Children’s birthday money

[anotherlittlesquish]

Hi All!
Our DS’s first birthday is approaching and DH and I have been deciding on a gift. We were torn between 2 toys (both around £40) but decided on the first.
I said that if DS received any money for his birthday (very likely from great grandparents) then we could get the 2nd aswell with the birthday money.
DH very against this idea and said any money received from family for any occasion should be put straight into his savings account as it’s not our decision what that money gets spent on.

AIBU for assuming we’d spend a portion of his birthday money on an appropriate and well researched gift or is DH?

Birthdays are meant to be fun, birthday money is meant to be for fun things. Spend the bloody birthday money.

We go with spend half and save half.

** Personally I'm with your DH although I don't think there's a wrong answer.

Any money we were given for DS when he was born we put in a savings account for him and we'll do the same with any money he gets for his first birthday when it comes.**

^I agree

I also think they have givern money to be out into bank account

Put

I think you should save it for him.

It’s unlikely birthday/Christmas gifts would add upto a house deposit for most and driving lessons

DD has about £10k aged 9 so it is possible

@Chikapu

Birthdays are meant to be fun, birthday money is meant to be for fun things. Spend the bloody birthday money.

The child is 1, he has no idea it's even his birthday!

Impossible to say without knowing.. Can you save for the baby? Are you well off?

We're were not well off and got toys second hand ebay, car boots..

Every toy known to man!!

I wouid have put that money in bank and it towards more experience stuff like baby class's or local farm etc.

Sorry to write multiple posts but I remembered of course putting money away now... Will give it so much time to grow (stocks and shares junior isa).

The child is 1, he has no idea it's even his birthday!

I meant in general! People are saying all money given should go in a savings account, how bloody boring is that?

Personally I loathe Amazon vouchers as a present, not everyone wants to buy from Amazon .. my DS used to receive them as a gift from a kind relative, I would give him the cash for them (which he saved!) and then end up having to find something to buy from Amazon - and morally I prefer not to use Amazon.

British I agree, my DS has significant savings aged 20. Contrast him with a relative who I know received very similar cash gifts over the years... the same age but no savings, debts and a pile of discarded toys, stuff, gadgets, mobile phones, cheap fashion etc etc. It may be dull and boring but I am far happier that my DS has saved up over the years.

When they were little, all our kids’ birthday money etc got put into their child trust funds and that has built into a good sum. Now they’re older, they get control of it and might save a bit and spend the rest. I don’t think there’s a right answer at all OP, it’s up to you. The reason we did it like that was because they had plenty of toys etc when they were young (especially DC2 with all the hand-me-downs etc), and to be quite honest, a lot of toys don’t last long in their novelty and little ones don’t need as much as you think they do. That just what we did though. Maybe a compromise with your DH, half and half?

We’ve done a bit of both…majority’s gone into savings but all the grandparents have said to spend it on things we need for them if we want to. I’ve occasionally used a bit of it to go towards new clothes when they’ve suddenly grown out of everything