Christmas for 1-year-olds... bad not to get proper presents?

[Linguaphile]

Our girls are 14 months old and not even remotely aware of the whole 'presents at Christmas' concept. Is it bad to just buy the new shoes and rain gear/wellies they so desperately need and just fill the rest of the space under the tree with a few charity shop things like wood puzzles? Their doting grandparents love to spoil them and tend to spend loads (more than we can afford, anyway), so all the random itemsbig ticket and otherwisethat kids their age might like (ride-ons, etc) will still be under the tree, albeit from grandparents.

Feel a bit of a grinch for only getting sensible gifts that we'd buy anyway as some friends of ours really go all-out with this sort of thing, but aren't they just happy getting to rip apart the wrapping paper?

Absolutely don't feel bad! They don't know anything about it and will be getting the things they need, which is the most important thing. Plenty of year in the future for expensive demands from Santa

id deffo get something little one needs im buying only toys that will be of use in the next few months and up as my little boy just turned 1 a few weeks back im not spending much either because theirs no need to £100 x

Definitely not! My DS will be 6 months on Christmas Eve and he is getting a bath seat, highchair, bibs, spoons/pots/bowls etc for starting weaning and baby grows in the next size. ie everything he needs and we'd be buying anyway. Will do the same next year when he's 18 months. He's not going to know - I will still wrap them up so it seems like he has presents and he can attempt to rip the paper off. Leave the toys etc for family to buy if they insist and get them things they need anyway!

Absolutely fine. Dd was one last Xmas and we only got her a few little presents. Even so she had so much from grandparents etc that she was opening presents for weeks afterwards.

It's fine but you have to get then this
www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/9151675.htm

I remember my little girl when she was 15 months. I did her a little stocking with a few charity shop toys plus a tangerine and a some chocolate coins etc.

She spent the whole day stacking the chocolate coins. refused to have anything to do with any of her other presents. cried when we tried to get her to take the paper off pils presents. just wanted her coins.

after dinner when dh took the foil off the big one to let her eat the chocolate, she was inconsolable. just wanted the foil back on!

It was very sweet actually. After that, until my dcs were about 4/5 I eeked out the presents (we have large families on both sides) so they could have a few a day from xmas day onwards and didn't really buy them anything myself apart from a small stocking from Santa.

They really can get very overwhelmed.

I spent so little on them when they were little I feel quite justified in spending on the expensive presents they want now they are older.

I say that is fine, but I got my not quite 1yr old a stair gate for her first Christmas. At that age she got most of her enjoyment from the wrapping paper, and there was a lot of paper to unwrap on the stair gate! Like you, she didn't need any big things, didn't know or care about Christmas and was spoilt by other relatives. We did get her some small toys too.