How many presents per child?

[Shamoy]

Just wondering how many presents your children have to open in total (from you/Santa)

Probably eight or so, maximum, from us, not including stocking fillers. But some of those are quite expensive toys, so I don't feel a bit guilty about quantity.

We get them about 10 each plus a big one and the pjs and book on Christmas Eve. They also tend to get a big present from my parents, my brother and a cousin often gets them sonething great.

Their ten include their clothes for the day, usually a dress up and a board game.

We also have January, February and March birthdays.

I feel hedged in this year with my strategy. Because I try to not buy the kids things outside of birthdays and Christmas I end up saving things all year (Oct/Feb birthdays)....but with young children their interests and obsessions can change a lot in the course of a year.

I wanted to get my son a costume box. I thought of it a year ago. So I started getting bits and bobs for it. Now, a whole year later, I know my son will like the costumes but would probably like some other things more IYSWIM? So I've added more things that I know he would really like to get and would like to get several more things that I think he would get good use out of BUT...it is all too much if you count the costume box - especially if you count each thing in the box separately. I should have gotten the box when I thought of it and built it up here and there over the year.

So next year - no buying in advance of Christmas and I'm going to lax up on buying things during the year so Christmas is not so overwhelming.

My family is going to tut and judge this year though because my eldest will unwrap each costume bit (7+ things) plus about 5 other gifts plus crammed stocking = a lot for a 3 year old.

probably 20 each (big present is dsi (preowned) for DD1 and imaginext jail for DD2 plus they have their stockings. i've spent less than £150 each on them

1 main present each, and around 7/8 smaller items. Might to stockings this year too

5 downstairs under the tree and I think 10 in the stockings, but those are small things. The will also be stuff from family too. Financially I limit it, but I don't want them having mountains of stuff they don't use or play with. It's just right for us as a family.

This thread is making me feel better, I thought I'd gone overboard this year. We were aiming for 5-6 presents each plus a stocking, but i've bought a lot more (I blame the christmas bargains thread for making my money stretch).
My two (2.6 and 9 months) will get 6 tree presents from us each plus a joint present, a joint present from fc plus a stocking with about 12 little things in, a present from each other and a present from the dog (the latter is mad, I know, but a long running family tradition - I got cat-themed presents from the family cats all through my childhood).

In addition they'll get a joint present from dm (but it's a big one, a trampoline!), a present from dbil and family, a present from db and a couple of little presents from dmil (like a sticker book and a choc bar - I am mean so will scoff dd2's choc myself). Probably also a tiny present from 2 or 3 family friends. Dmil and dbil's presents won't be given on christmas day, though, they'll come when we meet up.

That's a grand total of 12 stocking presents, 11 or 12 tree presents and 2 joint tree presents. It's more than.I intended tbh, but in my defence about half the presents I've bought are books that I want to have in the house, and many of the other things (trampoline, toy farm) will get years of use.

10 things in the stocking, all costing less than £5 each. 2 from Santa, 1 from me, 1 from dog and 1 from sibling. They get from other people too and the gifts I buy are all between £30-£50 each I stick to buying just 5 plus stocking as I used to buy loads and then scaled it back once dd was born as was worried one year I would not be able to provide a present mountain and kids would be disappointed.

2anddone thank god someone else buys presents from the dog! I thought I might be considered odd for that.

Well honestly if Santa can bring presents then I can see absolutely no reason why a present from a family per would be odd. It sounds lovely.

We are trying something different this year. last year the 3 DCs got 1 'big' present each from Santa, and about 8 smallish £5- £10 things (not the baby. he didn't get much :-D )

HOWEVER, it was way too much, and it got embarrassing/frustrating, as with all the relatives' presents stacked up too, the pile covered half the room, and the children were getting fed up before they'd even finished unwrapping (last year, DCs were 5.5, 2.5 and 9m.) They didn't seem very grateful/excited about what they had, by the end they weren't even looking at what they had unwrapped, and it just seemed like hideous consumerism, and the DCs seemed really spoilt.

This year we are doing one £20ish present from Santa, one £30ish from us, 2 small things each, and stocking fillers. Hoping for a better balance!

From me- one main present
One secondary present

From sibling a small present

From fc one main and one secondary present and stocking containing approx 15- 20 items (inc choc coins, toothbrushes, soap, bubble bath, tat...)

They also get bigish presents from my parents and sister and godmother and small bits from various other family members.

Mine have two bigger presents each which add up to about £70 per child. It was intended to be one per child but I'm a sucker for amazon! Then I just get them a few little things to wrap and for stockings which will take it up to near £100 per child. It never occured to me to say they were from me and DH and the kids haven't asked (yet) They are 4 and 6.
They are swamped by presents from nanna and grandma as well.

1 from us- a bike, so no opening involved actually.
1 from each other.
About 8 in their sack.

Roughly 8-12 presents each. Eldest DC is getting fewer presents than the younger two as his main present was more expensive. They also get presents from grandparents and other family members.

Oh dear, I feel horribly stingy now. Growing up, I lived in a house where there was no money at all. But I never remember being anything but hugely grateful for everything, so now I have DC's I've tried not to get them lots, but get them things I know they will love. Plus 2/3 of them have December birthdays as well.

So this year there will be a stocking each with little bits, 1 present from us and 1 from each sibling plus about 5 each from relatives. DD1 is getting a bedside table and proper reading lamp, DS is getting a proper scooter and baby is getting clothes as we have a house full if toys already.

I do feel a little bit like a bad parent now but we don't have oodles of cash to burn to be honest.

I don't really count as such. I just buy them a few things that i know they would like. Fewer than 10 things each I would estimate. And o don't have a cost 'target' - eg when DD1 ( I have 3 now) was 3, she asked for a yo-yo, so that's what she got. She was delighted, blissfully unaware of the gross over-commercialization going on across the land.

I know I won't get away with it for long, but so far so good.

They are not exposed to tv adverts, which helps a lot too, so I don't really get pestered for stuff yet. I know that will come, but I'll be striving to keep things simple.

I got loads of presents as a child and I cant remember 80% of them, even all the way up to age 16. I buy stuff I know that every last thing will be appreciated and used constantly.

We have a large family so the children get a lot of presents, I know quite a few people have bought them clothes this year so we won't be overrun with toys.

We don't have much money so we decided to get one good present (the bikes) and the rest is not really cheap tat, ds has a few playmobil sets in his sack, dd a barbie and barbie car, but then they have bubble bath, toothbrush, chocolate. I think we have a good balance.

erm probably about 15 presents each including the main. I don't think ive done each child equally, as 5 year old ds has got more expensive presents, (i spent £20 one one lego figure ffs)

I like a big pile of presents on christmas morning, its that feeling of omg is this for me! that i had when I was growing up. A few things ive bought have been second hand/charity shop and ive used tesco vouchers to buy the majority, so have spent about £100 total of my own money.

Around 20 presents from 'Father Christmas'. Then around 10 from 'us', some from grandparents/cousins etc and a few from friends.