Are we mean not buying our 5 month old a Xmas present??

[newmum36]

As my ds won't actually remember anything about Christmas (being just under 6 months) and will be getting lots of gifts from friends and family I'm inclined not to really buy him anything.....maybe we might add some money to his Child Trust Fund thingy instead. Is that mean? My dh thinks it is but I said next year will be completely different when he's 18 months old (and probably still won't remember but might need a few more things and will have lots of fun with the Christmas paper!!)...what are your views ?

if you want to you could get him a token something .. really before they're about 3 or so the present is more for the parents' joy than the childs

entirely sensible imo .My ds was 3 months for his first xmas,can't remember what we did....see how important it is?!?!

Becky was 7 weeks old last year, and we got her a rattle and some clothes and let he big sister open them (she was only 17 months and enjoyed the paper!)

This year Jess is getting more (2.5yrs) and Becky will get a few little bits but neither of them really know whats going on.

I gather from your name you have just the one child in which case I wouldn't worry about it! I gave my then 2mth old a couple of presents last year for dd1's benefit - didn't want her to think it was all about her. IYKWIM. I sound horrible but my intentions were just to be fair!

Why don't you buy/make some special balls for the tree and that will remind her/you of her 1sr Christmas? You could do little pics of all of you and decorate them.

nope.

what do they know about it??

chill about christmas while you can...

Ooh I like the sentimental bauble thingy - live near a very big hobbycraft so I can make one and then put it in the box of things I'm putting together for him which I will also get sentimental about in 20 years time and he will wonder (til he might have his own children) what I'm getting sentimental about !!!.

buy him a paper bag, that will be fine

...or start a scrap book of photos/memories for him

Get or make a baby's first Christmas ornament.

Are you mean ? - No , just very sensible.
Like the idea about ornament, why dont you go to one of these pottery cafes and do a Christmas plate etc with DS foot/hand prints.

Make the most of one of your last peaceful Christmas for a good few years to come .

He will most likely have more fun with discarded wrapping paper and empty boxes.

We brought our dd last year for Xmas a teddy bear and put some money in her account. She was nearly 3 months. This year we're not planning anything too special (she'll be nearly 15 months) so I wouldn't worry about it!

I would definitely get him a present.

Later on in life he wont care that much about a few extra quid in the child trust fund, but lovely photos of you all opening his presents will be priceless.

I love the bauble idea. Definitely no present. You'll have pics of other presents being opened.

I've got to get my ds something, as he has two big sisters and they are expecting santa to visit all 3.

we were very mean on DS2's first Christmas - he was about the same age but I did wrap up stuff we would have bought him anyway - likea cuple of bibs, 2 jars of food and some spoons in preparation for eating solids!

As you said, he will be bought presents by other people - it's not like he won't get any!

We didn't get DS anything for his first christmas (he was 5 months too). He got sooooo many things from friends and family, and we bought him lots of things leading up to christmas and after, that we felt he could appreciate at the time. He wasn't that bothered, and like the others said, he was just into the wrapping paper, and seeing what everyone else had got really.

no matter what you buy him, all he is going to do is eat the wrapping paper, poke himself in the eye with the toy and
a) stick the box it came in on his head
or b)throw up in it
or a)followed by b)

although this looks very cute when you play the video footage back in years to come and could be worth £250 from youve been framed, you could just let him eat someone elses' pressie and then spend the money you'll save on extra booze.

I have cross stitched dd3 (6 months) a picture and she is getting that for xmas plus some books from dd1 and dd2

[halo emoticon]

I asked this when dd was one! No, don't get him anything, def not!

Only buy something if you think he'll need it before his (summer?) birthday - books or push-along toys for example. But if the rest of your family are covering this angle then stick to the 1st Christmas tree ornament.

It's not mean at all. And you'll get enough photo's of him chewing his presents (or yours) to keep the album up-to-date

Sorry for the hi-jack but...

WWW, glad to see you back

but you miss the point - parents give presents for their own pleasure as well as the child's.
Don't you want the joy of helping your baby open a present on their first Christmas and eat the wrapping paper etc? What's inside the paper doesn't really matter.

ds2 will be 5 months tthis christmas, and I think father christmas will be stopping in the attic to pick up some of ds1's and dd's old toys on his way down the chimney

We will buy ds2 something too, but probably something he needs anyway like a new grobag.

My ds was 3months old last christmas. We got him a nice wooden rattle and a winnie the pooh thing that sings and rides around on a turtle. I dont think it really matters tbh, but we filmed us opening his pressies which is quite nice to look back on. I think a keepsake is a nice idea.

I didn't get my ds anything for his 1st x-mas as he was only 6weeks. He still got loads of presents from family, more than I ever expected at that age actually.
As many people said, you'll still get the joy, excitement & camera oportunities of opening presents with him.
I never regretted that decision ever & he's none the wiser.

Hi My DD is 21 weeks and we've only bought her a token pressie of a cheap toy as we figure she will be spoilt by everyone else!