How much do you spend on your children at Christmas?

[HuckleberryBlackcurrant]

Just wondering what is normal these days. I would say we spend about £60 per child. We have 3 children.

my son will be 5 months old at Christmas and I spent 30 quid on his gifts. He got gifts from grandparents too which we were told to wrap and place under the tree. I suppose he will get more expensive gifts once he gets older, but for now I can’t see the need for anything else than couple books etc. Besides we never go overboard with Christmas gifts.

Around £220 this year, that's a decent stocking and a main gift, both of which we say are from FC. Some years it is a fair bit less, it just depends on what the main gift is each year really.

Well clearly some people don't have a budget and kids expect high ticket things. We have 4 and roughly they have £50 each. It's not about presents in our house but about a fun, game filled, nice grub happy family day

It will come to about £130 each. They'll get PJs, books, a 'doing' kit each and a main present - eg one Fitbit, one Lego.

Stockings tend to make things a bit more expensive as they're mostly toiletries these days. (Teen DDs.)

Now they're bigger it's fewer, but more expensive items.

I think comments like this forget you can, e.g. buy a bike for £140 or £700. I have a high budget but my kids aren't getting e.g. five cheap bikes, they are getting expensive bikes. I'd buy them anyway, it just sometimes makes sense to buy these big ticket items that I'd buy anyway as a 'Christmas present'. Same with a good camera, I'd buy it anyway but it makes a good present.

Meanwhile I'm laughing at the idea that a phone costs £350 for a reconditioned phone, I've never spent that on a brand new phone. Just shows once you have a decent disposable income you spend your money on what you choose, whether that is an expensive bike, a fancy camera or phone or experiences.

I think the answers are going to vary a lot here. Mine are 6 and 4 and this year I think we are spending about £180 on each.

I think comments like this forget you can, e.g. buy a bike for £140 or £700.

Or £30 second hand. I buy from the local bike charity that fixes up bikes

To be honest, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Getting a lot of or expensive gifts doesn’t mean that’s all it’s about.

however I did tell the op this won’t make her happy. Many families don’t spend a lot as they don’t have it. How much people spend is really about how much disposable income they have in the main. Not always, but often. And if you don’t have much disposable income then you will have a limited budget for gifts.

threads like thill make some folks feel bad, others feel smug. 😕

Lol.my son is17 on boxing day 😂
Hes,had a,new computer for gaming too and we are planning on getting him driving lessons for his birthday ,we have had an unexpected inheritance, so are pushing the boat out a,bit this year

I usually spend £100-150 on the youngest and £150-200 on the oldest.

I do love the competitive how little you can spend on your kids on mums net that pop.up.every year
Fwiw,we are spoiling the kids this year its been an horrendous year health wise for my oldest son who will be17 on Boxing day
And we have had an unexpected inheritance, so.its the first year we can spend without worrying about the cost .

About £250. I shop throughout the year and in sales to get around £400 of value for that.

The Op,s children are very young and the three month old won't even know its Xmas so.im.sure they will be delighted with their presents ,it gets more expansive as they get older

I also have a 6 year old and a 4 year old. We normally budget £100 each plus a stocking so all in it's about £125 per child.

That's one "bigger" present of around £50. In the past it's been things like a new scooter, or a bigger playset, toy kitchen etc. Then some smaller presents e.g. books, new PJs, cuddly toys, a party dress.

Stockings are just little extra bits but I try to avoid any tat that will end up in landfill. So chocolate, hair slides, fluffy socks, art and craft things, bath bombs etc.

These compare-the-meerkat threads about gifts give me the heebie-jeebies. You can only spend what you can afford, regardless of what anyone else is buying. And some families have big obligations to buy for lots of relatives as well as just the kids.

When mine were tiny they had a lot of pre-loved presents. One year the only thing my daughter wanted was a Krazy Kucumber horrid green squishy thing for 4.99 from Smyths, but their sights are a bit higher now they are older. We don’t spend hundreds but our kids don’t do badly at all, they each get a stocking which includes a couple of more spendy presents, as well as books, games, slippers, novelties and cheap edible presents that fill up space. The older one understands that his stocking looks smaller than his sister’s, but that Xbox vouchers take up less physical space than squishmallows….

I've just totted up what we've spent so far and it's just over £300 and we've still got some bits to get so think it'll go up to about £400. We only have one to buy for so that helps.

In general, the older 3 cost more but get less presents because the stuff they ask for is more expensive. They ask for a lot of clothes, branded trainers, video games, tech etc whereas younger DC only want basic toys, Lego etc which works out cheaper. I’d say older 3 cost in region of £250 each and younger 2 no more than £150 each. It’s a lot because we have 5.

£1,000 each. 2 children.

Some children are more privileged than others that's just the way things are ,my kids haven't had a holiday for five years ,and we live in a small house with limited space ,I see other families enjoying multiple holidays ,and living in expensive spacious homes ,that's just the way it is
We always try and give our kids a good Xmas to as much as we can afford as can't really afford many treats s for the rest of the year.

A lot this year, but there’s only really 2 gifts, a tonie box with some tonies and a new bed with a mattress (some might not consider this a gift but it’s a decorated bed that I think DD will love). Will also buy character themed bed sheets and stuff for stocking and we always give a couple of books and a jigsaw. So there won’t be a big pile but I think that would overwhelm her anyway.

Last year when she was one year old we spent very little as couldn’t really think of anything she needed, we got a few books, a teddy, some building blocks and a toy radio. When she was a newborn we just got a couple of small keepsake gifts. The main thing for me is that it’s something she’s likely to enjoy, useful, good quality, long lasting and we can afford it.

I have only 1 dd she's in her twenties and she's getting some nice perfume.
Anyway it's not a competition to see who can max out their credit cards first, it's a family day and in years gone past I have just about managed to buy DD one present but I knowshe'll get tons of crap from her father who thinks his credit cards can compensate for his absence when she was small.

£150 ish on 2 year old

Wow! What sort of things are they getting, and how old are they?

Interested in generally those who spend say £500 plus, is it normally one big thing and then a couple of small thing? Or loads of toys? Not judging just interested as felt I’d gone overboard this year but reading this thread j seem to be within the average (£150ish each). But we also got them new bikes in the summer (winter birthdays) where as I imagine others include that as a main present.

One is 13 and other is 10.

One of them is getting a PlayStation.. whatever the newest one is and some kit to go with it. £600

Other one likes expensive skin care and wanky equestrian stuff which will also be about £600.

The rest of the money will be whatever they’ve asked for on their list.

I don’t count the stocking or Christmas Eve hamper in the cost.

Probably about 100 each. This will be quite a few presents though just adding up, no big ticket items. TBH i have the funds but i always felt the children were too small to appreciate things so it was a lot of second hand stuff from ebay (think bundles of Mcdonalds toys) or jigsaws etc. I guess in my head i wanted them to enjoy the play of simple things.

I have extended family who grew up with very little and still dont have a ton of money yet the living room is full of presents probably costing close to 500 per child. We all want to give our children as much as we can.