'My MIL named my baby before I got the chance to'

"And it's definitely not the name I want."

Another overbearing mother-in-law is at it again; this time, she's named her grand-baby before the parents can. You read that correctly; she even bought a blanket with the name already monogrammed on it. 

A short clip of the woman's story was shared by Baby Boo's Designs on Instagram. Some viewers suspected it might have been a publicity stunt for the store, but hundreds of others were quick to share their own MIL stories - and so the comment section is WILD. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

RELATED: My ‘beige’ sister told me her baby name: I laughed

"She calls herself 'mama' in front of the baby"

Many viewers happily tried to out-do each other with their possessive MIL tales.

"This happened with our first baby, " wrote one.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

"We don't share babies' names until after they are born, but we do share the initials. She made assumptions about what our firstborn's name was and told people. At the shower her friends threw for me, I received several embroidered bibs and cards for 'baby Cameron'. Our son's name is Cabin."

Another daughter-in-law shared the name her MIL wanted to be called as a grandmother: "She calls herself 'mama' to my twin boys. I can’t even!"

Then there was this sad story: "MIL also posted my FIRST pregnancy on her social media before I did without asking if it was okay. I later had a miscarriage. So it hurt extra because I never got to post my pregnancy... But instead, I posted about two miscarriages that year. We are now 31 weeks pregnant and feel so blessed."

MIL names her grandson before the parents do! Source: Instagram

RELATED: 'Unhinged' MIL throws a baby shower for herself as a grandma

"Not weird at all"

The stories kept coming.

"It seems to be that 'suggestion' often becomes expectation - not weird at all!  Mine asked me to name both of my kids as the names she wished she could have named her kids... she nearly begged us for the second one," another viewer said.

Others warned the mum in the clip to be wary, with one writing, "If a MIL sees her son (your husband) as a 'do-over', run. Run far away and don’t return!"

Another added, "MIL had her chance to name and raise her own kids. She needs to give you the same respect. Boundaries may need to be established, especially if she’s this controlling before your baby is even born." 

And we loved this suggestion: "Give her a blanket that says 'boundaries' and say well, I thought we just were giving gifts embroidered with things we wanted!"

This article was written in January 2024 and updated in August 2024. 

Originally published as 'My MIL named my baby before I got the chance to'