I only have £50 to spend on DS age 3.5 from us & Santa

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My DS is 3.5 yrs and I'm so stuck what to buy as our Christmas budget is limited to £50. He's into his vehicles, emergency services, paw patrol. Should I get one present from us and a few bits from Santa ? Sweets to pad it out from Santa? Please help with some ideas

The Poundland near me has little Octonaut figures (and figures-in-vehicles, those different sea subs they have) - they’re pretty cute, a couple would probably just right for a 3yr old’s stocking. They also do some Paw Patrol stuff.

What about this wooden car garage from you www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-wooden-car-park-garage/p4269755?sku=238034697&s_kwcid=2dx92700046625848578&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9fntBRCGARIsAGjFq5FHC9EKWJRIPWLdeRCJyRzdIDI9x8oSfU-9rmK5vZq9In2q5ncl7FgaAjnAEALw_wcB

At £28 that leaves £22 for stocking fillers from Santa, we only ever did stocking from Santa.

Yes I agree £50 is plenty. DS has a Christmas birthday (turning 4) and we are probably spending £150 in total, so around £75 for birthday/Christmas. And we are buying fairly pricey things like 2 playmobil sets, Magformers. We could easily spend less, but I feel a bit sorry for him having a Christmas birthday!

Second hand is definitely your friend and to be honest I feel it's better sometimes. I got a load of Octonauts toys for DS in the summer second hand, £18 for an Octopod, figures, a few gups. DS only plays with them sporadically now although they got a lot of play time initially, so it was definitely not worth buying new!

My ds will be 4 just after Christmas and he is very sure that all he wants is green slime and blue slime, green paint and blue paint. I can most definitely do that for under £50 (actually under £10) and I know he will have the best christmas ever getting all he dreams of.
Don't be pressured into feeling you have to spend lots. At that age they dont understand the cost and too many presents can be overwhelming anyway.

In our house, Santa just fills the stockings. So Poundland etc are your friends! A load of toy cars, sweets and chocolate in the stocking. Just wrap every single thing up - that's the best bit at that age! Then a couple of gifts from you. Like others say, he won't remember it anyway! Don't think you have to spend a fortune. They outgrow it all so quickly and he'll probably not be interested in it by next Xmas!

Also, it's good for them to learn they don't get everything they ask for. Last year my then 3 year old had a long list, including a scooter. She got it all apart from that. Yes, she mentioned she hadn't got it, but then surprise! What appeared on her birthday in March? She was over the moon.

Get a huge box from somewhere and last thing on Christmas eve fill it with balloons then wrap it up. Make sue you have some paper plates (for wheels), glue, paint etc so you can paint it up like a car or bus. You could buy (maybe second hand?) a uniform, bus driver, train driver etc??? Voila for a few quid you've got a unique gift and hours of fun.

Our last few Christmases have been on a budget and £50 will be more than enough - I cannot second enough how good FB marketplace can be, especially if you've a car and can easily collect. Join some local selling groups if you can. I felt funny about the pre loved gifts last year but in fact they were amazing and I see more and more
People interested for environmental as well as cost reasons.

As well as stockings/main Santa present I also include some clothes to unwrap (these often second hand too! ) which are things DD needs eg pack of
Tops, vests, pants. There's usually a new toothbrush in the stocking, a satsuma, Wilko sell choc coins for 50p - best price I've seen yet!

Great to hear all the other ideas on this thread x

Toysforapound.com is amazing. I buy throughout the year there toys from £1-£5

Argos have some nice things in the 2 for 15 offers.

Mine used to love getting boxed cake mixes as stocking fillers, you can pick up all sorts of characters and have fun baking them together.
Other cheap stocking fillers, slinky spring, colouring book and crayons, jigsaw, bubbles, cheap board games from poundland (snakes and ladders and matching games).
That leaves at least £35 for a main gift.

I only ever spend around that. My just turned 4 year has asked for a Pokemon book (£5) Pokemon balls with Pokemon inside (£9 eBay), a batman chocolate egg (£1). From us, a scooter which is £40 (and that's only because my girl is getting one). They've been told that Santa is only bringing small things this year as they have so much.

if he likes that sort of thing just seen an amazing dinosaur adventure playset in Asda. It was only £10 I thought it was fabulous value. A big box too so would look very exciting all wrapped up at Christmas.