Is a wristlet a bad gift for a new mom?

December 14, 2012 6:27 AM

Is a wristlet a bad gift for a new mom?

I'd like to get my two sisters-in-law matching, fancy wristlets for Christmas. I'm fairly certain my younger sister-in-law will like it but my older sister-in-law just had a baby this week and I'm not sure if it's going to come across as totally ridiculous.

Not having had any babies myself, I've been going back and forth in my brain between:

A. She has a baby. She is going to carry around a ton of stuff and none of it fits in a wristlet. It's silly of you to think a new mom would have any use for a wristlet and you will appear thoughtless.

and

B. She has a big diaper bag to lug around, maybe a wristlet would be a nice thing to have as well so she can easily find her keys and cards quickly. She deserves something sweet and fancy and totally unrelated to the baby because all she's been getting lately is baby stuff.

So, what do you think? I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

posted by smirkyfodder to Shopping (25 answers total)

B, for it's second reason: it'll be nice to get something non-baby. Sooner or later she's going to get to go out without the baby and won't it be nice to carry the wristlet then.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:31 AM on December 14, 2012 [9 favorites]

I can say that (1) I have no idea what a wristlet is, so probably a link of some sort is good, but also (2) that your point B is a good one -- while having a new baby is overwhelming, you do appreciate being remembered as an individual yourself, so even if she doesn't start using it right away, she'll appreciate a trendy cute gift.
posted by acm at 6:31 AM on December 14, 2012 [2 favorites]

Yeah, she hasn't stopped being a person of her own the moment she became a mother, so your reasoning for B is very sound and would be how I'd interpret a gift like that!
posted by Ms. Next at 6:36 AM on December 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I vote give her the wristlet, but in the card write something acknowledging that she may be carrying a diaper bag most of the time, but she "deserves something sweet and fancy and totally unrelated to the baby because all she's been getting lately is baby stuff." Because that is thoughtful, sweet, and lovely.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:41 AM on December 14, 2012 [24 favorites]

I'd say B. definitely. During my diaper-bag-lugging years, I alternated between One Huge Colossal Bag of Everything and carrying two bags, one being a small "me" bag and the other being the diaper bag. Although I liked only having to hang onto one bag, the advantage to having two is exactly what you said, keeping cards and keys, etc, in one spot that is separate. It is a variant on Murphy's law that whatever you need most will be sucked into the absolute bottom of whatever bag you are carrying.
posted by molasses at 6:42 AM on December 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

Yes on the Wristlet, I love the ones I have!!! So easy to just grab the essential things that I need out of a bigger bag. I have a child and it's great when I don't have dig through her stuff to get to mine. For work, it is cool to just pull it out to get lunch. So many reasons it's great to have a wristlet!
posted by Yellow at 6:45 AM on December 14, 2012

I think that (B) makes sense because when I was carting a baby around, I had this little organizer thing that I could switch from my purse (if I was somewhere like work where I only needed a purse) to my diaper bag (when I was with my son) so that I wouldn't have to carry both when I was with him. Maybe because of your worry you mentioned in (A), you might mention something like that in the card so that she realizes that you did put some thought into it.
posted by trillian at 6:46 AM on December 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

B for sure. I think the wristlet is a great idea. It's not another baby thing, it's a fun little bit of fanciness, and it's super useful because she can throw it in any larger bag or carry it solo when she needs only the essentials.

I am now nostalgic for my wristlet. Why did I give it away? Those things are great.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:49 AM on December 14, 2012

If she would have liked the wristlet before the baby, she will still like it now!

