Inside Motherhood

The Grandparents’ Gift Guide

by Sherry on May 18th, 2008

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Over at the Parent Bloggers Network, they asked whether the grandparents in your life need a little guide to purchasing gifts. I try very hard to think of the sentiment behind a gift and not the gift itself, but I have to admit that sometimes I seethe inside or wonder just WHAT someone was thinking when they give a gift to my kids on birthdays or special occasions. That’s when they could maybe use the Grandkids Gift Guide.

However, in the meantime, from my own experiences, here is my own Gift Guide for Grandparents:

1. If you’re going to buy clothing, please go with the sizing I have provided. Even if you happen to think the size is too big or too small for the grandchild in question, please understand I dress my children every day. I know what fits. If I request size 2T footed pajamas and you buy 18 months, you lose the right to be shocked when they are outgrown only a couple of months after the purchase. In other words, I TOLD YOU SO.

2. Ask about what they’re interested in. While you might think that Polly Pocket set is absolutely adorable, if we don’t have any Polly Pocket accessories, it may end up being a very boring gift. If my daughter only has that one lone Polly Pocket doll, how is she going to play with it? But if you had asked, you might have known that she loves the Barbie Mariposa dolls and could have gotten something to go with what she already has.

3. Interests are good but make sure they’re age-appropriate. Despite #2, you can’t just go with interest alone. It has to fit the age of the child. Yes, my little one loves tea parties like nobody’s business and yes, she loves Dora. But buying a breakable, ceramic Dora tea set for a two-year-old is a little ridiculous, don’t you think? And yes, the five-year-old loves games and is very smart, but buying her a trivia game meant for ten-year-olds? It’s just discouraging. Please pay attention to the age guidelines on the boxes.

4. Have consideration for the parents. If you hate toys that flash lights and make more noise than a steamroller, for the love of god, don’t buy those exact same toys for our household. Do you think that just because I’m a generation younger than you are that means I just LOVE noisy blinking toys? No. No I do not and all those toys either end up “mysteriously” disappearing or use “strange batteries that I can’t buy in stores, sorry, can’t replace them”.

5. Let the kids have some imagination. I don’t mind toys that do a little something (as long as it’s not eardrum blasting noise levels, see #4). We have a kitchen that makes boiling and frying sounds. But not every toy has to make sound or do something. It’s okay to have toys that don’t do anything at all and require a little imagination to play with. It’s good for them. How old ARE you? Don’t you remember toys from your youth? Yours didn’t make noise, lay off a little and let my kids use their brains too.

6. ASK. If you just ask us, or even them, you’ll get some pretty good ideas.

7. One more clothing-as-gift clue - do not buy clothes with offensive writing on them. You will never see your grandchildren wearing the t-shirt you bought that says “Spoiled Princess”. They won’t be wearing any pants with suggestive terms on the ass. The underwear with sexy-pose Bratz on them? They went directly into the garbage without passing Go or collecting $200. Don’t waste your money.

Do you have any gift giving tips to add?
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