AIBU not to buy 8 month old Xmas presents

[Movingstressangst]

It will be my baby's first Christmas and I'm so excited for things like the lovely family time and seeing his reaction to the Christmas tree.

But ... I'm completely stuck on what to get him! He's sort of between stages, where he has all the walker/bouncers etc, but isn't ready for the next phase. Money is also obviously tight with mat leave. Part of me thinks that with our big extended family he'll be totally overwhelmed by new things, but will I regret not getting him anything 'big' for his first Christmas?? I have got him a few very little bits (maybe<£30). What did others do? He's honestly chuffed with a bit of foil to play with 🤣.

Go for it! Let him play with the wrapping paper and he'll be happy.

Kids are happy with a box and playing with wrapping paper. They don't NEED extravagant gifts!

We didn’t with our 4 month old. We were skint and she didn’t know, we bought her 1 special thing to keep and then family bought things for her. Even last year at 16 months we only bought a handful because she didn’t understand still and didn’t need anything.

If you really want to get him something, maybe buy a small keepsake marking his first xmas. But otherwise no don't worry he certainly won't!

Of course that's fine. He'll have no idea. I have no idea what we bought ours for their first Christmas.

I didn't buy mine anything for their first Christmas - they didn't need anything and they got plenty from other people (too much really). Definitely was way more interested in the wrapping paper than any present. They are adults now...and have had plenty since, zero regrets on this one!

For my daughters first Christmas we did this, she was getting loads from family, I wrapped up the next size swimming costume that I'd bought as she was needing it. She was much more interested in playing with wrapping paper than anything else anyway!

With my son a few years later we couldn't get away with doing the same as his big sister wanted him to have lots of presents like her!

Thanks, yes the 'special thing to keep' is what I suppose I'm worried about. I'm very sentimental and like the idea of there being something that we have to represent his first Christmas. But I guess that doesn't need to be a big thing!

Get him a cute bright outfit and give him space to where revel in all the wrapping papers.
Take pictures of him trying Christmas fare. Get him a photo on Santa's knee and a photo with the Christmas tree.
Play Christmas Carols. It is a time of experiences.
He will be spoilt with gifts - that is true.

Relieved that others are of the same mindset, and I'm not a Mummy Grinch 😂

DD2 was only 3mo for her first Christmas but I couldn’t not get her presents because DD1 at 6yo would have asked questions. She was really into her birthday this year now she’s 3 so I think will get Christmas a lot more. Even last year she got bored of opening presents pretty quickly.

What about having a look on Facebook marketplace or charity shops for baby toys you could wrap up? Doesn’t need to be masses. At 8mo, he’ll either love or get bored of unwrapping very quickly so maybe choose some shiny paper to play with.

I bought all my children a Christmas bauble to celebrate their first Christmas, I was going to give them their own once they bought a tree but I kept them - too many memories!

I'm a big advocate for not buying Christmas gifts for babies - they get plenty from other people!

DD2 was 6 weeks old for her first Christmas so when people asked what to get her we gave them things for the next few months that we knew she'd need - my SIL bought DD2s high chair for her first Christmas!

Get something like a nice stocking or a plate for santa which you can use every year.

We wouldn't get away with that because 5yo DS would be distraught that Santa had thought his little sister had been naughty 😂 we did the want need wear read for his first Christmas so it wasn't overwhelming with presents (family go stupid anyway) they've got the same amount of presents but DD will probably play with the wrapping paper and DS will probably play with her presents more than his own!

DD will be 10 months at Christmas, we've got her a spinny rainbow, indestructible books, a walker, an activity cube, chunky puzzles, that sort of thing but it sounds like you've got similar small presents anyway 😊

Absolutely fine! Get something nice as a keepsake if you can - I like the footprint baubles we did with ours when they were tiny - but that’s for you, baby really doesn’t need anything! Especially if you have wider family who will get presents.

DT’s were nearly six months their first Christmas - don’t think we bought them anything and the following year at 18 months old - the best present which got played with the most was a cardboard box !

If you want a keepsake then I’d get a nice bauble for the tree. My Gran got us one every year and they’re lovely to have

I don't think you need to buy for a baby unless it's something practical that you'll need anyway (the previous suggestions of a swimsuit, high chair etc). If you have any spare cash at all it's far better for baby and for you to save it for the future.

A pp has suggested a Christmas tree decoration though, which I was going to say too. Either to mark this year only or to set up a tradition of adding another one each year.

We didn’t go nuts for my 8 month old Christmas last year. We bought things that we would keep and use yearly so a Christmas Eve box with bells since she loved the bells, a little stocking, a personalised plate and a personalised Christmas bauble. We bought a little teddy bear and she was over the moon Christmas morning but definitely had more fun playing with the wrapping paper!
She was also overwhelmed by presents from family and was very luck to get lots of lovely things.

Do what you feels right, don’t feel any guilt over it all! They won’t remember it but you will, my favourite parts were her seeing the tree, going out to look at Christmas lights and playing with some decorations.

No, you're just not buying into the hype ! It's not about gifts and they don't know or need it !

Our 'special thing to keep' was a new tree decoration, so super cheap and the kids love seeing their one every year. If your feeling crafty you could even make something. The year my second was a baby, I made some salt dough decorations with her brother, so her first Christmas decoration is a cut out stars with her hand print squashed in.

Bit you HAVE got him presents - thirty quids worth of presents!
Add in a "baby's first christmas" teeshirt or bauble or similar if you want a momento.

For the first Christmas I think I just hid a couple of their toys for a couple of weeks, then wrapped them up so they could enjoy the unwrapping and seeing the toys again if they remembered. I was more generous when they were older!

I'm now wondering what I got my children for their first Christmas. Absolutely no idea!