How much would you buy/spend on a 2.5-3yr old?

[Xmaself]

Just curious.

I think I am a bit mean...

[itsstillgood]

£25-£30 on a main present £10 ish on a stocking.

[picnicbasketcase]

£5 - £10

[olibeansmummy]

Erm significantly more than above

[SheppySheepdog]

Just over 100 plus stocking

Just hugely overexcited that this will be the first year he will really understand about Christmas and I want to make it special. If its any consolation I spent £10 on him for his first Christmas.

[CheddarandMarmite]

When DD was 3, I spent about 25 euros on her main present, about 25 euros on her stocking, plus I bought her an advent calendar, a nativity set and children's book about the Christmas story at the beginning of advent (so probably another 25 euros there).

[greensnail]

Last year my just turned 3 year old got a £20 electric keyboard and a scooter which was 99p on ebay. With odds and ends and stocking bits probably came to £40 ish.

Will spend similar on 2.5 year old this year I would imagine.

[DuttonsForButtons]

Last year when DD wa nearly 3 we bought a wooden play kitchen, it was £150 down to £110. She then had about another £20 in stocking but that was all stuff I was going to have to buy anyway, new PJs, socks, slippers etc.
It was a lot to spend on the kitchen but its been played with everyday since and friends who have 6 yr old girls still have theirs so I hope to get 3-4years play out of that £110, plus my younger one then playing with it so maybe 6 years play out of it makes it decent value I think.
This year we saw an Innotab reduced to £35 and bought that in the summer and put it away. Will probably spend another £20 on vests and knickers for her stocking too, but again its stuff she needs that I'd have to buy anyway so its not a waste.

[lljkk]

Nothing if I thought I could get away with it.
£20-£30 on main pressie + some stocking bits, if older siblings were around to notice.

[picnicbasketcase]

My reply referred to what I'd spend on a child that age who wasn't mine, by the way. Eg a cousin or niece or nephew etc. If it were one of my own children, quite a lot more. That probably sounds awful.

[RugBugs]

Somewhere around the £50 mark so far but we tend to pick up a book every few weeks to go away too. We'll be wrapping up clothes we've already bought as well.

[Xmaself]

Interesting range of answers!

So far I have spent about £15 on the following, and had a few bits stashed away.

A few toys from the pound shop (Pull back car/table tennis set/doctors set)
A pair of slippers
A big bundle of craft stuff - loads of off cuts and shapes from some crafty person doing a clearout on ebay, plus some glue and coloured card. Dd loves collaging and drawing.
A bundle of books I've collected throughout the year when I've seen them on sale.

I will probably get her a stocking as well. I have some fillers in the cupboard,

wobbly spectacle straw
Coloured chalks
Pretty notepad
Playdoh
Bubbles

will include gold coins and various sweeties.

To me this is adequate. DH thinks we should get more. She is nearly 3 and her favourite things to play with are usually bubbles and a cardboard box! She will also get a few gifts from extended family. We are trying to save money this year but to be honest last year when our financial circs were different we still spent about 15 quid. Her birthday is shortly after Christmas as well so she will be getting a few big presents then.

[birdofthenorth]

I have spent about £20 so far (quite similar list to yours) but will probably spend a further £50 - £70 in total. She is very vocal that her cuddly Peppa Pig mid lonely and wants Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and George too!!! She is also obsessed with tractors and lions so I want to get her toy versions, as well as a couple of books and some lego or playmobil. DH is painting an old box for her to have as a dressing up box so I tour charity shops for funny hats etc and maybe buy one proper dressing up outfit (that could be where the lion comes in come to think of it!).

[MySecretSelf]

When DS was 2.5 we bought him a wooden kitchen that was around £120 plus some books/games/trains for train set etc plus a stocking. I spend a lot less on birthdays and don't really buy anything apart from books through the year.

