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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Did you buy your baby loads of presents for their 1st birthday?

71 replies

McSnail · 01/08/2010 16:40

I'm considering having a wee get-together for the baby's first birthday, but I don't REALLY see the point in buying her presents. She's only little, and she has quite a lot of toys already.

Does anyone else feel the same about presents for babies, or is this a bit mean?

Implications have been made by other mothers (not on here, I'm in touch with some women who had babies the same time as me) that it's a shame (for my baby)

I think it's common-sense...well, compared to some of them who've gone mental gone all out with the purchases...

OP posts:

Original poster

McSnail · 02/08/2010 07:11

"If you set the standard now to have normal, not "over the top" gifts for birthdays and Christmas, they will grow up thinking it's normal."

Absolutely.

OP posts:

gorionine · 02/08/2010 07:19

I remember that for DD1we got her a little plastic shopping trolley from Argos. Cannot remember what the others had for their first birthday but I am pretty certain it was something eually cheap and cheerful!

"If you set the standard now to have normal, not "over the top" gifts for birthdays and Christmas, they will grow up thinking it's normal."

I also do strongly agree with tgis statement!

MrsChemist · 02/08/2010 08:22

YANBU, DS is 1 at the end of the month, and he is getting a carseat for his birthday (he needs a new one anyway). I might get a few other bits, but probably second hand. Everyone else will be buying loads of stuff, and our house can't really fit a lot of stuff in, so I'll be keeping it to a minimum.

lindy100 · 02/08/2010 08:59

YADNBU, but we are buying DD a lovely trike for her 1sty birthday, as she does have quite a few things to play with but all are from the charity shop (my fave place to buy!) - so we don't feel that we overindulge her, and hopefully this will last.

Still trying to justify it a bit...

noblegiraffe · 02/08/2010 09:20

I've got my DS some clothes (he needs them as he has grown out of is growing out of the 6-12 month stuff), a set of gadgets from the ELC which contains a remote control to try and stop him messing around with ours and we're taking him and his cousins to the Sealife centre as a treat. He loved the aquarium last time we went. I think a nice day out will be better than a pile of stuff he doesn't need.

DrivenToDistraction · 02/08/2010 09:30

For DD (PFB) we got an activity box and a pull along toy, for DS a (second hand) rocking horse. Probably spent about 20-25 ponds. Having wrapping paper to rip open was far more important than the presents themselves.

TBH the presents were more for the photos than for the DC IYSWIM. Also made a birthday cake each time, again more for the photos. DC both really enjoyed their first birthdays but were obviously oblivious to the significance they dya held for us.

Helokitty · 02/08/2010 10:50

Who says presents have got to be toys?
At this (and in fact any age), children just love the act of unwrapping. My two always did / still do.

Therefore, for Christmas and birthdays presents have always been a mix of a few toys, some nice clothes in the next size up, and lots of the basics that they need. In the past, I have wrapped up dummies, vests, toothbrushes, pants, nighwear etc etc.... stuff I would be buying anyway, but instead of just giving to them throughout the year (tootbrushes aside), I buy at keep it for Christmas / birthday, and then it makes an extra present, but they get no more than they would otherwise be getting. Its a con for them, but one the children love

BelligerentGhoul · 02/08/2010 10:52

Totally agree HelloKitty.

My two are teenagers now but they still get knickers, socks, a nightie, toiletries etc (AND a toothbrush) every Christmas!

LolaKnickers · 02/08/2010 13:17

Agree that it's just the unwrapping and excitement aspect that they like. LOVE the pop up tunnel / house idea filled with tinsel and stuff; puty she's too old now.

I did get mine presents for her 1st birthday but only stuff she "needed" anyway at around that age, such as a trike. Not just toys for the sake of toys. She'd really into books, so I tend to buy her loads of books throughout the year (when there's a good Red House / Book People offer on)and then keep for bday / Christmas. She also gets PJs etc wrapped up!!

SE13Mummy · 02/08/2010 22:55

I forgot to mention that for Christmas 2009 (DD1 was 5) we didn't wrap up any things that already belonged to DD1 - it was the first time we'd neglected to do so.

She was gutted and so promptly recycled some wrapping paper and wrapped up a few of her toys to unwrap.

This year we'll revert to wrapping her belongings again.

PurpleCrazyHorse · 02/08/2010 23:12

Family have bought DD a sand/water table and a snazzy trike for her 1st birthday, plus some Happyland things. We're not buying her anything but we're off to Folly Farm.

TeenyTinyToria · 02/08/2010 23:15

For my younger sister's first birthday, she had my first birthday present re-wrapped. My mum had the right idea!

I gave my dc something very small for their first birthdays - ds had a shape sorter, and dd a farmyard game.

3Trees · 02/08/2010 23:19

Nope, we didn't actually buy him a first birthday gift at all - he had a room full of gifts from others anyway, so we saved our £ for thing he might need / benefit from later in the year.

porcamiseria · 03/08/2010 09:22

agree

I got nada, but then got shit loads for his second and now my living room is plastic cack hell x

biddlek · 03/08/2010 09:58

DS's birthday is in Feb, and we ended up re-wrapping two presents we bought at xmas that he hadn't looked at!

Everyone else in the family went mad buying loads of stuff, mainly because we emigrated in June and they wouldn't be able to do it properly again!

He didn't really notice!

BadPoet · 03/08/2010 12:38

We didn't buy anything for our daughter's first Christmas, although we did wrap some of her small toys up and put them in a stocking for her to pull out. Family went way over the top though, and we felt so guilty that we did end up buying her something for her 1st birthday, just one gift. It was an activity cube and she did play with it quite a lot actually.

Since then I've been a bit more practical and I think about what they are likely to use - or will entertain other children when they come to play - at some point in the future. So while a 1yr old won't really go on a trike (or mine didn't anyway), from about 18m to 3y the trike with parent handle was massively useful for taking my son to collect my daughter. I'm glad we had one and we used his birthday to buy it rather than spending the money when it wasn't a special occasion. Does that make sense?

My kids have a lot of stuff now but they have had 20 birthdays and Christmasses between them!

confuddledDOTcom · 03/08/2010 13:15

We didn't spend much on either of our two for their first birthday. We buy them clothes and toys regularly so they don't go without but they're not going to notice. I got flamed on Facebook for it by a member of my family for having no idea of the meaning of family as I couldn't even be bothered to buy my baby a present or a card... The youngest is a Christmas baby anyway and we did spend out on Christmas as the eldest would have noticed, but as I had bought everything I opened presents with the eldest and Daddy opened everything with the youngest so at least someone appreciated opening youngest's presents!

MunchMummy · 03/08/2010 13:18

We just got our DD1 some stacking cups.

DD2's 1st birthday we got a small present that DD2 would enjoy opening and playing with (well, DD2 didn't need anything).

addictedisgettingexcited · 03/08/2010 13:33

my baby is due in november and i have been sorting out christmas presents, so for her first christmas she is getting a small stocking filled with wet wipes, toiletries and a rattle (i cant not buy her a toy!) and 2 'big' presents which are a pack of nappies and a christmas day outfit (that will be bought once shes born)

My il think i'm being really mean, but she'll only be a few weeks old! She wont know any better.

SE13Mummy · 03/08/2010 14:05

DD1 ws born at the end of November - we gave her a teddy and sponsored a midwife in her name.

acebaby · 03/08/2010 14:09

DS1: the contents of a toy shop. By the end of the day the poor little thing was overwhelmed and all he wanted to do was play with his old toys

DS2: a play table for his bedroom and a couple of books. Loves the table still (a year on) and will get years of use out of it

I learnt my lesson

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