To think no one does this - Christmas toys related

When my dds were kids I would always make sure I had plenty of batteries as no-one thought to check. We have 4 ddgks & before I wrap their presents I always check if/what batteries are needed & sellotape them to the boxes.

There's absolutely no way i believe she played the video games and went through each level incase her children needed help. How old is your MIL? My experience of video games at xmas was in the 90's and you didn't finish a video game in an hour for example. It took days of playing it for hours and hours until you 'clocked it'. I just find this bit hard to believe.
the batteries and the unboxing i can believe

Not to be pedantic, but Mario was a Nintendo game, not
sega ….

Even when kids are younger you have more time as a sahm. I work 3 days, Mon and Fri I'm at home with my pre school aged child. I have a lot more time than someone who works 5 days a week. I can cook, clean, shop, do laundry and spend time with my child during those 2 days, I can attend appointments, go to the post office, do a bit of online shopping. That leaves evenings and weekends free . Mums who work ft have to cram all that stuff into the weekend and evening. If you have a baby under 6 months fair enough you have no time. Otherwise you have time.

My own daughter is too young for us to have had to assemble her Christmas presents beforehand, but we never had stuff ready before the day as kids (except bikes probably). I do remember not having batteries for toys on Christmas Day but, for me, part of the fun of Christmas is unboxing everything myself and figuring out how they work. The anticipation makes it better, and I actually think that’s probably more important for kids now as they can access everything a lot easier/quicker than we could, so it will be easier for them to take more for granted.

I was just thinking this - unless OP has a nanny/housekeeper/cleaner, she and her partner have to do all the things another couple with one SAHP does in the average week, except they've got fewer hours to do it in. It's not a dig, just a fact.

We don't buy much new (therefore avoiding the boxing/reboxing) issue but my DD is getting a yoto this year and I was going to make sure it was fully charged and set up on the WiFi etc before she opens it.

Also one year DS asked for a scaletrix, which we set up under the tree ready so he could just run in and crack on. The FC gifts here are rarely wrapped or boxed, they're set up ready to play. We're not at gaming level yet, but I think that would depend on how games arrive these days. I remember the satisfaction of opening the plastic on the box (is that cancelled now?!), so if that's still a thing the box would be untouched. If they're all digital downloads or something then yeah I'd probably make sure it was loaded up ready. Not gonna be playing a game to know how to help though, surely that's how they learn?? Reminds me of a thread recently about parents being unwilling to let their kids win at mario kart 😂 I suffered to get these skills, you must earn your wins!

Won't be reading Lego instructions either (see thoughts on pre playing games) but surely if someone wants to that's fine, and if they don't then also fine. You do you really 🤷 doesn't make anyone a better/worse parent.

Love all the SAHM taking offence to the idea that they have more time to do stuff at home than others.

My dad did this with a ZX Spectrum for Christmas in the early 80s. When the rest of us were out of the house over the weekend he'd get it out of the hiding place and have a go on it. After that Christmas Day though he had to take his turn with me and my brother, tough to take after being able to hog it for a few weeks. 😂

Hell no don’t do that. Not everything has to be immediate. A little practice of patience and the joy of anticipation is a great thing.

I always say “we don’t worry too much about presents, for us Christmas is all about quality family time and good food” which is true. There are always arseholes who make snide remarks about Xmas present effort as if it’s a direct measure of how good a parent you are. Utter rubbish.

I did used to put things together but abandoned that after being up most of Christmas eve putting together a wooden castle, a weekend farmyard and a wooden dolls house. I was asleep for about an hour before they all woke up.

I think though that 20/30 years ago things were more likely to have faults and shops had much more limited return times, so it made sense to do that more ten than now.

I can remember getting something for Christmas that never worked and the shop refusing to return it because it had been bought in November so was over the return date.
Now most shops do extended return for Christmas presents, but not back then.

Are you planning on continuing to be a SAHM once your youngest gets their free nursery hours though? It’s literally dreamy. I work part time but on my 2 days off a week it’s so easy. I do a bit of housework in the morning the sit in front of the telly for a few hours in the afternoon. Dinner is on the table pretty much for the children and I can actually play with and spend time with them.

all my Christmas shopping will be done on my days off this year. No more sneaking onto Amazon prime at work when no one is looking.

We got stuff secondhand for Christmas, memorably a load of Lego in carrier bags. That's why getting something brand new, where you got to open the box for the first time, put the stickers on etc. was extra special.

Hmm.. What era would this be? My generation was the mega drive/snes consoles. Unless you had a special type of game cartridge or able to note down a series of long letters and numbers, there was no save point. Meaning to get past a hard level you would have to start over and over. And it can take hours/days perfecting if you have the time.

Saying that...my son's games I buy second hand, so I do test them to be safe.

When I was about 9 (early 1980s) my parents got my older brother and I a 2nd hand Atari console for Christmas, it came with PacMan and Space Invaders.
My mum was shit hot at Space Invaders - unknown to us at the time they'd bought it in September and got it out after we went to bed and played it for 3 months!

Not so she could help us though, she was unbeatable!

Mate, as a SAHM, I barely have time to have a piss. (And even then it's with the door open and I'm usually fixing a toy I'm being handed at the same time. But sure so much time.) But aside from this, I'd've said all that to her tbh. What's sauce for the goose...

True though

I’ve opened my child’s Nintendo Switch already - I’ve preloaded the games on so they are ready, created the necessary accounts and amended the parent settings. Saves me wasting time doing it on Christmas Day. I also take some of the toddlers toys out of the packaging, she isn’t going to care about the box and saves the mess and effort on Christmas!

I also work full time, not sure what being a SAHM has to do with it really!

I think we all know being at home with pre-nursery aged children means you don't have much time on your hands.

But it's common sense that once the youngest has their free hours you definitely have more spare time than someone working full time or even part time.

I remember Christmas shopping with my baby while my oldest was at school. Baby was too young to notice.

Now shopping is done online!!
I have no idea how my DMum managed to do shopping when I was little, she worked full-time from me starting school.

Yep, same.

I don't get the competitive busyness here on MN. Everyone is just SO goddamn BU-SY all the time, wow. Although maybe not surprising, as it's MN, where everyone are neurosurgeons on 200k and sooooo busy they cannot find 30 secs to reply to a text, it takes them days.

I left my ex when DD was 3, he fucked off somewhere, haven't seen him since. My whole family lives abroad. So I parented alone, studied and worked part time and sometimes nights. Yep, that was a bit full on. Had much more time when finished my studies and there was just work, house-chores and DD.

Always did what the OP's MIL did, except for Lego and playing computer games. It's logical to check whether the thing works as it's supposed to, before gifting it to a child, especially a young one. IMO. I somehow managed to find half an hour sometime before Christmas in my Extremely Busy Schedule.

Although each to their own. If someone doesn't do this, that's fine and it definitely doesn't make them a worse parent.

Just to add, I also just bulk buy the batteries. Duracell for the endurance. I hate that.

It’s not a dig, it’s factual. I work part time and my children go to school. I would physically not be able to do what OP is describing whilst at work but I might be able to prioritise it on my days off.

factually, as a SAHM to school age children, you have more autonomy over your time than a mother who works.