I don't think it really matters what other people spend as long as you're happy with what you are doing. There are loads of different factors influencing spend (apart from obvious affordability) - how much you spend on birthdays, whether things like bikes are bought separately, if grandparents by 'big' presents, if you buy little things during the year. A RL acquaintance is quite competitive about how little she spends and is appalled by how much some people spend, but she forgets that her DD's have bikes, scooters, expensive garden play equipment bought outside of Christmas and birthdays and that the grandparents buy big presents like expensive dolls' houses etc. Her children really don't have any less toys etc than people we know who are big spenders - it's just that she doesn't buy it.

[Xmaself]

We do buy DD presents throughout the year and plan on getting her a play kitchen for her 3rd birthday. To be honest that is all we plan on getting her.

We tend to get big presents for birthdays and little ones for Christmas.

[jester68]

My youngest will be 2 years and 6 months at Christmas.

Have already Finished buying for her and her older sister. Has come in at just under £90

This includes:
Wooden number/letter blocks
Post box shape sorter
Wooden numbers puzzle
Rocking caterpillar
Chad valley toddler CD player
Keyboard
Tonka fire station and engine
Tonka 5 pack vehicles
Walking/snorting pig
Peppa pig art set
2 Peppa pig DVDs
Octopals bath toy
Baby Jake DVD

We only buy toys for Birthdays and Christmas

[OpheliaBumps]

We have bought dd a doll's house for £50, ds (her twin brother) will get some playmobil at a similar price. We'll do stockings and a few small gifts, which is made easier because my inlaws are abroad, so send money. i've got them each a camera from PILs which were on offer at about £26, will get a similar cost gift from BIL.

I've bought a few christmas books to do advent books (wrap 24 books and they take turns to choose one to open each night), but these will be reused every year.

I do think i always go too mad, but i do make sure they appreciate what they have.

[bacon]

No more than £60. I still dont think at 3 they understand and are delighted whatever they have.

Last year I bought a second hand elc happyland trainset, bought a few extras was delighted, it cost around £50 and he loved it.

I think young children can get overwheelmed and freak out if they have too much I would rather keep to my rule of 6 presents. I concentrate on buying what I know he'll play with rather not buy tat.

We tend to concentrate on buying at christmas and birthdays.

[Needingsomeadvice]

I have DS 5.10 and DD who will be 3 a few weeks before. So to answer the question, she is getting an innotab2 for £60, and about £40-50 in other gifts bought over the last few months. None of it bought for the sake of it, all carefully chosen and will mostly have to last her the year.

[Mousefunk]

I'm an awful budgeter and have no idea how much i've actually spent but would estimate about £250, however that is for my 2.8 yr old AND my 17 month old because they are into the same sort of toys and books and share everything.

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

I spend around 400 each on my two, (DS5 and DD4) although will be three of them this xmas and cant really find that much for the baby (he will be 6 months by xmas)

But I dont tend to by things for the sake of it through the year, only Xmas, birthdays, and easter (i spend a few quid at easter for summer toys and a couple of outfits as their birthdays are winter.) I buy toys to last until next year, and a load of clothes/shoes too.

Actually, the stockings arent included in that, or the Xmas eve hamper... go a wee bit nuts there... but i bloody love it so i dont care :)

Spend/dont spend whatever you feel comfortable with op, Im sure your LO will have a fabulous christmas :)

[TheonlyWayisGerard]

Less than £100 altogether. I bought a couple of bits off eBay. I don't pay too much attention to the total cost, I buy what I think DD will like/play with. She is 2.3yo.

[Doitnicelyplease]

Probably more than 50 but less than 100

One main toy (Happyland, dollhouse, train set, small play kitchen etc)
A game like Orchard toys type or a nice book
Something crafty like a playdoh set
A nice outfit

That would be plenty, assuming she will get a small stocking with silly/fun/treaty things in and some other gifts from relatives?

I think your list is great, but I might be nice to buy one proper biggish toy, DD got the Happyland Fairyland Cottage at that age.

[BeaWheesht]

I've probably spent about£100 or so on dd but she had mostly hand me downs for her birthday.

She is getting

Mt tumble talking doll
Mr tumble wooden puzzle
Baby annabell
Woolly the spider (woolly and tig)
Playmobil 123 zoo
Dora megablocks
Rastamouse figures
Books
Stocking stuff