To ask how much you spend on your kids at Xmas? (AND if you buy clothes as gifts!)

[Zara87]

We are putting together our budget for Xmas this year. I'm on mat leave so it's quite tight plus we have a huge family.
I'm thinking ds age 3 - spend around £200
Ds age 6 months-spend around £100 (And put some in his savings)

So just curious really as to what you budget per child? I'm fully aware as they get older our budget will no doubt have to increase significantly.
Also I was surprised when talking amongst friends that they don't buy clothes for their dc as presents as they see them as a necessity and not a gift (unless it's something the kid wants such as trainers).

I just am trying to get a snap shot of Xmases to come :-)

@Howdoyoudoit31
If one of my children asked for a £75 Lego set then that would be thei main present. We don’t do piles and piles of presents. They get a smallish present from us plus clothes and books and then from Father Christmas they get a small stocking filled with sweets and a few small toys and then one main present. So this year the main presents in my house will be football kit for ds1, Lego set for ds2 and a (2nd hand)scooter with unicorn head for for dd1.

Can I ask what kind of presents you all put in Santa stockings? So far I have got some bing socks, pants and a bing book. I will put some chocolates in but am struggling for other cheap ideas for a 3yo!

To add, the way we do it is santa buys the cheaper stuff whicb he wakes up to at the end of his bed, and the decent stuff comes from us and goes under the tree

Mine was 2.5 last year and her stocking had things like hair clips, slipper socks, a unicorn squishy toy, some new crayons, bubbles etc.

For a three year old I might put in some bubbles, some plasticine to play with on Christmas morning making Christmas decorations, a few figures from their favourite book/tv programme or just animals or dinosaurs, flashing tooth brush, lots of sweets and chic and a Christmas themed soft toy.

For my 4 year old - Lego, Barbie dolls, LOL dolls, Smiggle bits, books, dressing up costumes, pens/colouring books/craft bits, DVDs. She has a Christmas birthday too so split across the two. I usually stash a few bits back for mid year which she forgets about then is a lovely surprise in the summer to have some new toys too. I'd say £150ish ok each.

Stockings I do...

Hair clips
Books
Chocolate
Sweets
Small toys like toy cars, yo yos etc
Character pants and socks
New purse/wallet
Slippers
T shirts/leggings
Baking kits (makes a fun boxing day activity)
Stationery
Toiletries like deodorant for my eldest, character tooth brushes, mini perfumes/aftershave
Gloves

I absolutely love buying stuff for the stockings!

When DD was 3, it cost €94, her Santa present was a bicycle and her stocking had:
Red apple, green apple, mandarin, kiwi, banana
Chocolate lollipops (M&S ones)
A book
Bottle of bubbles
Spinning top
Nice coin purse
New crayons

When she was 4, it was €130, for a Scooter and her stocking (which I helpfully never wrote down what was in it!).

When she was 5, her main present was a DS and 2 games, so more expensive year, and her stocking had quite a lot of bits and pieces gathered over the year, so it was just over €200, but she used most of it a lot:
Usual fruit and sweets
2 books and an annual
Dressing up things (grass skirt, bangles, Peppa pig glasses case)
Art & craft supplies
A lacing game (to develop hand/eye coordination)
and a new duvet cover

Age 6 we were back to roughly €130, with smaller presents like Operation game and a Mr Maker set, 250 piece jigsaw, some lego, and stocking items.

Fruit and sweets
Buzz Lightyear "magic" facecloth (dehydrated that unfolds in water)
A mini parachute (that only retired in the past 6 months - she's over 12 now)
1 Mr Maker craft set,
book,
dollie nappies, dollie shoes & socks set,
glow in the dark stars,
meccano helicopter,
small jigsaw,

And so on over the years - some years are more expensive than others. Age 7 was another bicycle year, and age 10 was an Xbox (not just because she wanted it, but she'd had a hard hard year and really deserved something special, and we could afford it). Other years have been bits and pieces rather than 1 big thing.

The stockings will always include fruit, sweets and a book amongst the other small things.

And yes, there is a trend towards costs increasing as she gets older - partly inflation, partly that she needs more, and partly we can afford to indulge her a little. But there are no piles heading towards the ceiling - her original stocking along with a few items alongside it is still what Santa leaves.

And it will be an even smaller pile this year as what we think she needs (and wants, in fairness!) is pricey but very small. And she's mostly grown out of lego and jigsaws and the like, so maybe a board game that's suitable but that's probably about it. (And probably the last time "Santa" properly comes anyway).

Stockings - chocolate orange, satsuma, character pants & socks, fancy bubble bath/shower gel, magic face cloth, couple of small toys/figures. Then one Santa present (£30ish).
We give them a toy/game , new outfit, pyjamas/onesie, dressing up outfit, annual/book, selection box.

In our house the stocking just has small, inexpensive items. It's really just to buy us a little more time in bed as they wake so early Christmas morning . The "main event" is downstairs.

At 3 it would have been things like chocolate coins, bubble bath, a small colouring book and crayons, some stickers, character socks/pants, maybe a small bath toy or a teddy.

Now they're a bit older it's mostly edible stuff as they're old enough to know they're not supposed to guzzle the lot and make themselves sick! Then some of: bath bomb, cozy socks, hair clips, a mini lego set or similar, a nicer than usual pencil set for school and a magazine.