I say that partially because I would have no idea what to do with a wristlet.
posted by something something at 7:00 AM on December 14, 2012

C: It's a nice gift and if she doesn't like it, she can use it to house nappy sacks in her new giant diaper bag. Win all around.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:00 AM on December 14, 2012

My mom gifted me a lovely Coach wristlet for Christmas once year and I was all JEEZ WHAT IS THIS IMPRACTICAL FANCY THING, I AM A GROSS UTILITARIAN BIKE GIRL WHO CARRIES A MESSENGER BAG EVERYWHERE

Flash forward several years: that wristlet holds my tiny essentials (wallet lipstick pepper spray etc) inside my cavernous messenger bag, making it easy to fish out. I can't imagine life without it.
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:02 AM on December 14, 2012 [6 favorites]

I would have killed for one after Boy theBRKP was born, for the exact reasons you described in point B. Go for it.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 7:15 AM on December 14, 2012

B - I do not have children but I do cart around a large work bag or two at all times and having a small bag that contains your essentials that you can find easily in the big bag and grab on its own to go to lunch or whatever is brilliant. Even better if it can double as something you can use to go out as even a new mom will get to leave the house without baby at some point (hopefully!).
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:43 AM on December 14, 2012

I love wristlets. I only wear mine when I'm going out, which is rarer now that I have kids, but that much more precious and appreciated. Go for it.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:45 AM on December 14, 2012

A wristlet is an AWESOME gift for a new mom, says this mom-who-was-new-until-recently.
posted by somanyamys at 8:21 AM on December 14, 2012

it's perfect for a new mom! believe me, with all the baby crap she has to carry, having a small tiny cute wristlet will be perfect for her stuff.
posted by katypickle at 8:27 AM on December 14, 2012

Do it! It's a sweet gift.
posted by amanda at 8:34 AM on December 14, 2012

I loved having teensy purses for MY stuff that didn't hinder carrying a bag of kid crap around.

Also, I got so many "mommy" gifts for Christmas the year I had a November baby that there are still people I'd like to punch in the face years later.
posted by padraigin at 8:46 AM on December 14, 2012 [3 favorites]

I love my wristlet. I had one before, then my sister in law found someone who worked at Coach and my mother in law bought the three of us matching wristlets. I got my bestie one for Christmas. Love love love. Great gift idea!
posted by kat518 at 8:53 AM on December 14, 2012

Depending on the size, a wristlet is essentially a wallet replacement, so it's not a ridiculous gift at all. Unless you're talking about a sequined, delicate wristlet that isn't meant for everyday use.

For either sister-in-law, make sure you're getting a reasonable size. Some of the smaller wristlets won't comfortably fit phone + lip balm.
posted by acidic at 9:19 AM on December 14, 2012

I had never even heard of a wristlet until last night, when a friend of mine who has twins under the age of 2 started talking about how much she loves hers for everyday use when she's out running errands with the kids. I think that puts me in the "do it" camp along with everyone else in this thread.
posted by vytae at 9:22 AM on December 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have a leather coach wristlet (the larger size that has space for cards, cash, lipstick, cell phone and a zippered coin pouch. It is AMAZING because it fits into the front pocket of the diaper bag but when I am going out without the kid I can just take my wristlet without any effort. When I bought it before I was pregnant I had no idea that it would become my everyday go-to bag.

What makes it work though is that its not just a small zippered sack on a string like some wristlets are. Its more like a long wallet on a strap. I also love that its leather which makes for easy cleaning.
posted by saradarlin at 10:38 AM on December 14, 2012

I say for sure. It's nice to have a smaller bag with essentials to throw into the diaper bag. And that can be used when you're not with the baby. My sister gave me a nice Coach wristlet when my boys were babies, and I still use it and love it. (They're five now.)
posted by pyjammy at 12:13 PM on December 14, 2012

I would have LOVED a wristlet when kiddo was little - even though we were able to pack pretty small it would have been great to have keys/cards right there (when I wasn't wearing something with pockets). They can go into bigger bags as well. But it would have been particularly awesome for public transporting as well.

I'm so making myself one now actually.
posted by geek anachronism at 2:42 PM on December 14, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks everybody! That was super helpful. AskMeFi is the best.
posted by smirkyfodder at 5:06 PM on December 14, 2012