Baby showers are a time to celebrate the little one on the way and give special (and needed!) gifts to the mom-to-be. So imagine you were invited to one. And that means you gotta find a gift. The reality is that expectant parents already have so much on their plate, so you want to get them a gift that’s going to be actually useful. A quick Google search shows thousands of baby shower gift ideas, from cute little toys to useful gadgets, the options are endless.
So picking up a present shouldn’t be much of a challenge. But many moms out there who received pretty questionable stuff from their baby shower guests claim this is not exactly the case. “What is the worst baby shower gift you received?” asked one Redditor on the Baby Bumps subreddit. The question seems to have hit close to home for many moms out there as they shared the weirdest and most inappropriate stuff they got to unpackage during their baby showers.
#1
I got a kids size 10 shirt… like, one that a big kid could wear. We were really confused but said thank you and moved onto the next gift… the friend pulled me aside and apologized because he didn’t know anything about babies. We had a laugh about it and it’s still in my (almost) 4 year old’s closet. We have him put it on around his birthday every year and send a picture of him to our friend who gifted it to us. It’s tradition now lol
Image source: Gwenerfresh, Cristofer Maximilian
#2
I was super excited to find a turquoise pottery barn crib on craigslist for $75!! Made a fb post and everything.
Well for my shower my BiL and SiL decided to buy me a crib! Not so bad, but when I opened it she goes “this is so that you don’t have to use that street crib, cuz let’s be honest, it’s a street crib”. In front of everyone!! I grew up on second hand items and it was such a slap in the face, I wanted to just cry
Image source: roxictoxy
#3
A cross…for my Jewish child. Yes, they knew.
Image source: Crumb_Princess, Sophia Sideri
#4
A giant bag of sexist girl clothes from Target from my MIL, after we specifically had a discussion about how much we hate sexist baby clothes and will never put our daughter in anything like that. We tried to return them but they were so deeply discounted Target couldn’t even take them back. They all went straight to Goodwill.
Image source: SummitTheDog303, Kelly
#5
My MIL gave me this beautiful “sleeping bag” that was handmade and my SO used it when he was a baby so it actually ment a lot to me cause we dont really have the best relationship. The day after my baby shower she told me she wanted it back and I can borrow it from her if I wanted to use it. felt very awkward about it because I told everyone of this lovely present…
Image source: Greedy-Dot6333, Jim Champion
#6
First baby… A card from my sister in law, pretty much saying I’m not ready to be a parent and that she hopes i “don’t damage the child.” It came with the “What To Expect,” book series for birth through age 5. Lol. Also… She spent the entire party ragging on me to everybody. I had met her once prior to this. She was excused
Image source: OkStop248, cottonbro
#7
MIL had a shower with all her friends and gave me the presents afterwards. I wasnt even invited
#8
My husbands family thought it would be funny to give me a box of condoms, this was a shower for our second son. I was NOT pleased as a 38week pregnant woman. 1 because sex was the last thing on my list, and 2 how tacky and rude can you be. Oddly enough nobody fessed up to who brought the gift when I asked? I know my face indicated I would be murdering whoever it was.
Image source: madommouselfefe, robertelyov
#9
A gift set of baby medicine that all expired before she was born
Image source: TexanButNotAFundie, photograph by Zoologist diz
#10
Fisher Price Rockn’Play bassinett…we got lucky but the headlines were so true. After I told the gift giver about the near deadly encounter with our newborn, she became annoyed that we returned it through the recall claim. We’re no longer friends.
Image source: FerrahBach, Heidi
#11
My mother in law got us an ugly bookshelf after asking us if we had one and after we told her we did (and had it all set up in our small nursery). She also got us a wipe warmer after she knew that we were against using one (don’t need babe getting used to warm wipes when we are on the go so frequently). She then made a loud comment about how this other babe in the fam is probably much more protected from Covid because of all the breastfeeding (and I’m vaxed AND freshly boosted). She knows we’re not breastfeeding and just took it as a chance to give a jab. I made up for it though – after opening all of the gifts at the shower I proudly announced and thanked my mom for giving us the best gift of all – several weeks of sleep (via a night nurse). Everything she does is deliberate – but two can play the game.
Image source: FaveStarsGrateBard, InnocentBystander
#12
I got birth control pills…
Image source: Left-Pineapple-3656, Hlaw0917
#13
So when my son was born, my brother in law gave me a card. When I read the card, he wrote that he bought 2 football game tickets. One for him and one for my husband…… And he got me, the one who had a baby in her belly for roughly 10 months absolutely nothing.