@Zara87 my 3yodd stocking will have chocolate coins, a couple of peppa pig figures she doesn't have, some glittery hair clips and the unicorn headband she is desperate for - her stocking is quite small

I like piles of presents for the kids.

We also do it that Santa brings the main present not the smaller ones. So he does the stockings and this year he will do the Nintendo switch and all the bits with it and some of the other bits.

The presents from us at the small things like the pikmi pops, 5 surprise, small Lego’s sets etc

We usually spend about £2500 per child. We don't go on size of piles as the older ones usually want more expensive things eg.designer stuff so their pile is considerably smaller than the younger one who has lots of toys

Honestly I probably spend about £1000 on my son. Clothes are not gifts here unless it's a particular team football kit and he wants name on the back etc. His birthday is a few days before Christmas and we usually spend about £500 on that.

I have 2 girls that will be 8 and 3 at Xmas. Dd2 is easy. Few paw patrol toys and she will be happy so that and some stocking fillers.

I'm struggling with my 8 year old though. She's at the stage where the only toys she plays with is the dolls house (which we can't buy anymore for as it has everything and more). Though she does like crafts so perhaps some craft sets and things.

I tend not to go over the top as lots of things end up being left to one side while they play with the favourite one.

Last year we got dd2 a 3 wheeled scooter and she didn't even open her presents until the afternoon because she just wanted to scoot around the house. Then her aunty came with a ride on car and the same happened again.

I am dreading the teenage years with whatever technology it is then 11

My soon to be 3 year old (3 on Christmas Eve) has asked for lots of specific things. She’s seen them on adverts, in shops or on cookie swirl c .
She has asked for: shopkins, hatchimals, Barbie vet doll, playmobil stables, popteenies, shimmer and shine unicorns etc
I’ve done nearly all the shopping for her birthday and Christmas and have spent around £200 for her birthday and £250 for Christmas. I haven’t included any clothes.

Ds is 9 and has asked for nothing as he’s at a really awkward age I think. He kind of still wants toys but when he thinks about it he says he won’t aftualt play with them. He has a couple of playmobil things and some board games and he wants a digital camera. I will spend a similar amount on him but I wouldn’t include clothes because he hates getting clothes and has absolutely no interest in what he wears.

I will say that we have virtually no family who buy for the dc. I have a tiny family, literally just my parents and that’s it - no siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins etc and dh has a huge family but there’s an agreement that we no longer buy for Christmas and most don’t buy for birthdays either. There’s so many of them you’d be buying like every other week if you did. They usually just buy for the first birthday and then for special ones like 18th or 21st.
So basically what we give them is ALL they get. I have friends who say ‘oh we only buy two or three presents for our dc’ but then say they will get gifts off ten or so other people. I think that makes a difference - they ask other people to buy some of the things their dc have asked for, need or would like.

Stocking is sweets and fruit for us. we use an actual (adult sized) sock, so space is lited. maybe a pen or so

Also why do people put fruit in stockings still? Is it tradition ?

I don’t see the point of putting fruit in a stocking when the same fruit is the fruit bowl that they can help themselves too

In my case, it harks back to when I were a young lass (old gimmer, me!) and all the fruit we had in the house was the cardboard box (like the supermarket buys) of golden delicious apples. All winter long....

So a green granny smith, a red le crunch, an orange, a mandarin and a decent banana, all perfect pieces of fruit, and all ONLY for you, were much prized. Some DCs ate them all on Christmas morning, while others eked them out over the whole holidays.

So, while there might be similar fruit available in the fruit bowl, it continues to be tradition that Santa brings lots of lovely, perfect, fresh fruit to all DCs (even the adults in their DPs house!), for Christmas in their stocking.

And in my case, I know DD loves it, rolls her eyes at it, but is very happy to eat it.

My oldest also has free access to sweets, he still likes to get some (he is not overweight btw, more the opposite). Its usually nicer stuff when what we usually have.

Really useful everyone! Thanks!

Definitely have more stocking ideas now, love the idea of a magic cloth and character bubble bath especially, as DS will love those :-)

Openup41 it is and they do know how fortunate they are and thankfully they are appreciative and don't take it for granted because at this point I'd probably considerably reduce the spend.

I think budget-wise it's important to only spend what you can afford- there will always be someone who's had more and someone who's had less. Necessities need come before luxuries and never leave yourself worrying about bills just to but the years most popular toy!

@Howdoyoudoit31 how I manage to get gifts for £50.

I am in process of getting divorced money is tight. (Previous our budget was £100 per child).

So I will spend abt £10 pc on stockings. I have picked up a few bits from smiggle when they have had offers on 5 things for £5, will also include a selection box for £1. And couple of other bits.
Will get something from lists up to £40.

Kids know they can not ask me or their dad for really expensive things.

But if there is still a bigger thing on the list sometimes all the (in law) aunties and uncles all club together and buy it. As individually they spend around £30 each and so clubbing together to get something more expensive seems sensible.

Then my stbex will buy presents.

Then my family will also, give gifts.

So i don't think they will go without because I can only afford £50.

I know that some people who spend more do not have family who give their children gifts .