How many presents do you give your kids?

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Every year i seem to go over board with the kids presents and i really don't feel that they end up appreciating anything that they recieve because they are so overwhelmed in toys. I just wondered how many is enough for your kids to recieve from you, so i can take a look at just how much i need to cut down this year.

I buy lots but never get into debt to do it, I love christmas and get carried away buying for DS (have got very carried away this year)

DS is 6 now though and I reckon after this xmas he will want a more expensive main present which will naturally reduce what else he recieves.

DD will get a main present and a stocking (with about 5 or 6 little things in).

To be honest, I try to be more restrained because it is her birthday a couple of days before Christmas, and she will get presents then too, and it would seem like an excessive amount of stuff otherwise in such a short period. Plus I can't afford it .

She doesn't really get new toys at any other time of the year, but she does get books, crayons, CDs etc throughout the year.

If she had a summer birthday, she would probably get more presents for both birthday and Christmas!

DS gets a stocking for the morning and one big present for the afternoon from us, but he also gets presents from realtives and other people. We try to spread it out a bit because he's only little (will be 3) and he just gets sensory overload from too much stuff.

His birthday is at the beginning of January, and last year he got too much stuff for Christmas so we saved some for his birthday. In fact, I think he opened one present a day between Christmas and his birthday .

On Christmas last year, he opened a couple of things then got to some cheapo, plastic horse figurines (horse-mad) and completely lost interst in opening anything else at all .

They are only little once. Mine love lots of parcels. Doesn't matter what's in them in terms of cost. They would rather have loads of cheap things rather than a ds lite for eg.

at the moment DC are 4 and 2. they get one main present each from us - that will be quite a big present for DC1 this year because of what it is. DC2 will get the same when she's older.

they also get a stocking each but i don't fill it full of practical / cheap tat stuff but really nice smaller gifts - spend about £25 on each of their stockings.

i also don't buy them that much throughout the year but they have GPs, aunts, uncles and godparents so do get quite a lot in total at birthdays and xmas.

i have no doubt as they get older there will be lists being drawn up so we'll probably buy more then if we can afford it. for now we don't need so won't !!

Mine get one from us (DS1 about £200 and DS2 £50) ... under the tree at my parents house. They get a sackful from FC

I dont spend the same amount on them and they dont get the same amount of gifts.

Quite a lot but I'll buy practical stuff too like a new toothbrush and pants and socks and wrap individually so DD has loads to open.

stocking with about 10 very small things like book marks and cocolate coins and pencil sharpeners and pencils.

1-2 bigger gifts like books or jigsaws
then 1 main gift. this year DS1 is getting a scooter amd we are stuck for DS2

We buy loads and I try and make sure they have about the same number. I wouldn't get into debt to buy presents and it isn't showing off because I don't broadcast how much we buy. We don't really buy extras throughout the year though. I don't believe in spoiling children and I think if I bought throughout the year they would take things for granted. I prefer quality toys and not too much cheap tat which is another reason I won't buy all year round.

One main present, the stocking and a few others, maybe five - usually a book, a cheap DVD or two, maybe a scarf or mittens: practical small stuff they need: deoderant and other toiletries, some foody bits they like as a treat just for them (in our case - olives, Pot Noodles, tomato soup, black pudding).

This year I'm doing a "recipe book" for one of mine, hand-writing out all our family recipes - sweet and savoury - as a keepsake.

Our DDs are 4.5 and 20mths, they get one big joint present and a stocking each. The main one this year is a woodland playset, DH and I are aking a big woodland board and buying animals and fairies.