to ask how much you spend on dcs (who are under 5) christmas presents?

[LacyLeggins]

have 3 dc who are under 5, 2 of whom have birthdays un december!! eeek!

how much is a reasonable amount to spend on eah dc? and any ideas of what i should buy?

they are dc1 - 4.6
dc2 - 2 in dec
dc3 - 1 in dec

tia x

Hi Tia, my son is 3 this November and is getting a balance bike for Christmas and a pirate ship from ELC for his birthday. I'd usually only get something small for each but I haven't really done very much spending throughout the year this year like I usually do as I normally just get things as we need them.

Last year I bought an ELC kitchen, cash register and food - all of which apart from some velcro veg were all off ebay and cost about £60 altogether. He got these for Christmas and Birthday, and then got a few stocking fillers for Christmas. Although in honesty, the ebay items arrived at different times between October and January so we just played with them as he got them.

When he was 1 I just got some bits - no point really other than to prove to the rellies that I had bought something, but there's so much expense and they get zillions of toys from friends/family etc they don't really need yours anyway.

HTH
Sarah x

After a few years buying tons of crap for my DD now 6...I had my 2nd DD now 2 and lst year I shopped so much more carefully!

I bought less....but better quality...a BRIO wooden cooker for little one was only 25 pounds on Amazon....and soft food to go in it also from Amazon came to about 20 ppounds...a good quality tin pan set and a tin tea set cost 15 pounds each...all of that wrapped up made for a lot to open and was her main present....it is going strong still almost a year later...plastic is yukky to look at and usually more expensive...one of thosse plastic "kitchens" costs around 50 quid and cracks...or the stickers peel off...all they need is something to cook on and something to put stuff in...so....although I am going on about the cooker, the point Im making is that in trying to avoid plastic crap I spent less on both DDs but they got better gifts.

I spent all in about 200 pounds on both.

400 in total.

Really, spend as little as possible, especially while they're young and do not know/care about the value of money. There are years ahead when they will want you to shell out huge sums for the latest console/trainers etc.

Anenome, I'm stunned at what you spend!

For dd2's 1st birthday I bought her a mini dustpan and brush from the pound shop; sounds mean but she LOVED it. She couldn't have been more pleased.

About £150-£200 and we have 1 DD aged 2. I don't know how much we will be spending on her this year as we are going to Disney for Christmas and New Year so probably she will get her wooden kitchen and a few other small bits and thats it.

TheNextMrsDepp

And I'm stunned at how little you spend!

About a tenner each when they were that young and basically liked playing with big cardboard boxes -- among the best gifts ever was actually a big box from a packing shop that we made into a little house by cutting windows and a door, and I also got a really cheap little brush and dustpan once for DD2 (!) which she loved and both of her younger sisters did too, chalk and blackboard, little cash register, markers, plain building blocks, magic slates, megasketcher (bought in 1992 or 93 for less than it sells for now), little cheap umbrellas, umbrella style doll buggy, packets of cocktail umbrellas (big hit for doll picnics and tea parties), chinese fans, feather boas, little plastic dress up high heel shoes (instant fancy dress), various items of office equipment like a stapler and 3-hole punch, cheap disco lamp for magical bedrooms and easy 'goodnights', torches... and books.

I won't be spending much at all. I have wasted money already on toys for my little one and she just prefers to go through kitchen drawers and create havoc in the house. She hardly plays with her toys at all,she looks at them for 5 minutes and that's it. I would rather get her something she (or I!) need at this age (she will be 1 in October)

£50 or less usually for each of the two girls. I've usually bought a lot through the nct nearly new sale for them. They're not bothered about getting expensive stuff. I put a lot of effort into making it a special time in other ways.

As for presents, for little ones a click clack track is usually popular. The five year old will probably get a marble run this year.

About £60 in total including stocking. Usually includes some things to wear as well as toys.

PS Sassfrassy my DD had a marble run for her second birthday and still plays with it now age 6 - great present idea!

It depends really. I usually get DD a main present, roughly 5 small presents (DVD, little doll/figures or something) and do her a stocking with chocolate coins and maybe a couple of fancy hairbands/pretend make up/colouring book that kind of thing.

One year the main present was an ELC kitchen, but last year it was Hide & Seek Peppa Pig which was £25. I don't set a budget but I'd say up to £100.

Her b'day is in Jan, and I tend to spend quite little on that, usually about £30/£40

I have 2dc

dd 3 (4 in feb)
ds 1 in early jan

our budget this year is £75 for dd and £50 for ds - its not about the money really but about something they would like, and as they get older the 'main' present tends to be more expensive!

we are getting dd a scooter - she doesn't have great balance so we have found them ones with 2 wheels at the front and you lean to steer rather than twist ? anyway thats £35 I think, we have also got her a toy laptop for £20 as I work from home sometimes and she loves pretending she has a laptop to copy me ... plus some bits and bobs and stocking fillers (cheapies)

DS we are probably getting a ball pit which is about £25 plus some books, shape sorter type bits etc

so they will probably have the same number of presents - but even so on a little ones first christmas there is no point spending loads (as we learnt after wasting money on DD!) he is 1 two weeks after christmas so will get stuff then too (all from the january sales!)