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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU baby's first Christmas

101 replies

USaYwHatNow · 29/10/2022 22:49

Would IBU to not buy my baby (who will be 4 months old) any Xmas presents, specifically? I was planning on putting him in some cute new Xmas pj's, maybe getting a 1st Xmas bauble for the tree but aside from that...? 1st baby so not sure if I'm being a meanie 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
Inasec24 · 30/10/2022 06:23

The bauble is a nice idea, I also got my 2 (who were both August so same as yours) a Teddy each for their first Christmas with the year on the foot. Mine came from Disney store and they still have them

AmIThatMam · 30/10/2022 06:25

My birthday is 2 weeks before Christmas and my parents rewrapped birthday presents for the first few years!
your idea sounds lovely. I genuinely can’t remember what my 1st 2 for for their first Christmas ( they would have been 5 & 7 months.) but I do remember and of course still hang every year their baubles. My 3rd will be 11 months and we will do similar to you.

BogRollBOGOF · 30/10/2022 06:43

DS1 had no presents. It was about a 50:50 chance whether he'd have been born by Christmas. He was slightly early and home from hospital but the whole thing was a low-key hormonal soup.
The following Christmas, his favourite bit was Christmas Dinner.

DS2 was 8m so we wrapped up some of the existing baby toys that had been out of circulation for a while. It seemed daft to re-buy the same kinds of things for the sake of it.

Bobbins2022 · 30/10/2022 06:46

YANBU. It's entirely up to you and how you intend to approach toy buying.

I tend to get DC stuff that they will grow into over the year. So I would probably get things like stacking cups and a soft ball, some books and weaning stuff. But that's because I love Christmas.

It also depends on what family are likely to get them. My advice is to try and coordinate what family will get if you can. I started doing that after DS's 1st Christmas when we ended up with 3 singing dogs!

TenoringBehind · 30/10/2022 06:50

YANBU. The baby won’t know or care.

Dreamingcats · 30/10/2022 06:53

Yanbu.

Mine was 10 mp and I bought them one thing. Grandparents went mental and got them 30 gifts, it was way too much.

hesbeingabitofadick · 30/10/2022 06:53

I wouldn't buy much either.
Just remember...this is the least expensive Christmas (gift wise) you'll have Xmas Smile

Mariposista · 30/10/2022 06:53

You sound very sensible. He is far too young to understand it’s Christmas anyway. Dress him up cute, take a pic on Santa’s knee and enjoy actual Christmas stuff with the adults of the family.

ScreamingFrog · 30/10/2022 06:56

I had Covid last year for my sons first Christmas… I spent most of the day in bed.

Anyway, to this day I am reminded by MIL that I ruined ‘her first Christmas as a grandparent’. Apparently - and this is a direct quote - I didn’t consider her feelings when I caught Covid….

ItsJustASimpleLine · 30/10/2022 07:16

I was due 1 week before Xmas. We bought a book and wrapped it so baby had someth8ng from 'Santa' it was a Christmas book which is now a tradition to read on Xmas eve.

However Baby 2 weeks late and born on New Years Day so the book stayed wrapped until the following Xmas.

ItsJustASimpleLine · 30/10/2022 07:17

*Baby was 2 weeks late

Snowpaw · 30/10/2022 07:21

My DD has just turned 4 and I think this is the first Christmas she will really "get it". Last Christmas perhaps, but she wasn't interested in opening presents at just turned 3 and we spread out all the stuff people bought her over a few days of opening. I really wouldn't spend much on children under 4! Just one or two toys related to what they're interested in, or some books / paints etc. Simple stuff.

Willbe2under2 · 30/10/2022 07:44

YANBU, DD was 4 months last year and we got her a couple of small bits (teethers etc) for a stocking, a first Christmas bauble and a first Christmas teddy. This year we're not getting her anything exciting either - just a few clothes etc and will leave the exciting toys to family 😆

ShoesEverywhere · 30/10/2022 07:45

Mine has a £2 charity shop latch board and some books from charity shops for his stocking.

The older ones have £500+ of Lego and other stuff. Make the most of babyhood!

Boxofsockss · 30/10/2022 07:46

I did the same last year (although some family members did make me feel like a cheapskate!) You buy them everything they need anyway for the first few months which is so expensive and relatives buy them lots of toys etc for Christmas. Babies don’t need much entertainment at that age.

Green4567 · 30/10/2022 07:47

Cute pjs and a first Christmas bauble is perfect!

cravingmilkshake · 30/10/2022 07:54

Last Christmas our daughter was 2 years and 5 months and we had 12 week old twins. We didn't buy anyone anything and yet there was so many presents under the tree for them all from friends and family!

We will buy them presents this year though.

Enjoy your Christmas! X

Bbqchicken · 30/10/2022 07:58

I'd probably buy a couple of things they can play with 6months+ stacking cups or simular maybe you buy 1 gift and DH buys 1 gift for the baby that way neither of you knows what it is. Maybe wrap some stuff up from around the house pack of baby wipes, some nappies just so there is something under the tree or from Santa, however you celebrate it. I love Christmas though and love looking back on the photos and videos.

inappropriateraspberry · 30/10/2022 08:02

I wouldn't get anything either! You'll likely be overwhelmed with stuff from family and friends, and at 4 months how are they going to know! We didn't get a lot for ours at their first Christmases, I think I might have wrapped up some clothes that they needed anyway.

ABJ100 · 30/10/2022 08:07

Who is going to say you are mean? Stop buying into this nonsense of what you should or shouldn't be doing and let common sense prevail.

DoloresOnTheDottedLine · 30/10/2022 08:15

I’m quite sentimental so bought my DD a nice book for her first Christmas (far too nice and advanced for her to actually engage with at that stage so not a very practical choice) and wrote in the front - she’s 4 now and only just old enough to enjoy the book (which was a hardback version of lots of fairytales) but she loves it and always makes me read the words I wrote at the start to her. So, you are definitely NBU to not get them anything m but if you’re a softy like me, maybe nice to get baby a little something to keep (and a book is always a winner I think). Hope you have a lovely Christmas!

DuoLingoMakesMeBingo · 30/10/2022 08:18

Yanbu, think of it from perspective of 4 month old. All they want for Christmas is you!

glittereyelash · 30/10/2022 08:18

My baby was less than a month old for his first Christmas. We hot him a baby beanbag chair he had some great naps in it.

SkylightSkylight · 30/10/2022 08:24

User359472111111 · 29/10/2022 23:32

Absolutely fine. The world is full of stuff destined for landfill. You are respectful of your DCs future by not buying crap you don’t need.

Or you can buy something that's not destined for landfill. I'm 53, I still have the present I was bought for my first Christmas.

@USaYwHatNow It's not 'unreasonable' not to, but I do treasure my 🐻😍

whatthefigishappeningoutside · 30/10/2022 08:38

DS will turn 4 just before Christmas this year and it is the first year we've bought him a proper present. He gets so much from other people, the last couple of years he has no idea who has given him what. Last year I did a stocking for him and that went down well but he didn't notice that there was no 'big present' from us.
For his birthdays (2 weeks before Christmas) I have set up a donation to a new charity each year, the kind that send a cuddly something and regular updates. This really isn't me virtue signalling, he loves receiving the updates and that's why I do it!

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