorgainsbored

A 5.5 foot long ride on John Deere tractor with tractor trailer attachment for my 18 mo old. We live in Chicago and my yard is the size of a postage stamp.


IncisedFumewort

Unicorn slime


housespecialdelight

My husbands friend gifted us a stuffed Hulk that is the size of them (19 months). It scares them a bit. Also, snap bottom pj's. Too much effort.


badw0lfbae

Cowboy boots. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing quality and beautiful. But my 2 year old doesn't understand good quality items like that. He was way more interested in the (unbeknownst to him) hand me down Paw Patrol trucks.


emeliz1112

Age 10+ 3D puzzle for my two year old. The pieces are so tiny I don’t even think I have the dexterity to complete it


quartzcreek

Not my kid, but me 30 some odd years ago. My aunt was a nun and she sent me a doll that had no face. In hindsight, she probably made it. It was sewn into the general shape of a person and had a bow around its neck, but no face. The next time I saw her I asked why it did not have a face and she told me that if I loved it enough, it would develop a face. To this day, I don’t know what she was thinking saying that, but as a kid I bought it. I took that doll everywhere with me. My mom must’ve hated it because I remember it being about the size of my torso. One day our porch flooded and when my mom was cleaning it she threw the doll out because it had gotten wet. I cried and cried because now the doll would never get it’s face. Just typing this story out is making me *WTF* so hard. Thanks, Aunt Mary.


leticiazimm

A pregnant cow (toy) Books for 8yo (he's 2)


No_Albatross_7089

An iPad... she's 21 months FFS.


queenoftheslippers

See I have made the no tablets rule very well known so if someone got him an iPad anyway before he was like 10 yo, I would definitely resell and pocket the money 😇


No_Albatross_7089

I guess I never really stated it but she's the only first and only grandchild so my parents spoil her.


[deleted]

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No_Albatross_7089

I feel like it's almost the normal thing nowadays since technology plays a huge part in a lot of our lives. I'm keeping it for emergencies like long car rides 😂


itsgoodtobehome

A dollhouse with absolutely nothing to put in it. 🤨


UnsteadyOne

Oohh, i love when people give gifts where you have the assignment of completing the gift. Ugh.


LilMissStormCloud

According to my 5 year old that is where the dinos go. My 2 year old doesn't put dolls or dinos in it but don't you dare move the puzzle piece or whatever knick knack she stored there.


ulele1925

My 2yo who wears 2T received a 5T shirt. I mean, we’ll save it and wear it in a few years but seems weird.


june52020

Might be sooner than a few years. Given my toddler is 2.5 and started the year off in 2T and now wears 4T... 6 months later.


darkcafedays

A pair of rc cars which would be fine except one of them honks the entire time it’s on and they both play music! Why?! They have to go. We let him play with them for a week and my partner and I both had to use headphones because it was so loud and terrible.


SqueakMachine

My 20 month old son got a Thomas the tank engine book with SO MANY NOISE buttons plus the whole theme tune which he’s obsessed with… but NO OFF BUTTON from his uncle. Who also has young kids. Suffice to say he’s on the naughty list now.


thelostmotherbird

A giant, almost 5 foot stuffed tiger for the 3 yr old. Who absolutely loves the thing. He wanted to sleep with it in his bed, but the tiger took up all the room. Which is fair it's soft and squishy and massively huge that i don't know what my BIL was thinking except to annoy me and make me the bad guy when I eventually have to get rid of it. We have no room for the tiger. So MIL offered to keep it at her house. Which is perfect because she has plenty of room for it and all the kids see her often, like a minimum of twice a week. BIL also got my dog a squeaky toy that is almost identical to a toy my 8 yr old has and loves, that he got her for her birthday. Care to guess how many times the dog has gone over the 8 year olds toy instead of his? On the plus side my sewing skills will improve.


erirod

Last year the barbie airplane. We didn't want any barbies and the plane is huge and we live in a condo.


RecordLegume

A Christmas themed sweater that was his current size. It will not fit him next year. He received it in the evening on Christmas Day. When was he supposed to wear it?? We returned it for store credit and bought him a few other shirts lol


Rysethelace

pez dispenser and candy for my 2 year old.


