At what age do you start giving presents 'from' your dc's?

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Thought I was sorted on Christmas presents until I saw on another thread that someone was getting her DH something from the DCs.

I do this for DH's birthday but for some reason it hadn't occured to me to do it for Christmas. DD is 4. Surely a nice drawing from her will be the best thing? I don't expect DH to get me anything 'from' DD.

And what about grandparents, aunts cousins? Argh.

Just give your DD a fiver and let her loose in a shop - it'll be hilarious! That's what I do with mine, also 4.

Apart from the hilarity, it's also very honest and sweet.

My 2 have always done it! When they were babies I gave GPs and XH (was DH then ) something they'd made - like a plate or bauble from the pottery painting place with handprints/footprints on it and the year written on. Or a Xmas dec with their photo in, framed photo that kinda thing. As they got a bit older I've taken them to the £1 shop where they can choose whatever they like for relatives and friends - it gets very amusing at times!!! Now they're a bit older they have to save their pocket money to buy the presents - not much at £1 a present but hope it teaches them a bit about saving fr Xmas as they both love the buying, wrapping etc

In our house, Father Christmas give stockings. Everyone else gives everyone else a present. The very smallest get something choose to give (eg under 2s) then they get guided, so go shopping with Daddy for Mummy and vice versa, either can guide for siblings. At school age they often have made use of the secret santa at school (a room at the fair where they buy a present and wrap it), or siblings help.
Teenagers have been known to be sent into town with money and told to buy (Mummy usually) a present.

Its all about learning to appreciate other people, and to show you care etc. But thats why we do presents anyway.

I never bothered when they were very small. As they got bigger they helped make cakes, mincemeat, sweets etc for GP, and DH. DH would take them off shopping to get them out of the way to buy a gift for mummy on Christmas eve. From about 7 they saved money to buy small gifts for close family. As teenagers they are reminded who they need to buy presents for......not a bar of choc from Tesco Express on 24th!

why can't I cross out!

i'll probably "donate" a present that ive bought for my ds (2) to give :o although letting him loose in poundland does sound like soooo much fun

My 2 Dds are given money to buy presents for people at Christmas. Usually £5 per person. Not much, but enough to teach the girls the importance of giving. They have already started talking about what they are going to buy people. I personally think it is just as important a part of christmas as receiving presents, so I've done it since they were little, and they also make small gifts too.

I always have given DP something "from" DS. Usually I just choose one of the things that I was going to give him and label that from DS instead. This year, we are also making a special card for DP (as well as colouring cards for other family members) as I want DS to start understanding about the importance (and joy!) of giving gifts.

hmmn, now giving DD money to spend... I'm sure Dh would love a pair of sparkly pink deeley boppers

I agree it's important to learn to give. Perhaps we could cook something nice together.

We have only done it for the last couple of years since DD turned 4 and she always chooses food to buy her daddy e.g Crunchy nut cornflakes (his fave) or hob nobs. Now she gets pocket money (60p a week) those items are actually quite expensive for her so this year she has bought him a fridge magnet with a frog on it as he loves frogs for £1 and she will probably get him his fave choc bar too when she has saved up again. For Grandparents a picture is the best present they can receive as they are so personal.

My DH and i don't really buy each other presents but just a token thing and we don't go crazy on buying DD age 6 lots of stuff either as we tend to buy what she needs during the year and she has such simple requests that i think it's lovely to not go mad while she is young - plenty of time for that when she is a teenager and wants electrical presents. She asked Santa last year for a fridge magnet and her fave nuts. We did buy lots of cool things in Hawkins bazzarre today though which are funny and pocket money priced to go in her stocking and she will love that.

I remeber having £1 to spend on my gran, and I got her a plastic shower cap and a pack of sweets. My choices were totally budget related! I was a bit older though, and it was my pocket money I was spending.

Ds makes crafty items (calanders, xmas decorations, things to hang on tree, decorated shopping bags, pencil pots etc Plus the bags to put them in and xmas cards) Lots of ideas at www.yellowmoon.org

He makes for grandparents, aunties and me generally.

Sorry link not right, try here
www.yellowmoon.org.uk/

Ours always did it from being little. Before they received pocket money, they were given a pound to buy something for myself/OH. It might get a favourite choc bar or a new Bic biro or something small from a poundshop but it taught the value of buying presents and wrapping etc. Now they have pocket money they have to work out their own budget but are told not to spend too much, just a couple of pounds at present. They are expected to buy for us and their siblings. One likes to also buy a little something for my parents. In their younger days I had to go to town with each one separately and help them with ideas/purchases; then OH would take them all to get the little presents for me.

They put them in the stockings on Christmas Eve, ready for Father Christmas to add his presents later on.

This is just the thing Poundland was invented for - a shop in which you can let them pick whatever they like for Daddy.

We've done it from birth :o (in fact we may have even done it before birth)

But ATM it's not really them choosing, I think This'll be the last year where I just choose something little (DD is 3), next year I expect DD will choose.

Best Xmas card DH ever got was a record-your-own-message one when DD was 18m, I got her to say Daddy, so cute :o

We have quite a nice tradition I think. As DH and I both have our stockings from when we were little, and they know Father Christmas doesn't come to adults, the DC go out shopping with me to fill DH's stocking, and go out with DH to fill mine. It's a fun shopping trip, and they love deciding what to buy us. These stockings are hung already filled on Christmas Eve next to their empty ones.

"Just give your DD a fiver and let her loose in a shop - it'll be hilarious"

I nearly got a figure of George Weasley doing this one year - luckily I intercepted ds at the till.

We have always done presents from the kids - its important to us that they see Christmas is as much about giving as receiving (don't mean to sound sanctimonious sorry )
Mostly hand made for dp and grandparents. Couple of quid in the local fete for something for me (have a wonderful collection of jigsaws)

When I was a single parent I gave DS money and used to take him into a chemist shop that had a Christmas section. I waited out of sight. The assistant then told him what sort of thing he could afford (he was under 5 yrs) and he chose and she gift wrapped-he put it under the Christmas tree. It worked well, he felt grown up, it was a surprise, I ended up with something suitable.

That;s lovely piscesmoon! My 2 got upset about being able to buy for me when their dad left but thanks to lovely GPs and friends we've always managed it!! The £1 shop shopping is always a highlight of our festive season!! Total mayhem and unsuitably hilarious gifts at times but it brings a !!

We have always done this right from the start. First we bought the gifts, But when they got to around 4 years old Iwe would both go out with them and let them choose.
As they got a bit older they started buying us stuff at theChristmas fair so we quite ofetn ended up with some odd stuff.
We were glad when they were old enough to go into town and buy us more aensible presents.

The point of my post was really to say (I somehow missed it) that you should start when they are old enough to help buy it and wrap it. If you buy it and wrap it, and just put it from them, there is no real point.

I think it's important if they have guidance when they're little - to get them to think "what does Mummy/Daddy like? what might they find useful?" To teach them that you don't just buy something you like yourself, but something that someone else will appreciate. Even if it's just Mummy's favourite Wispa bar. Better than free rein in a shop and being bought something totally funny but essentially pointless.