This is an April Fools joke in May, right?
In case you didn’t hear the news rapper Lil Kim — or someone in her camp — thought it was a good idea to reach out to fans for baby gifts. Oh yeah, they are quite serious even going as far to create an invitation-like request that lists all five of her baby registries. Stores include Babies R’ Us, Buy Buy Baby, Bel Bambini, Petit Tresor, and Tiffany & Co. to seal the deal.
Where do we even begin with how crazy and tasteless this is?
Now obviously we don’t know her intentions or why she is reaching out to fans for gifts. Maybe she will donate them to others who are less fortunate, though I can’t think of any child in need of charity who could benefit from a $500 baby cup (oh yeah, it’s on one of her registries). It comes off as though Kim is in need of some major assistance with purchasing items for her little bundle of joy. Yes, stars are certainly entitled to having a baby registry – or five – but I am really scratching my head at the last celebrity that encouraged fans to buy them something.
This leads back to the whole issue of etiquette. What’s acceptable and what is a big no-no?
First things first — you shouldn’t really ask anyone to buy you something. Yes, you will more than likely be “showered” with gifts but putting your registry on blast like this can come off extremely desperate and tacky. If someone you knew did that, what would be your first reaction? More than likely not something good.
Second you probably shouldn’t have a “royal baby shower” if you are that hard up for gifts. From the looks of things celebrity wedding planner David Tutera (My Fair Wedding) is the one who hosted the mega celebration for his upcoming show on WE, CELEBrations which more than likely means she did not have to come out of pocket for anything. So again, why are you asking us for gifts?
Even if Lil Kim missed these cues, there is a cardinal gift etiquette rule a person should not break: do not ask someone to give you a gift when they aren’t invited to the event. This goes for weddings as well as baby showers. Granted the Queen Bee would have more people than she’d like in attendance, but how are you going to post up the save the date on your social media (should be for the eyes of people invited only), not invite us and then throw in we can purchase a gift? Have several seats please.
I just had my first child four months ago and get how exciting it can be to prep and celebrate your growing family. I too spent hours skipping down the aisles of Babies R’ Us with the registry gun scanning items my husband and I would need (we only had one registry). But you don’t want to turn someone off from buying the things you want. While Lil Kim can probably skirt these “rules” because she is a celebrity, please don’t follow in her footsteps.
Here are a few more pointers when it comes to gift etiquette.
–Leave super expensive items off your registry. Unless you run in a circle where money is no object, please remember that the average person has bills to pay. It’s a wee inconsiderate to put items on your baby registry that are equivalent to car notes and even rent or mortgage payments.
–Realize you need to come out of pocket too. Many of us will be blessed with gifts that will take the ease off our wallets, but we still need to pay for our own baby needs. Try and pick up the major items like a crib.
–Don’t send reminders about your registry. Even if the days are winding down without tons of people making purchases, you will be OK. You don’t need to remind others about how they need to pay for items. Tons of people in fact will wait until the very last minute — even the day of a baby shower — to buy gifts. You might also get cash you can use to purchase items.
What are your thoughts on gift etiquette?
