To think my 2 year old deserves a proper Christmas even if I’m on a budget

[ChooseNight]

So I’m trying to be organised and I’ve nearly done all my Xmas shopping already and I’m honestly quite proud of myself because I’m not made of money and I’ve got everything from charity shops pound stores or Facebook marketplace and I don’t see the point of spending stupid money on toys when you can get loads if you shop smart

So far for my 2 year old I’ve got

big plastic ride on digger from Facebook marketplace 8 pound
12 bath bombs shaped like Xmas trees
4 different tool sets (one has plastic nails and hammers and screws)
huge bag of sweets from Home Bargains
Crayons
Sticker book with 900 stickers
3 soft toys (Cocomelon lion and a random blue bear)
finger paints
playdough set
bubble machine
glow sticks (a whole tub only 3 pound)
one of those microphones that echo REALLY loud
sippy cup with dinosaurs
dinosaur slippers
pack of marbles
face paints
a kids gardening set
plastic tea set
light up bouncy ball
2 stocking fillers full of chocolate coins and candy canes
kids tablet case (I dont have the tablet yet but will get on payday)

All this only cost me about 42 pound altogether which I think is amazing. I still want to get him more for his stocking so maybe some tiny toys from the pound shop, they had bags of bouncy balls for 99p and also small party bag toys which I think he would like

My sister keeps saying I’m over doing it and that he won’t even remember Christmas but that’s not the point is it I want him to have a MASSIVE pile to open so it feels magical. I didn’t have that growing up and I want it to be different for him. I don’t get why people spend like 200 pound on one thing when I can get loads for cheaper

AIBU and should I get MORE or is this enough. I just want Christmas to be proper and special. I don’t think anyone can say I’m being stupid when I’m literally saving money. He will love it.

See...proper memorable! 😃

I'm not super rich but could afford £200 to spend on Christmas presents for my 3yo. I don't though.

My son will receive fewer items than your DC this at Christmas but my partner and I don't want to set a precedent that he'll receive a huge pile of gifts every year. We're also very intentional about what we buy - we look at what he already has, what he enjoys doing/playing with and whether there's anything he needs (e.g. new pyjamas so we'll get him some in whatever character he's into).

We shop smart as we'd prefer to spend the money on experiences. When I look back on my childhood Christmasses, I don't remember what or how many presents I had, I remember the feeling of Christmas - decorating the tree, visiting Father Christmas, going to the panto, or even just popping in to see friends and family.

Your LO might be a little too young for some of these at the moment (although we did take ours to a local Christmas play last year) but I wouldn't put too much focus on presents being the thing that makes Christmas, especially if you're on a tight budget.

Agree with this. It will make you feel good to make up for past christmases to have loads of gifts but your child will just be overwhelmed.

Also at that age I got my daughter a load of wooden toys as they last for ages, also good for selling or donating on. One year I found a massive wooden pirate ship on marketplace that she loved, she had an abacus that she had from being a toddler until after she started primary school. They're the kid of things that they see with new eyes as they get a bit older.

Do not buy more
✅️ for 2nd hand amd bargains
❌️ for sheer volume i'd space these out a bit

This is about inadequency / your feelings as there is way too much stuff already.
If you really need to spent more go to one of those kids place like odds farm or willows farm and visit santa or a garden center type place.
Do things with your child, dont just buy them stuff.

I am not going to get into appropriateness of the gifts but several of them are not suitable amd grown adults dont need this much sugar (hope you have ££££ saved for the dental work!)

For christmas day - this is actually LOADS id give less
1.big plastic ride on digger from Facebook marketplace 8 pound
2.4 different tool sets (one has plastic nails and hammers and screws)
3.Crayons
4.Sticker book with 900 stickers
5.6&7 3 soft toys (Cocomelon lion and a random blue bear)
8 bubble machine
9 one of those microphones that echo REALLY loud

Stocking
sippy cup with dinosaurs
dinosaur slippers
pack of marbles
face paints
light up bouncy ball
2 stocking fillers full of chocolate coins and candy canes

BE ASSURED THIS IS BEYOND ENOUGH!

For december in run up to xmas

• 12 bath bombs shaped like Xmas trees
• glow sticks (a whole tub only 3 pound) we use them in bath and for pre bed discos
• huge bag of sweets from Home Bargains Use these a advent calendar sweets and space them out (polish them off over christmas)

Hold back for Boxing day to NY activities
finger paints
playdough set
a kids gardening set
plastic tea set

Hold back For his birthday - and even then its too young imo
kids tablet case (I dont have the tablet yet but will get on payday)

Most of that tat will be in landfill by new years eve.. Just more shit to add to it then for no reason whatsoever.

I do get your reasoning but I honestly think you've bought plenty. Instead of the tablet which I doubt he'll be very interested in, invest the money in a tree which IS magical or a Christmas outing for you both.

Also as the poster above mentions, it's a balance between being mindful of buying what will be used and enjoyed versus adding to our environmental burden by adding to landfill, where a lot of Christmas gifts end up in January.

You sound like a lovely mum that wants the absolute best for her son.

