Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Is 21 months old enough?

12 replies

KathrynKampbell · 02/11/2013 18:44

Dd will be 21 months for December and I was just wondering if she will be old enough to understand any of it yet? I mean stuff like Father Christmas, leaving his milk (gin?) and carrots for Rudolph, a reusable advent calendar, Christmas themed books/DVDs, elf on a shelf type stuff. Or will it just kind of pass her by a bit still?

She's my pfb so I want to make it special but I don't want to stress myself if she won't even notice Grin

OP posts:
crazykat · 02/11/2013 18:54

Understanding Father Christmas will probably pass her by. IME mine loved advent calendars (chocolate ones) and Christmas themed books/DVDs at that age. I've never done elf on a shelf so not sure about that.

I've also always got then new pjs and DVD for Christmas Eve - mostly so they look nice in the photos we took of them opening presents.

heidihole · 02/11/2013 18:58

Pretty sure it'll pass her by. DS will be 19m and not expecting any awareness to be apparent!

wonderingsoul · 02/11/2013 18:58

fc will prob pass her by.. but that doesnt mean she wont enjoy the advent callander and such for what they are.. she just wont get why. she prob wont rmeber it but she will enjoy it still.

snakeinthebrantub · 02/11/2013 19:01

I was planning on taking ds to see Father Christmas this year, he will only be 11 months, but I am excited to see it all as well, and u figure he will like seeing all the lights and decorations, plus our local grotto have real reindeer that you can stroke. It might pass him by but the memories are for all

Cluelessat30 · 02/11/2013 19:02

The majority of it will pass her by but make sure you hang any 'jingly' ornaments at the bottom of the tree :-).

attheendoftheday · 02/11/2013 20:01

Some will pass by, but dd1 was 18 months last christmas and understood a fair bit. She understood her reusable advent calendar, and would ask for her present in the morning. She was ok with meeting fc, but I don't think she really understood. She loved the tree, and she woke up on christmas morning saying "presents", so she got the general idea. She enjoyed giving presents to other people.

She's 2.5 now and can remember the advent calendar, so it must have made an impression.

Original poster
KathrynKampbell · 02/11/2013 21:16

Ah I think I'll make the effort then if she will still enjoy it even if she doesn't quite understand it! It can be my practise run haha! And I didn't think about memories, I mean, ill remember it!

OP posts:
ShowOfBloodyStumps · 02/11/2013 21:26

DS was 2 in September and he knows enough about Christmas to have the following conversation with his sister yesterday...

DS: Oi?
DD: Don't say oi
DS: Scuse me?
DD: Better. What?
DS: What Father Christmas bring you?
DD: Wisdom
DS: What wisdom?
DD: You're too young to have it
DS: Father Christmas bring me cake and gingerbread
DD: Will he?
DS: Yes mine cake in mine stocking
DD: It might get squashed
DS: [laughing] Rudolph sit on mine cake!
DD: You do know Christmas is about the baby Jesus and not presents?
DS: What baby Cheeses?

I swear this was going on in the car yesterday while we were driving to Aldi. DS knows and has known for a couple of months that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and leaves presents in stockings. He knows that Christmas- and I quote -is 'time to love'. He knows that you buy presents for people you love and he sees things and asks to buy them for people. He also instructs me to 'hide them' and 'wrap them'. Of course he has a big sister which helps as she tells him all about Christmas.

DD was 19 months for her second Christmas and she loved it. We have some video of her saying that Father Christmas has been and left her a toy train. She happily unwrapped things, tried to sing carols and danced and generally whirled round with excitement.

I reckon 96% of it will be for your benefit, but why not?

WaitMonkey · 02/11/2013 21:34

Too little. But don't worry your time will come. Grin

StarvingBookworm · 02/11/2013 21:35

It will probably pass her by TBH, but I think now is the time to start traditions that you want to continue. My DD was 18m at her second Christmas and although she said "wowee!" opening things, she really wasn't too bothered, and there were too many toys for her, she was overwhelmed! I thought she got it more at 2y 6m the next year but last year (3y6m) it really kicked in!

So though (IMO) it's a bit wasted to do too much with a child of that age, have fun and enjoy it - it will be so much more fun with a 21mo than it was with a 9mo! Smile

cottoncandy · 02/11/2013 21:38

My DS was 21 months at Christmas 2 years ago. He got quite a lot of it - we left a mince pie for FC and carrot for rudolf and he was very excited to see they had gone and presents arrived! I think it depends on him.

snappybadger · 02/11/2013 21:54

My ds was that age last Christmas and he did enjoy it and participate, but I don't think that he really "got" it. He would point out things like snowmen and go "carrot nose!" and he enjoyed pulling things off the tree and opening presents (slowly) and we did watch some Christmas films like the Snowman.

This year he will understand a bit more about it and will probably get quite excited, but I'm sure it will still be another year or so before he really gets it.

I had an elf on the shelf last year but didn't use it as he just wouldn't have got it and would have wanted to play with it like a regular toy. We had a wooden advent calendar but I didn't actually put anything in it! Undecided about what to do this year - just activities or some choccies too.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page