To not buy my son any birthday presents?

[bloomingheck1]

Hi all,

It's my sons birthday on the 28th January and he'll be one and I'm tempted not to get him anything due to two reasons really one we're skint, I've had to come out of work due to mental health issues (long story) and the second is because he's the only baby in the family people have really gone OTT with the presents (which is lovely) but he has about 30 new toys and a lot of clothes which I'm so grateful for but then adding more just a month later doesn't seem like a good idea, we will be doing things on his birthday like getting a cake, going to the aquarium and he'll be made a fuss of but AIBU to not get him material presents because I feel a bit bad about it.

Thank you

Absolutely fine - he won't notice or remember, he won't even understand what a birthday is at one year old so any activities or gifts are really for you to enjoy as parents.

Don't feel pressured into spending money you don't have by others - I find more people get judgey about huge expensive parties and presents for a one year old than they do about them getting nothing.

Saving some of the Christmas presents is a good idea. I feel for you, I have two that were born in the first week of January a few days apart, both due on the 4th and one was 2 days early one 2 days late, so I know how expensive it can be. Didn't help that I now have 2 DILs with January birthdays as well.

Enjoy the chaos and have a lovely first Christmas/birthday, I wish I had those days again.

I wouldn't give him anything over Christmas from me and let him have those for his Birthday - he won't recall unless you or someone else makes a thing of it so you just quietly keep yours to one side.

To be honest you could let him open them and then rewrap he would have no idea

DS birthday is just after Xmas. I didn't really do birthday presents for a few years. I used to even ask family for money and get him something in the summer when he was very young (paddling pool etc).

It's fine not to get something now and makes more sense to spread it out IMO.

He's only 1, he won't remember one way or another! Give him a great 'experience' (i.e. trip to park etc.) that makes him happy, that'll be far more rewarding for him than a present.

It's fine, he's 1. Definitely keep some back from xmas. As he gets older you may want to make more of a fuss on his birthday. My son's birthday is 29th jan and we do minimal xmas presents and a good birthday present. Sending love to another parent of a winter baby. I had a c-section and first took my son out for a tentative walk in February snow, I remember it well

Totally acceptable. One year old babies don't need piles of pressies

The absolutely most important thing to your DC is a content and functioning Mother. Please don't worry yourself about what he'll think at 1 year old. As long as he is loved, cuddled, fed and cared for he will thrive. Small kids couldn't give a rats as about presents, it's all done for the parents.
I hope you manage to get your mental health and finances into a shape you are content with in 2022 .

YANBU at all. He is getting plenty of presents and won’t care who or where they came from. Probably won’t care much about the presents full stop to be honest. He will absolutely love the aquarium, the cake and spending time with you though.

If ur skint don't do it. He won't know any better and sounds like he has plenty already. There's not many birthdays u wld get away with doing it but age 1 u def can lol.

WHSmith does treasury books for £6-7

Winnie the Pooh
Peter rabbit
Mr men and little miss

If you want something to keep.

@UsernameInTheTown

The absolutely most important thing to your DC is a content and functioning Mother. Please don't worry yourself about what he'll think at 1 year old. As long as he is loved, cuddled, fed and cared for he will thrive. Small kids couldn't give a rats as about presents, it's all done for the parents. I hope you manage to get your mental health and finances into a shape you are content with in 2022 .

This totally.

For my daughter's first birthday I got a large cardboard box (ask your local supermarket), filled it with 10 different coloured balloons and wrapped it for her to open. She absolutely loved it! Cost pennies!