New grandchild presents from my friends

Sorry, I should of course have said on behalf of your son and daughter in law.

I would do whart DoraMarr has suggested and thank them on your daughter's behalf.

I also think it is rather nice of people to send gifts, even when they don't know the parents personally.

How right you are Dawn22
We are all very lucky.

I was in a similar position, and did as doraMarr suggests, with a picture.

As they’re your friends I think you can take it upon yourself to take a picture of the baby with the gift and send it to the giver with a little handwritten note from yourself. Try not to turn people’s kindness into a problem during this happy time.

Hi Mamo
Leaving your small dilemma aside l think you have an embarrassment of riches so concentrate on those lucky fall of the cards and disregard the rest.
Dawn.

My grandchildren have been given gifts by a couple of very close friends, but they have both known my children very well. Whether or not any Thankyou notes have been written, I’m afraid I can’t say!

When my third child was born, a woman who worked for us, was always giving me little things she’d bought. I always wrote a little note, thanking her, then she’d send me back a little note, thanking me for my little note.

As she managed to find a bib, or pair of socks or something most weeks, it all became quite time consuming.

Unlike Paddyann I don’t find people give presents to new babies like they did years ago. When I had my children, acquaintances would put a silver coin in their hands, ‘for luck’ when they first met them, that certainly doesn’t seem to happen nowadays. As for clothes and things, only close family would do that in my experience. I wouldn’t give gifts to friends grandchildren, and never expected them to give mine.

I think what you and others are saying about the volume of gifts people receive now, from people who in previous years would never dreamed of giving something (mostly so do with the relative cheapness of things like baby clothes these days, is why thank you letter writing is dying out.

Grans now would perhaps have had to have written between 5 and maybe 20 letters if you were very lucky, but today it could be closer to 100. A task which becomes gargantuan when you are sore and tired and constantly busy with a new born and maybe older siblings.

You are not alone Mamo, many of us have this problem, and some, paddyann definitely do still expect a formal thank-you. I know this because even though one of my grandchildren had been in intensive care I had one (older) friend who wondered “if she received the gift” as she “hadn’t heard from her”!

I can’t begin to tell you about the hideous clothes given to me on the birth of my babies. It was always thus!

Congratulations to all. Yes, you do the thanks in whatever way works for you (we aren't Facebook users so it would be a note from us) mamo, tell the young family what you've done as you know the people and they don't. As for the items, well, they can keep any they want and give the rest to charity. Should they have any more children then forewarned and all that you could let it be know that they have said they have enough of everything already. People are kind so its good to thank them in the spirit of their gift, the eventual home for their gifts isn't your responsibility so please don't worry about it.

Mamo

Well if you think that the handwritten notes aren’t going to happen, do as paddyann suggests, and put a big general Thankyou on Facebook

Where I live everyone gives presents to new babies,and I mean everyone.Our new arrival has giftes from my neighbours from friends I haven't seen in years ,from family all over the world .Thankfully most folk dont buy first size anymore so this wee girl wont need clothes for quite a long time ..or babywalkers or swings etc etc etc.Be grateful that the people you know are so thoughtful and either send the note above or if they are on FB get your DIL to put a general thank you on there for everyone .No one I know would expect individual cards now from a new mum and dad .Congratulations on the baby

Sara65, I agree they should accept graciously and thank them themselves, somehow I doubt they will though

Doramarr, I like the way you word your suggested note, that’s a good idea. Thank you

I very much admire your son and daughter in laws approach to life, the example they are showing their children is very commendable, but I think they should accept that the gifts are given out of kindness, and send a note, or card to say Thankyou.

It’s not really about that gift which can easily be given to a charity shop, it’s about the kind thought behind it.

I would send a brief thank you note myself, on the lines of “S and DIL have asked me to thank you for your gift. As you can imagine, they are quite busy with the new baby and their toddler, so I know you won’t mind if their thanks comes via me!”
We were deluged with knitted garments, often in very scratchy wool or rather lurid colours, when our children were born. We did a Polaroid photo shoot with each garment and sent them in a thank- you card to each knitter, then sent the clothes we didn’t like to the charity shop. Poor babies had to be dressed and undressed up to a dozen times, but I think we managed to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.

Well I think that you have to give them with the good grace that they were intended. It's up to the parents whether they send any acknowledgement.