To not get 8 month old DS anything for Christmas?

[mummytojens]

Just that really.

We are spending Christmas with family, and he has got so many gifts from his grandparents already. It's his first Christmas, so it's obviously special. But me and DH aren't exactly rich after this year and I know an 8 month old isn't going to remember what gifts he got let alone who bought them when he doesn't understand what Christmas is.

YABU - you can't not buy your baby a Christmas present for their first Christmas

YANBU - you don't need to buy gifts, he doesn't understand and money better spent on his essentials

You forgot to enable voting, but obvs you don’t need to buy an eight month old gifts, they don’t understand Christmas.

YANBU but I think I would get something small, like a cuddly toy etc, so you can take photos with it and tell him as he grows up that this was his first Christmas present.

Of course YANBU. He won't know the difference, whereas the financial difference will have a huge impact on you

DD is ten months old. She’s got various bits and bobs from family on both sides and frankly doesn’t know the difference between a cardboard box (of which there are countless), DS5’s many toys (in which she has far greater interest than her chew things), the gifts she’s been bought by grandparents etc and the dog’s chews.

Absolutely no point adding to this cornucopia of “stuff” as above by buying another Melissa and Doug puzzle that she will neither need nor pay attention to as she eyes up DS’s hot wheels garage

I would buy something small as a momento type thing. Ds was 6 weeks on his first Christmas and I got him a snow globe which comes out every Christmas

@TidyDancer

YANBU but I think I would get something small, like a cuddly toy etc, so you can take photos with it and tell him as he grows up that this was his first Christmas present.

That's a lovely idea @TidyDancer

My son was three months his first Christmas we got him one gift from us and let grandparents spoil him. This year my son is 2 and have another that is 10 months, he only has one gift and a stocking. I promise they wont know especially if others are getting gifts.

Sounds fine to me

my daughter was 8 days old on christmas day both her nans bought her a soft toy but i didnt buy her anything that year as i hadnt been to the shops or outside at all except to go food shopping on christmas eve in the era when tescos only sold food, 42 years later she still has her two soft toys

Absolutely 100% reasonable for the reasons you stated. We did exactly that for both of our boys' first Christmases, and I have a feeling we might even have done the same for their first birthdays. Even without presents from us, they received many gifts, half of which they probably rarely touched. I never look back and regret it - don't feel you have to buy into someone else's idea of perfect Christmas.

Of course YANBU.
As a PP said something sentimental to mark the occasion - perhaps a bauble for the tree that could be used each year or a stocking (as in just the stocking, not anything in it) would be nice.

I didn’t get anything for DD’s first Christmas.

She already had plenty of toys and books that DS had outgrown and I’d given all my good ideas for new toys and books to friends and family. It seemed rather wasteful getting her something for the sake of it.

I suppose I could have wrapped up some of DS’s old toys or books, but it wasn’t like she was able to unwrap them herself so all seemed a bit pointless.

If this was your first baby i would say not unreasonable at all but I see you have a 5 yr old. Does santa come to your house? If so the older child might wonder why there is no gift for baby. In that case i would get a token. I like the idea above of a Christmas decoration that can come out every year. Its a nice memory and doesn't add to the unnecessary piles of toys and clutter.

I can’t get away with this because I have older DC so they’d ask why their baby brother didn’t get anything. My first DC was 10 months for his first Christmas and I probably went overboard but he did enjoy the gifts I chose because he’d reached the age where they start to play with things.

I’d personally buy a token gift at least but leave it at that. You are right, they don’t have a clue what’s going on.

I couldn’t not buy anything for my baby at Christmas.

God, no. My daughter was 10 months old last year and we wrapped up a few bits she needed anyway. Especially in the first year babies need so much new stuff all the time as they grow physically and developmentally, so I just designated some stuff as 'presents'.

This year she's 22 months and honestly I'm still barely going out of my way. I've had a few toys stashed away for her for a while, and I'll wrap some clothes in the next size up. I know she'll get presents from her grandparents too. But I'm focussing more on the whole enjoyment of the season - she loves seeing the lights on houses, she's made salt dough Christmas decorations and I can't wait to choose and put up the tree with her. At nursery they will have a Christmas disco and a special Christmas lunch. That feels like enough for us.

We're not getting 13-week-old DD anything for Hanukkah. Next year maybe! Her grandma has sent her something so we'll be able to pose her for some photos with a gift.

Yanbu
We bought ours a teddy for their first Christmas and then wrapped up the next size up clothing we had bought and would have to anyway (mostly this was when we had older ones so they didn’t ask why their sibling hadn’t got any presents to open)

If you only get one thing, get a bauble with year on. I wish I’d thought of it when DS was born in 2000.

A box full of crinkly paper is plenty and he will.enjoy unwarapping

Just a ball of wrapping paper and lint from god knows where that will be eaten happily unlike any other solids.

DD will be 16m at christmas. She has got some little stocking bits to unwrap purely so her big brother doesnt question why Father Christmas forgot her, and most of them are cheap or essential - she's got a cup that matches one her brother has that she lusts after, a book, some socks, a chocolate novelty, a set of felt pens, and a mini cuddly toy keyring thing that was £2.99 (again something her brother has that she is desperate to steal).

She has bigger presents from family and is likely to be overwhelmed by it all tbh.

I had this issue, it’s my granddaughters 1st Christmas, she’s 6 months old. I wanted to buy her the world but in reality she has tons of clothes including stuff in reserve for when she’s older, she’s too young for most toys and the stuff she’s old enough for she already has and she hasn’t got a clue anyway 😂
So I’ve bought her a light projector for her bedroom that lights stars on the ceiling (£8 I think!) and I’ve made her a personalised card with her photos on which she can look back on when she’s older. That was £4.

YANBU

YABU. It’s mean.

Just get your baby a small teddy and a “first Christmas” bauble for the tree or outfit etc- doesn’t need to be expensive, but it’s a bit unimaginative not to give them anything. Maybe a rattle to shake while you all open your gifts?

What if they ask you in a few years what their first Christmas present was?

I just wrapped up clothes in the next size up and stuff to unwrap that we needed and had anyway for DS' first Christmas, he got toys to play with from family and friends. If you haven't got the means then no, don't stretch yourself just to be able to buy something for the sake of it, but maybe wrap some stuff up so you can unwrap it with them?