You could get the word out among family members and ask people to donate to a charity (maybe one especially for children during Christmas) in your child's name instead of giving gifts. Not only do you avoid filling your house with loads of plastic toys, but you also bless someone that's less fortunate! Win win!

(continued from above)
plus... maybe you've gotten (or will get) the majority of the things you and the baby need at showers or shortly after his birth. Since Christmas is getting close, your closets may already be overflowing so you don't need anything else anyway! (you need a lot less stuff that they lead you to believe anyway!)

and CONGRATULATIONS on your new baby and best wishes with labor and delivery!! how very exciting :)

It sounds like a great opportunity to start you baby's library, the 'stuff' has a limited life time, but the books will be useful for many years to come. Even though our younges daughter is 7, she delights in being able to take out her baby books to read to babies and younger children who visit. Good Luck.

We have a no-plastic / no-batteries policy for our children's toys which we made very clear to the relatives from the beginning.

Since they know I am very particular about the quality of the toys that my children play with, the grandparents tend to ask specific wants/needs for the kids instead of surprising us with something we have no idea to store.

Since natural toys with room for imaginative play tend to be pricey, our boys are never over-loaded with toys for the holidays. One or two are more than enough.

I think it is better to gently, but firmly, make wishes clear than to pretend to be grateful and excited for something you really aren't thrilled about.

We have the same policy as gabrielanddorthy above. I talk about toy safety/recalls/lead pain/China a lot more than this-is-ugly-as-sin and I won't have it my house. One of the family's chooses things from our universal amazon wishlist. One family just buys books. It works pretty well.

Gifts that are horrible/huge/loud/batteries are sold or donated.

Congratulations! We are also in a small house with limited storage space and our relatives have been fairly respectful of that (although my baby is 15 months now so I'm a little worried people might want to get him bigger stuff now).
I just remind relatives that we don't have much room and then suggest a few things that he would really like so they can pick. And books are fantastic alternatives!
That said, I would still feel like I should "pretend to be grateful" if they went another direction, because they are spending their money and ultimately there's only so much you can control that.

I htink you can try, but also be accepting when they don't comply.

We also have very limited storage space, and when the kids have outgrown a toy, then I either donate it to a charity or sell it on Ebay/Craigslist.

We, too, have a very small space, a preference for wooden toys--and a large family of overly enthusiastic gifters. We tried, very gently, to implement the books only suggestion a while ago. It did not fly. We suggested puppets (the little one is obsessed) and museum memberships, but I know we're going to be inundated with packages nonetheless. So, I'm preparing for Christmas (and a January birthday) by reminding myself that the joy of gifts comes largely from the giving, and that I should genuinely appreciate the generosity of our loved ones. If something is an absolute no for our household, I will still proffer my completely honest thanks--and pass it along to our local children's shelter or hospital.

For my son's 2nd birthday we made an Amazon wishlist which we will continue for Christmas. We liked it because we were able to recommend items that we knew our son would enjoy and we wouldn't hate. We didn't know how everyone would take it but it turned out to be very well received; people knew what was age-appropriate and could choose something within their price range. Books are great to put on here as well and you can, hopefully, avoid duplicates. Best of luck!!!

The only toys I have for my kids are wooden or fabric. We made it clear to family and friends when I had our first son a week before Christmas that we too had little room for large, cumbersome toys. Luckily everyone got the message and gave our son some nice, nonplastic toys. The good thing is, some can be pricey so your kids don't get piles of toys. My family has been good about not getting plastic toys in the three years we have had kids. We have gotten a few plastic toys here and there but we usually just brought them back to the store the day after in exchange for something else. I would say just tell them. That's what we did. And also, our family and friends were lost on what to get them because of this request so we told them just to get books, kid-friendly puzzles, educational toys, wooden blocks, etc. My sister lives in Europe and recently visited and she gave my kids their Christmas presents. She gave our boys a wooden activity cube and our infant daughter a handstitched skirt. Clothes are great too!

Congratulations on your little one!

Our parents (A.K.A The Grandparents) always want ideas, so I make a small list and hopefully they choose something from that. Because we are also blessed with limited storage, I try to have a few, "consumable" ideas on it. Things like a zoo membership or art class, or even art supplies! This is especially important for us now that we have more than one child in a small home.

This will be our son's first Christmas, and we have told our family that we are saving for life insurance. Paid-up policies are fairly inexpensive if you buy them when your child is young, and it is a life-long gift!

Our place is small, too, but this didn't really sink in until family saw how small it was. Take them on a video tour--they'll be more likely to believe you if they can see just what you mean! This is what worked with my family. As long as you're polite, hopefully they will understand. Ideas on what your kid really needs or would like are always helpful.

@KateGee - I totally agree with you. I don't think there's any harm in asking once what you would prefer but if nobody complies you must still accept all the gifts graciously.

You should check out the current post under Home Design about giving host and hostess gifts (which is of a similar topic). I think you will be amazed at some of the comments.

Congratulations Kari...enjoy Motherhood. It's delightful!

Kari here - thanks everyone for the good advice & well wishes! We're due Thursday so hopefully the little guy won't be delayed much longer.

Starting early with a no plastic/no batteries policy, beginning an Amazon wish list, and museum memberships (we're in Chicago, tons of musuems!) are all great ideas. We do have a blog, so family can see that the nursery is teeny with no closet and we don't have a finished basement yet. So maybe a gentle reminder on the blog would also be a good idea.

@trishdom, it's so funny you brought up the book shower - that's exactly what my girlfriends did and it was the best!

If you still get some gifts your not keen about, donate them. The kiddo won't miss them.

It is a bit rude to broadcast an iron-clad gift giving rule far and wide; that being said I think it's ok to give gentle suggestions to very close family. Even better, have your mom/sister/cousin be the messenger to spread the word that you guys are tight on space and don't care for plastic, would prefer gift cards, really love toys from 'X' company, etc.

Then, whatever gifts you get, be gracious, say thank you and feel free to get rid of it. You definitely can't control what other people give you and once the gift is given, it's rude to complain about it. The good news is that while your kid is under 2, you can easily cull toys and clothes that are not in line with your taste. After 3 or so, when the kid starts to understand both presents and ownership, you can't just toss that battery operated, plastic karaoke-gun-Barbie house without them noticing. That's when you have to accept that your kids will get gifts from others that they like and you don't and unless they're dangerous or in serious conflict with your most fundamental values (as opposed to your asthetics) you have to let your kids have their own stuff and their own taste (though you can certainly place limits on volume & storage, talk to them about donating, get them to pitch in to yard sales, etc.).

I completely agree with JessK. You can only exercise control upto a certain extent without being rude and over the top - A wish list is always a great idea! Memberships to museums or classes (like soccer, ballet, piano etc if you plan to put your child in it ) is an awesome idea too .... Or even asking grandparents to recycle some old toys from your childhood days if they have any!

We thankfully have a family that asks for suggestions/needs but I have found the phrase that works for us is "We prefer toys that run on imagination not batteries"