Spending different amounts for main presents for DC?

[shallweshop]

My 9 year old DD wants a space scooter for Xmas and the cheapest i have found is £99. 7 year old DS would like a sparks one which is considerably cheaper (around £35). The combined amounts are really as much as I want to spend on main presents but is it mean to spend more on DD? For the past few years they have had exactly the same main present but I just think that DS won't know how much we've spent and as long as he gets what he wants does it matter?

the kids wont care, I try to match number of gifts rather than cost. Its a bit like if they both wanted £80 gift but one was in the sale and 1 not - I wouldn't then try and make up the difference iyswim

Hmmmm, I'm a bit undecided on this one. I think it depends how money conscious they are ie will they notice.

My brother's birthday is quite close to Xmas and would occasionally get presents as a combined Xmas / birthday present, which meant he got a really big present in comparison to me and my sister at Xmas, which we found very unfair. We didn't quite "get" that we all had the same overall, or that he was jealous of our later birthdays because we would get two presents a year instead of one!

I think you could always balance it out with any smaller gifts if you were worried, so maybe the child with a cheaper scooter gets a couple of slightly more expensive stocking fillers. I think it would be pretty impossible to balance it out completely!

They won't know and it tends to even out over time.

DD1 wears adult clothes/shoes and DD2 doesn't, and that leads to wide discrepancies given woman 12 DD1 doesn't fit cheap stuff well (Next, M&S adult jeans, animal hoodies are twice the price of H&M kids).

But it won't be forever, DD2 will grow, DD1 will go off to university and perhaps find a job (sees pigs flying)

I dont know the brands but do they both look like good quality scooters ? If so I wouldnt worry or as the earlier poster said put a couple more expensive things in their stocking.

I have 4 DC and I don't balance gifts out money wise, they will all have the same number of presents to open though. DD1 wants a Flickr scooter at £80, DD3 wants one at £20. DD2s 2 main presents cost £250, DSs £60 but it's what they want.

Thanks all. I think I will go by number of presents rather than the cost. I know DS won't be any the wiser and will just be pleased to get what he's asked for.

I'm working on the basis that it will even itself out eventually.

We aren't getting dd anything big for Xmas, as she is 1 and has all of ds toys to play with. However, we want to get her a playhouse for the garden for her second birthday and that probably equals what we have spend on ds over the years.

I think as long as it evens itself out over the years across birthdays/ christmas it is fine. And as long as the price discrepancy is not obvious. Clearly if you always spend ££££ on one and not the other then it isn't fair.

Ive often spent different amounts on my 3, I'm sure it will work out fairly even in the end. Last year DS2 got a laptop as I thought it was a good time as he had just started his GCSE's. This year DS3 is getting a playstation 4 so his present will be the most expensive. I don't try and match up the money as would simply be spending money for the sake of it.

Depends on ages as well if one DC is 10 and getting an Xbox but one is 3 and getting a toy, IMO that's fine.

My mil took this to new levels last year by putting a couple of pound coins in an envelope for one of my three dc last year (actually, the youngest who would have been happy with a wrapped up empty box). The other two had presents up to her specified amount. The other was a bit short so she made up the difference in money for them. The other 2 were quite put out that the younger one had a present as well as money, it just doesn't matter to them how much is spent, they have no idea and the longer that continues the better.

I've always matched numbers ( roughly)not cost and mine are old now and I've never had any problems I figure it evens out over the years .

I do this a lot.

DS1(12) needs/wants a laptop and a new watch. £220
DS2 (6) would like a scooter - £15
DD (5) wants a Doc McStuffins doll and a doctors set. Got them both for £15 from Argos.

They will all be happy and they wont care what its cost.

For the last couple of years DD2 (DC3) has had fewer presents than her siblings, she also had a nap while we opened presents so it didn't show.

This year she has the most, but not the most money. DS currently has the least, but is getting my iPad when I get a new iPad mini for Christmas (which is wrth more than all the DD's presents combined.

Same amount of presents given but completely different amounts spent here.
My oldest is DD 13 my youngest is DS3 19 months. There's no way I'm getting DS3 an IPad mini's worth of colourful plastic/wood
It works out fair in the end as I probably spent the same amount on DD at the same age as I have done on him this year.

Yet another reason to be grateful I only have one child .

I agree that it's quantity of presents that matters at this age - mine have no concept of the cost of presents but would go mad if one had fewer to open than the other! Mine are 4 and 6, DS1's main present cost £14 and DS2's cost £40, but they will both be thrilled to have got exactly what they want, and it certainly evens out over the year, plus they both play with each other's stuff anyway.

I have also always gone by equal number of presents, children rarely understand the value of money but if their sibling has 3 presents to their 1 they perceive unfairness.

I have always judged it by eye, so numbers/sizes of presents are roughly equal rather than price.

With your specific scooter example the cost is irrelevant - they are both getting a scooter, and are each getting the particular one they really want.

I always tend to make sure they have similar amounts to open and not worry about the same amount of presents.

My eldest is 7. She is having a bike with matching bell and helmet which came to £99

My youngest is 3. She always loved the DJ/Break dancing Mickey mouse and we were lucky to get that for £35 which was half of RRP in the argos sale a couple of months ago.

I know they will be equally pleased with what they have got.

And to be fair my eldest presents have come to about £250 and my youngest maybe £120-150. If I had spent the same on youngest she would have ended up with loads and loads more as I find the younger they are the cheaper the gifts seem to be.