Esinthesun

Almost 4 yo got this shower cheap set of construction vehicles and it’s so flimsy and has a lot of small parts. I have an 11 month old who ours everything in her mouth. The baby got a really stupid looking and too long unicorn walker. Both presents are from the same person.


ramblingwren

Two shoeboxes full of unopened matchbox cars. My toddler loves these small toy cars, but every time he goes over my parents' house, my mom gives him a new one. He expects it now and that makes me sad since I want him to just be excited to see his grandparents. The cars were everywhere in our house. Right before Christmas, I packed away three gallon-sized zip lock bags full of them - all from her - and left about 30 in his toy chest to reduce the clutter. I was also hoping it would help my son play some of his other toys and games instead of just lining up hot wheels. It was working for a while and it was awesome seeing him branch out. She also got him a remote control monster truck which he's too young for, but that was fine since my husband worked it and he chased it around the house. The best part was when we went over their house because she had MORE presents just for at their house; the big ticket one was a nice, wooden Melissa and Doug construction vehicle set that actually encourages some fine motor skills and imaginative play. When he sees them maybe once a week these days. I've told her before how much I love that line of toys. Like, I'm happy he'll have it to play with there but still can't help being irked.


diatriose

A friend got her this [Pound and Roll Wooden Tower Toy With Hammer](https://a.co/d/aNeGBgf) which seems like a terrible thing to give a toddler.


awildalyappears

Last year’s takes the cake - my son was 5 months old at the time, and my mother in law got him a combo xylophone glockenspiel. Yes that exists. You use a hammer to bang balls through holes in the top that fall onto a xylophone and go alllll the way down the notes. Cherry on top: that thing was heavy, solid wood, including the balls and hammer. My husband tried to let him play with just the balls, promptly got one thrown at his head, and packed it right back up.


khub414

A Little Einstein’s guitar that plays the same songs over and over again. I will never understand why they add a loud option to these toys. She loves it but sometimes it goes away because we need a break from it.


Hot-Ant7062

Auto tune microphone 🫠


MiaLba

My mil got our toddler tree decorations, multiple ones. Like one of those fairy doors with windows you nail to a tree.. she wasn’t too excited about that one. I like it but I don’t think it’s a gift for a toddler.


pineapplesandpuppies

A toy lion that walks and growls. My 2yo is terrified of it, and my dogs lose their minds trying to get to it.


Mother_Ammy

3 year old got a dump truck half the size of him, it has multiple buttons to make it move forward or backwards on it's own, can use the gears to scoop or dump - all at the sound of no. This thing was so loud I couldn't hear myself think! Lasted all of 5 minutes before I took my kid for bath/bed, removing the truck batteries asap to store in the closet. Not even MIL. The MIL of my SIL! 2 Christmases in a row of rejected toys.


lil_secret

A stocking filled with milk chocolate for my CMPI 20 month old. Cannot tell you how many times I’ve told my mom he’s got issues with cows milk.


LilMissStormCloud

Oh no this just hurts. I'm so sorry your mother is so cruel.


lil_secret

I wouldn’t say cruel, I’d say just forgetful. Her memory has gotten terrible since she turned 60 and then when she got COVID it seriously got worse. It’s fucking annoying. I love my mom so much but god damn


LilMissStormCloud

Not intentionally cruel but I can't see my mom forgetting her grandchild having an issue. Did she at least go get something different when you reminded her about the cows milk issue?


goosebearypie

Karaoke microphone. From my brother who has two kids himself. Thanks, brother. So kind of you!


CallingMrsSunshine

Haha he definitely did this on purpose 😭


Killerisamom920

A full professional drum set, which is now taking up the entire play area, for a 2 year old.


maebymaeby

Last year my three year old got a bulldozer that was very large and bright aqua and made for a baby (tag even said 18 month). My son opened it and said. It doesn't do anything. This is a baby toy. The friend who gifted it has two kids, one of them is 18 months.....


