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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Sorry if this has been covered before but how do people set boundaries regarding what gifts others give their child?  I have an infant and he keeps on getting showered with the V-Tech, Baby Einstein, battery-powered noise and light show type toys.  I don't mind having a few but in general I don't think they are healthy (like the thing that reads to the kid so you don't have to not to mention the over stimulation).  I basically set a 'no battery rule' for Xmas which my side ignored (my dad misinterpreted my aversion to fear that I wouldn't be able to figure out a toy computer.  Thanks Dad, I hold a graduate degree in computer science).  And subsequently my inlaws, who are awesome, gave us a bunch of these types of toys that were hand-me-downs.  And then I get an email from MIL warning of the danger of overstimulating toys.

Sooo...for his first bday I'm trying to head things off by creating a wish-list on Amazon.  Or just asking people to just give books.  I know it is bad ettiquite to specify but so is throwing away gifts.  Any suggestions or thoughts on the topic?  [/quote]

We always joke that the role of a grandparent is to give the noisiest gift possible.  Putting myself in my in-laws place, it would not be cool if my kids handed me an Amazon wish list.  I personally don't like when someone dictates specific gifts, that takes the joy out of it.  If they ask, then yes please direct them to genres like clothes or books or stuffed animals, Thomas the train etc.  Unless they are the type that prefers to be told exactly what to get, please don't do it.  Also please realize that gifts for the under 3 set is tough.  I've probably given my share of junk toddler gifts because most everything else is a choking hazard and for ages 3 and up.

It's funny because today I found my daughter writing a letter to her grandparents for some AG doll stuff for her birthday (many months away) that she knows I wouldn't buy.  While I realize she isn't that old, having gone thru crazy gift drama with an adult relative that was ticked I didn't get the exact model her DH emailed us (which happened to be after I already got the category of gift that was requested) I was very sensitive to the whole demanding of specific gifts thing and the potential to not handle it gracefully if the person gets you something else.

Gift boundaries are a tricky thing.  Good luck.

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