Please, please don’t buy a tablet for a two year old though. It might just be for 10 mins peace now but it escalates very quickly. I’m an early years teacher and it’s absolutely terrifying the effect tablet use has had on young children. They’re coming into school with drastically reduced communication skills, attention spans and motor skills. It’s heartbreaking. 10 mins (or more!) of TV while you get the dinner on is way less harmful.

It’s obvious from your post that you love your son so much and want to give him the world. Honestly, buying him some books or a toy like the Leapfrog ice cream cart instead of a tablet would be way better for him x

Up to you but I found my daughter would get overwhelmed by lots of presents (and Christmas day in general) until around the age of 4 so we would give them to her over a few days! I've found from experience there is a danger in getting too invested in them loving the presents - and feeling disappointed if they don't seem as happy as you wish.

If you can't be over the top at Christmas, when can you be? Sounds like a lucky boy.

Mine got ipads at 2 as well. No regrets here, just because they have them, it doesn't mean they have to be on them constantly. Plenty of imaginative play and using ipads in moderation.

This. Your list is ridiculous op. Ridiculous.

I think we can all understand your motivations for this, and you are rightly proud to get such a huge load for under £50.

Any swallowing hazards are a no-no - you have this until they are at least three. It's not just the size of the object but also the fact that young children like to put things in their mouths! It's so hard to keep an eye on them.

Those that say two to three quality (educational rather than monetary) are right. The problem with a huge horde is that the child just moves from one toy to the next without spending any time on any one thing. A short attention span is just storing up problems for the future.

I am far from a perfect parent but when money was tight in the early years, we pretty much had one main present. I've lost these memories, but DS got Duplo for his first or second Christmas - that meant we could add to it in future years, and it would last through all our children. Another year he go Brio (or Lidl ripoff), and again we could add to it when a bargain appeared in the shops.

Outdoor toys are great, such as a ball. Also, things that help develop their fine motor skills.

Classic mumsnet. 👍🏼

He wont even remember it or be awed by how magical it is.
Least admits its for you op not him.
Dont be disappointed if he plays with wrapping or box or just one thing. He may get completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff

Sounds like a lot to me, and he is only 2 so won't remember any of this. However, I read a quote the other day, it goes something like it being their childhood, but it's also your motherhood, so if you will get a lot of joy out of this, and you've managed a lot on a small budget, why not?

OP, tip from a mum who's now on her 35th year of doing Christmas for her children/grandchildren, often on a tight budget.
Make as much of the magic as you can from free and low cost things, rather than the gifts. That way the quality of Christmas won't need to depend on how much money you have on any given year.

But its all plastic tat
Ive done the same in the past and half of it is left untouched because theres so much they cant take it all in, kids dont need that much stuff
My daughters room is bursting weve not bought many gifts for the past couple of years, have spent the money on experiences instead that create memorys and have to tell people not to go mad with the presents
Shes 10 now and knows she wont have heaps because she doesnt need it

Depends on the child but mine would have found that overwhelming and it would have ruined it.

PLEASE save the marbles for another year they are far too tempting to put in your mouth and a massive choking hazard.

When my nephew was 3 (he was the first child of that generation, so probably spoilt) he opened his first present and really wanted to play with that. My brother persuaded him open the rest to be polite, but he honestly got bored after opening a few. He just wanted to play with the first ones that he had opened. I've never forgotten that. Now I have my own child I never go over the top. A smaller number of presents she really wants makes her a very happy child.

As kids (1950s) we were allowed one big present which we chose from the local shop and out mother paid off it weekly. There was a strict budget. We got a few other small things in a stocking and a selection box for under the tree. We thought ouselves lucky.

Good for you for sourcing pre-owned things for your child but half of that would have been generous. She will not remember whether its two or twenty two presents.

It's a lot, probably too much. I bought lots for my littles ones 1st and 2nd Christmas and it was wasted, it's fair too much and overwhelming for them at that age. It kids of ruined it tbh, I wish I'd got just a few things so that DC could have enjoyed playing with what they'd got rather than just being distracted by crap everywhere.

I'd keep the tablet case and store it away, can maybe give it, along with a tablet, for his 3rd birthday or next Christmas.

If you wanted to bulk gifts up, wrap up some new clothes that he'll actually need.

You are overdoing it. No child needs that much candy and plastic tat. Most of the latter gets broken and is sent to landfill where it can’t break down. There is plastic in the seas, river and trees. Buy less, buy better. Personally I think crafts supplies and soft toys would have been adequate for such a young child.

I watched a reel yesterday from a man saying I'm going to get all this hate, but too much stuff does overwhelm your children. He made the point that the more stuff they have the more they have to tidy away and kids tidying rooms is often a source of arguments. And that twice as many presents doesn't make them happier. It trains them to want more stuff but not to be happy with it. Also remember the thrill of getting a thing you have wanted for ages? It's so much more exciting.

Two years old? Seriously?

This madness is all about you and your feelings, and not about your two year old child who hasn’t a clue what’s going on in your head. Utterly silly, irrespective of your disposable income.

Haha just read the update, why bloody ask then?!