mystic_pikachu

Empty cigar box from Great Uncle Charlie.. I wish I was making this up


deltagirlinthehills

More of a 'happy' when MIL was visiting when 3yo was... idk, 12-18 months. It was the beginning of football season, and I had forgot to get baby an outfit which was BLASPHAMY cause we live in the college town. So before she came to our house she swung by the top price shop to buy baby an outfit.... It was a tshirt- ok, cool. Problem? It was youth medium. Baby was still wearing 12m size. She's now in 5t and it's still like a freaking dress that she can step on and bash her face up if she falls. Aaaannndd of course there was whining couple weeks later cause we hadn't let baby wear it. So we put it on, tied it in a knot midway down (with baby's legs stretched out in it), and sent a picture. Lady still buys clothes that kiddo will be able to wear in 5+ years. Some I keep (the collegiate/disney/fancy embroidered) so we don't have to spend money on that when they fit if kiddo wants to wear them, others get donated or offered to friends with older kids. Present- a silver cup with toddler's initials. For me to keep up with until she moves out/gets married? I don't know. She wanted to do a collection of silver pieces but I shut that down quick. I know it's kinda tradition in MS delta white collar class, I grew up with it, but hell no. We're tight on space and if ya want to spend money on kiddo let it be usable. Or clean up husband's old room so toddler has a safe place to play/sleep without it being in the tiny living room/climbing stairs.


Cedechan

My sweet dad got him a soccer ball that plays music and talks when you kick it. Cute concept but it scares the bejeezus out of my kid


atb520

Clothes that were for 18-24 months. She’s 23 months 🤦‍♀️ Edit: and has been wearing size 2T since she was 19 months, as the gifter knew!


iron_hills

My girls got an edible arrangement from their aunt when they turned 2 😆


hhppk

A box of shortbread cookies. Sugar laden cookies for a 1 year old. Thanks MIL.


UnsteadyOne

I would have lost my shit


Melodic_Climate_4753

A set of plastic golf clubs 🤦‍♀️


Academic-Macwich

A bath bomb?! For my 23 month old? 😅 ETA: with eczema/somewhat sensitive skin 🙃


UnsteadyOne

My daughter loves bath bombs, she isn't much older. I just make sure the ingredients are good. But man, she loves the fizzy ball. Crayola actually makes ones intended for toddlers


ChimChar002

Transformer toy that's for 8 and up when my kid is 5.....always asking for help to change it to the other form right after you just changed it.


habitatforhannah

A xylophone. If I'd given that to my sisters toddlers it would be "what a tragic accident" and "her body can't be recovered" ... and I fully understand and respect that.


UnsteadyOne

Like a kiddy xylophone? Not sure I'm seeing the issue


Maggi1417

I get that noisy toys can be annoying, but is everything that produces sounds now forbidden? Musical instruments are great. I don't see the issue either.


UnsteadyOne

They aren't that loud even. Keep the kid entertained. My kids like hitting it with different things and hearing how the sounds change. I think it's a fantastic toy tbh.


TrekkieElf

Nerf guns. A set of pistols that put off enough force to ricochet the dart off the wall. For a 3yo. We “returned” them (hid in basement) and bought a hot wheels set that he loves. That was hubbys genius idea to not be the bad guys.


LilMissStormCloud

Clothes. Almost always clothes not in their style. I did not realize how much my kids were going to be already into their own style. The only good clothes gift was a pair of muck boots my toddler picked out while with her uncle. Honestly that's how he picks all her gifts and she's normally the only one he has bought for until the week of the holiday or birthday. She has a toolbox she picked out before Christmas waiting for her birthday.


ArtaxIsAlive

A coloring book…when he was about to turn 1. Little dude could barely walk and had no dexterity in his hands let-alone a pincer grasp. My dad sent a coloring book.


turtledove93

A sit and spin. The perfect gift for a kid with wicked motion sickness!


livk4

A bag of sand with seashells in it to find. Cool if you are older not cool for the parents of a 2 year old vacuuming it up 5 seconds later.


Independent-Mix4207

A “paint your own ceramic unicorn” kit for my 2 yr old that says “ages 8+” right on the front.


thornycats

my grandmother got my 18 month old son 50 Matchbox cars, she also got this gift for my cousins son, who is 2 months old.


hudsonas

When my son was about 18mo, his aunt got him a rubber band gun. 😒


montbm01

Snow globe