Xmas/birthday presents - too much/too little?

[Blondie1993]

DS birthday is a few weeks before Christmas. I cleared out his room yesterday and he still has some fairly expensive toys that are still in the box so I don’t want to get things for the sake of it. I have written some lists of what I plan to get him but they seem to be considerably shorter than previous years! Mainly because the toys seem to be getting more expensive 🙈!

Birthday 🎂

•scooter
•playmobil pyramid
•playmobil tomb raider set
•bop it
•jigsaw
•build your own volcanoe set
•4-5 books
•Christmas crafts set

Christmas 🎄

•Xbox
•minecraft for xbox
•Harry Potter Lego Xbox game
•Jurassic world Lego Xbox game
•uno
•scrabble
•playmobil lion safari set
•playmobil penguin set
•4-5 books
•paint your own dinosaurs set
•national geographic dinosaur torch
•Lego clock

I’ll do a stocking for Christmas with chocolate/stationary and a few little random things. He usually gets some clothes/pyjamas too but he needs them around this time of year anyway so I don’t really class them as presents, more necessities.

Does this sound okay for a 7 year old? He does usually get a lot from family but I don’t like to depend on that incase people’s finances don’t allow it this year or they don’t want to lol! He was offered a party or an outing for his birthday - he chose the outing so we are doing a zoo keeper for the day as well.

That sounds way too much to me but I guess if that is what he is used to? Mine would have a main present and then a couple of smaller things max.

Wow, just the birthday stuff is enough for both birthday and Christmas imo! That's loads op!! For comparison my 7 year old got a little live pet from us for birthday, and will get dolls accessories a make your own soap and a watch for Christmas plus a stocking with a few bits and bobs in! Your DS will be very happy with that.

Too much for a 7 year old, Especially when there are unopened presents in his room from previous occasions.
Why not let him ask for one larger thing and two smaller things for Christmas. His birthday should be one thing only.

Kids rarely ask for everything from the toy shop so just ask him

That is way too much! Can any relatives buy some of the cheaper items instead?

I don't think it is too much. However if the Harry Potter Xbox game is the 2 pack Harry Potter 1 and Harry Potter 2 discs together I know it takes ages to get through, so he only needs one Xbox game for a while.

We allow one ps4 game on the Xmas list and it's always a Lego game and they just take ages they are great value. Minecraft is great as well.

I'd take at least one Xbox game off the list and replace with a toy he can play independently with or colouring pens set etc

DS's birthday is the week before Christmas and he's never had anything like that amount! The year he got a XBox that was jointly between his birthday and Christmas which I know is mean on those with December birthdays but no way we could have afforded it otherwise. He chose which one he wanted it for (chose Birthday) and knew that meant he only got little things for Christmas (chocs, t shirt, a book and some stocking fillers). He was fine with only opening that on Christmas morning cos he knew he'd had his XBox. I asked family to get him vouchers or money to put towards games and I think my sister got him an older (cheaper) game for his birthday so he had something to play straight away. He was a bit older than your DS (10) so maybe more able to understand the cost of things like an XBox.

At 7 he'd have had 1 main thing e.g. scooter and then sweets and a book etc for his birthday and something similar e.g. 1large-ish playmobil set plus PJ's, Uno, colouring and sweets for Christmas.

Thanks for the replies. I don’t think he would be upset to get less, I’ll have a rethink and maybe cut it down a little. Before I wrote this thread I was going to add some Lego Jurassic World 🙈!

Thanks Frogsbreath, his godparents would like to get him a game so I will suggest they get one and I will get one so it’s just the two instead of three. I think Lego Harry Potter looks amazing but I think he would prefer the Jurassic World one sadly 😂.

That's a pretty good haul.

OP, would you like to adopt me?

I don't think it sounds like too much, I think it's a nice haul without being excessive.

I think it sounds fine.

Don’t forget about the competitive stinginess towards Christmas on here. In the real world, people buy much more!!

If I was buying my ds an Xbox with games...that would be it... although I'd do a stocking too. I wouldn't be buying all those extra things.

I don’t tend to buy him things throughout the year so don’t feel as bad getting a bit more at Christmas, although don’t want him to be spoiled! I couldn’t get him one thing though, I quite enjoy buying presents for other people - although grudge buying myself anything 😂.