Be honest—baby showers, birthdays, and kid-related gift-giving have turned us into a society drowning in stuff. Cute, tiny, utterly adorable stuff—but mostly unnecessary clutter that piles up, drains wallets, and forces parents to frantically Google, “how to return a gift without offending anyone?”

Meanwhile, the things that actually help babies, toddlers, and their utterly exhausted parents—college savings, practical supplies, or (gasp!) just straight-up cash—are somehow considered tacky. But why? Why is it perfectly acceptable to gift a monogrammed cashmere newborn onesie (that will last a whole three weeks) but weird to contribute to a college fund?