A mum has shared her shock after being given “insane” gift requirements ahead of attending a child’s fourth birthday party.
Brittany Robinson confirmed her three-year-old daughter would attend, before the parent throwing the party sent a list of rules to follow when it comes to bringing a gift.
The 37-year-old was horrified to learn that colourful presents, toys that make noises, and anything with plastic or wasteful materials were not welcome.
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“I was stunned,” Brittany, a sales executive from Southwest Florida, US, told What’s The Jam.
She documented her reaction on TikTok titled “kids bday gifts are insane!”, which garnered 2.8 million views.
In the video, she says: “Birthday parties now are really getting out of control.
“My daughter was sent an invitation and we RSVP’d, and then like three days before the party, the mother sends out a text to all of us parents.
“She was like, ‘We have a strict rhetoric that we’d like you parents to follow when picking out gifts.”
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Brittany goes on to list that the mother had asked for gifts that don’t have any colour, don’t make noises, and are ‘waste-free’.
She added: “I Googled ‘waste free’ gifts and that means nothing that comes in packaging that is plastic, and no plastic toys – nothing that has plastic that would be thrown out.
“And then it can’t be colourful and it can’t make any noise.
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“Then she said if you can’t abide by these stipulations, or whatever word she used, just give [the child] a handmade card.
“[She also said] don’t buy a card because that will produce waste.”
Brittany said she thought the list of requirements was “extreme” and asked viewers if any other parents had experienced this.
She added: “At that point I was like ‘We don’t even want to go to this party!’
“I don’t want to make a mistake and be the one that broke the rules.
“It was so much easier in the 90s.”
The mum ultimately decided against her child attending the party in fear of offending the parent with her gift choice.
TikTokkers shared their thoughts on the fiasco, with one commenting: “Demanding a specific gift rule is INSANE.”
“I would gift a book but also be very annoyed cuz this is bizarre,” another viewer wrote.
Someone else added: “I would immediately laugh and disregard all instructions because WHAT.”
One person offered a gift suggestion: “So like a rock?”
“How old is the kid?? This is bananas,” said another viewer.
Someone else added: “‘Please don’t bring my child anything that would bring them joy’.”
One person joked: “Is the mom Kourtney Kardashian?”
“Perhaps the child would enjoy a sourdough starter?” another quipped.
However, others felt the rules were appropriate.
One person said: “We have the EXACT same gift rules, we said we’d rather not receive a gift then receive a noisy colourful obnoxious toy that we will not use and donate.
“We don’t do toys that are too bright, have any sounds and we try to stick to recycled materials and such – natural toys and materials like wooden toys etc. 100% relate to them.”
Another supporter commented: “Living zero waste is a great thing to support! I think these asks are a good example of being proactive about mindful consumption and what we bring into our homes.”
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