Image source: MotorVirtual, Pixel-Sepp
#14
My own mother gave me a notebook for my baby shower that was supposed to be filled with supportive messages from people who attended. Except that her own message was so scathing and pretty much just repeated in different ways how much I was going to struggle as a mother. I got good mileage out of passing it around and laughing at it with my husband’s family, who are well aware of how insane my parents are
Image source: AmiableOstrich, Liza Summer
#15
A onesie that said “they did not stay 6 feet apart”
Image source: oddreyshae, Heather Heithus
#16
My sister got me a random basket from target that says “Baby” on it with a target grocery bag with random baby goods like wipes and such ._. Not wrapped or anything. The gift itself wasn’t so bad but then my mom went on a 15 minute speech about how beautiful her gift is and how wonderful my sister was to take the time to make me a beautiful basket despite her busy schedule.
They came to the baby shower for a full 10 minutes, complained about the party, my sister only talked about herself and her pregnancies and how much she had it worse than me.. asked how much I weighed and tried to compare. then left. I was glad they left before other people showed up.
Image source: jaeunlee17, world.openbeautyfacts.org
#17
A box of uncooked pasta and girl stuff ….FYI I don’t know if its a boy or girl and made that clear to everyone that the gender is a surprise…..and the pasta i can’t even explain
Image source: OkToots, maxpixel
#18
A “my first 5 years” memory book, with a kids name already in it and the “when we found out we were expecting” says Thanksgiving 2013
Image source: purpleorchid729, Amazon Customer
#19
Not me but my SIL received a “time out chair” from a relative when she had her first. It was a children’s rocking chair with a clock imbedded in it and lots of s**tty sayings on it like “you have to think about what you did” and creepy stuff like that. Also it was clearly for an older child and not a newborn. We all had a good laugh about it after then donated it.
Image source: beccajo22, Wmpearl
#20
A dirty teddy bear that smelled like cigarettes. When we called for the story, thinking maybe it was a childhood toy that had been saved, he said “ohh no, I just found that at the thrift store”
Image source: riastiltskin
#21
Used and open items. came from my SIL’s brother in law and his wife. I am all for hand-me-downs, but like..open containers of baby power and butt cream that are half used, as their present…lmao. Oh, and it was all packed in a dirty, used diaper backpack.
#22
My friend’s BIL got them a giant abstract painting meant to personify the terror of a nightmare for their nursery….it was literally the scariest thing I’ve ever seen and he was not at all kidding. He really didn’t get why it freaked them out…
Image source: maggiep122
#23
A onesie that says “every dog needs a baby” and I have two cats. Zero dogs.
Image source: sjrj1717, Stephanie Anderson
#24
I have a pretty “crunchy” friend who marked a bunch of stuff as purchased on my registry and then gifted “natural” versions of the items…I have to think it was just her being thoughtful (as in, she was thinking she got the “better” version of the thing I registered for) but a lot of the stuff she got is just packed with essential oils. I also put a good amount of research into the items I wanted so it was just kind of annoying and I don’t really believe in herbal tinctures or organic always being better. I just want diaper cream and soaps/lotions/nipple cream that works! Oh and a lot of it wasn’t returnable.
Image source: schmydd
#25
My best friend got me a 50 cent machine ducky and five dollars. I wasn’t upset until she asked for the $5 back for gas money.
Image source: anon
#26
A dog toy that I’m fairly certain had been used (no tags, and there was a stain).
#27
A homemade blanket with a sewing needle stuck inside it that we discovered when baby was a few months old.
Image source: thenopealope, Dmeranda
#28
An absolutely hideous baby onesie dress in black, bedazzled with the words “My First Little Black Dress” in pink.
I think I threw it in the garbage instead of donating it.
Image source: piefelicia4
#29
A thing to hang on the wall of the baby’s room that was covered in ribbon strung with loose beads. Nothing was knotted or secured in any way. Several beads fell off as I lifted it out of the box. So… they gave me a choking hazard for my baby
Image source: booksandcheesedip
#30
MULTIPLE pillows for the tooth fairy. Like, what?? And they were shaped like teeth or had a pocket shaped like a tooth, no denying that they were designed as tooth fairy pillows.
Not offensive, just hilarious.
Image source: goldenpixels
#31
Those puff snacks that expired before the baby was going to be old enough to eat them.
Image source: PeterCarpet
#32
a box of smoke infused dirty books
we seriously left them in the garage they reeked of smoke so much.
Image source: amerikanishma
#33
My grandma got me a can of beans and canned enchilada sauce… pretty sure they were from her pantry and they were like 10 years old.
Image source: turtchel
#34
Got a onesie from someone that said “best younger sister” when I’m a FTM with only one baby. I gave the onesie away.
Image source: Gloomy_Cow_3643
#35
A pink Sonicare electric toothbrush, for my newborn son.
Image source: renchcoatweasel, Regina
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