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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to buy my 1 year old hardly any Christmas presents?!

39 replies

Buglife · 10/09/2015 21:45

It's just dawned on me really that I AM SANTA. Which means I have to think of and purchase lots of stuff for my now just 1 year old who will be 16 months old at Christmas. I'm aware that he's too young to realise much about it and as such I wasn't bothered about it, I bought him a play table for his birthday, he got a lovely little metal ride on car, he has LOADS of toys and I honestly don't know where we'd put loads more, not do I want loads more as the sheer volume of stuff we've been given and the short amount of time it's been used in the last year has made me uncomfortable. I'm not against buying him stuff (I have a serious baby clothes habit) but he just doesn't NEED anything else yet developmentally, all his toys are fine for him, and while I could get him for next summer (slide or sandpit) I just hate stuff cluttering for ages before we could use them. But I have to get him something, surely? I just don't want to get him anything, he doesn't need it! And other people will get him things.

OP posts:

TeamBacon · 10/09/2015 21:47

Nothing wrong with just a few little bits. Get some lovely books or maybe a Christmas jumper :)

CalmYourselfTubbs · 10/09/2015 21:51

YANBU. a few small things are fine. save your money for when they get older.

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 10/09/2015 21:52

Buy him an empty cardboard box and a roll of wrapping paper!

Gift wrap his favourite snack?

Wrap some of his toys.

He really won't care. And probably won't be very bothered next year either...

BeaufortBelle · 10/09/2015 21:54

YANBU. Save your money for what he needs when he needs it with some small change in your back picket for the occasional want.

PitBlackwell · 10/09/2015 21:55

No, we just wrap useful stuff like a new cup, clothes or even feeding spoons. We have older children though, otherwise we'd just give unwrapped stuff. They don't know or care at this age. Make the most of it.

goblinhat · 10/09/2015 21:55

Don't go overboard, a few fun things are enough.
Think about what he would like at christmas time- a visit to hear some christmas carols or a church, go somewhere with lovely light displays, some good garden centres or even shopping malls have lovely christmas displays, with music and mechanical animals. Most toddlers love a large cardboard box to play in with a few new balls ( the box can be thrown away in a day or two0 some hand glove puppets perhaps?
It is possible for a child to have too many toys= it can be very confusing.

LaurieMarlow · 10/09/2015 21:56

I love the idea that I'm Santa. I can't wait until my DS 'gets' the concept.

But, YADNBU. They don't know squat at that age, no need to worry. My DS is 15 months and was far more delighted with the shoebox I gave him the other day than his very fucking expensive scooter. Balloons and bubbles would great christmas pressies for him.

Your DS doesn't have any christmas expectations. Buy him the summer stuff when it's actually summer.

Basketofchocolate · 10/09/2015 21:57

For DS's first Xmas it didn't even occur to us to buy him anything! :) He was just under one but we were more focused on practicalities of staying with rellies with a baby that just didn't think about it.

Grandparents and aunts/uncles got stuff so he did well enough :) We put some money in a bank account when we realised and left it at that. Plenty of time for all the stress of santa, etc. as grows up.

BathshebaDarkstone · 10/09/2015 21:59

I bought DS a Christmas jumper and a V-Tech tambourine for Christmas when he was 16 months old.

Happfeet2911 · 10/09/2015 21:59

He will be none the wiser, save it for another year when he realises what its all about!

CointreauVersial · 10/09/2015 22:02

Heavens, no, YADNBU. I think I gave DS a mini dustpan and brush from the pound shop, and he couldn't have been happier.

grumpysquash · 10/09/2015 22:07

How about a special bowl/plate/cup (I mean bog standard stuff, just say 'special' when he opens it), some vests, socks, pyjamas, a book and some bath toys (they go manky quite quickly so you can get rid of them about Easter time), wrapped up apple or other snack. As long as he's got paper to rip, he won't judge the contents.

Fast forward 10 years, it'll be gadgets and money, which takes up no space at all :)

It is fun being Santa, perhaps a bit more fun when they are 3, 4, 5....(less fun at 14 although still ok because Santa gives individually wrapped Brussels Sprouts for a laugh!)

abbieanders · 10/09/2015 22:11

Go traditional with a satsuma and a pair of socks. He'll be able to connect with your granny on a very meaningful level.

PerfectlyPosed · 10/09/2015 22:14

My DD will be 10 months on Christmas Day and I don't intend On buying her anything much at all. I know she will be spoilt by all the grandparents and she has so much already.

Mysillydog · 10/09/2015 22:21

Dd1 wanted a helium balloon for Christmas and birthdays until she was 4. She loved the Tellytubbies ones - she's 15 - so whatever is on CBeebies now would go down well.

Such innocent requests do not last.

Original poster

Buglife · 10/09/2015 22:24

Thank you so much all :) DH said I was mean because I actually wrapped up a few of DS toys he hadn't played with for a while for his 1st birthday! He didn't know! I suppose I'm thinking of the morning where me and my DB would rush down and find this wonderful pile... It was great and now I'm in this position I cannot see how my parents did it and hid it in pre Internet days... I do actually adore christmas and am majorly excited about setting 'our' traditions as a new family, what do we leave out for Santa, what kind of tree do we have, what order do we do things on Christmas Day etc... I'm 32 and have never done one myself before! (I may still be crying because I'm not at home, in my childhood bedroom, doing things the way I did since I was born!)

OP posts:

MrsMook · 10/09/2015 22:45

Ds2 was 9m at his first Christmas, so I wrapped up some of the hand me downs from Ds1 that he was getting ready to move on to. There were a couple of new things, and he had plenty from family so wasn't deprived.

He can't complain, he did better than Ds1's first Christmas. He had nothing from us as he was born a few days earlier so we had no idea if we'd have a baby at Christmas or not, and of it was a boy or girl. It seemed daft to wrap something for the sake of it for the other one of us to open. No way we're we going near packed shops to buy anything after that birth.

No harm done, they're drowning in toys now they're big enough for opinions!

sproketmx · 10/09/2015 22:59

Nope not unreasonable at all. He will most likely play with the wrapping paper anyway

shiteforbrains · 10/09/2015 23:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kaekae · 10/09/2015 23:13

Speaking from experience.....I went completely overboard on my DS first Christmas and I look back at the photos and think how stupid! He couldn't play with most of them, he doesn't remember any of them and I had a house full of toys which got on my nerves! I think I just got carried away and very excited. I got a beautiful Christmas tree bauble with the year and First Christmas....I still put it on my tree 7 years later!

shiteforbrains · 10/09/2015 23:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JuJuMun69 · 10/09/2015 23:24

YANBU. The child is 1 and would probably prefer playing with the boxes more anyway

BackforGood · 10/09/2015 23:32

YANBU at all.
Very wise - particularly if you can put the money you would otherwise have spent into a savings account for him. I did this for all my dc. My oldest too have been delighted to have a small nest egg to start off their driving lessons with - they were completely unaware at their first couple of Christmases that I'd not spent money on presents for them.

Secondtimeround75 · 10/09/2015 23:34

YANBU

We got ds1 curtains for his first Christmas & a my first Christmas bib.

Last year he cost us ££££ so I'm glad I was so mean

missymayhemsmum · 10/09/2015 23:51

Nope, YANBU because he won't care. So you'll do it purely for the pleasure of watching him open his first stocking.

FWIW, our santa has always brought drawing stuff, a few books, new socks, gloves, hats and something noisy enough to annoy anyone with a hangover. (Mostly practical stuff I'd have ended up buying anyway) And chocolate.

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