How much do you typically spend on your DC

[GingerRH]

Making this post to satisfy my own curiosity.

There is no right or wrong answer - everyone is obviously welcome to spend whatever they wish on their DC, and I don't want anyone to feel shamed.

The reason I ask, is I'm on a FB group for LOL Dolls - SDD is obsessed. And I've seen several posts where children are being brought 100s of pounds worth of LOL's. When I say 100s one picture shared had £850+ worth of LOL merch for one child. Which to be is mind blowing.

So yeah, wanted to see what people typically spent. Wondering if we're being tight with her 😂🤣

I'll be the first to admit I've gone overboard this year In my defence, they don't anything for the rest of the year except their birthdays!
For under the tree, around £150 per child. Stockings, around £30 per child is my budget. And a joint present, this year quite an expensive dolls house.

Although seeing some spend £850 just on a brand of dolls makes me feel a lot better!

I used to overspend terribly, I really wanted their every wish to come true.

Over the years I've realised a lot of those gifts were going unused or under-used. When clearing out bedrooms a lot of what was getting sent to the charity shop was Christmas gifts and stocking fillers.

I had a careful re-think.

I now buy far fewer gifts, but really well thought out and I only buy quality. We don't have a huge pile under the tree anymore, it hasn't made a difference to our wonderful Christmases though.

It helps that my DC are teens now, and understand. The spirit of Christmas is not linked to gifts anymore - I believe this is something shops have carefully instilled in us as Christmas is a huge marketing opportunity for them.

Not allowing myself to get swept up and carried away is very empowering.

ARound £150-200 incl stocking and clothing items for dc1+2+3, prob around £80 for dc4(lots younger)

Ds2 wants a Xbox one X so that will be a Xmas+bday combined with just a few things under the tree to open, maybe £30ish

I’ll be spending about £50 on my toddler. He has a lot of relatives who will buy things and already has more than enough toys and clothes.

Not everyone has relatives or friends who buy things for their kids. My DS will probably get a couple of books from my parents and nothing from anyone else.

So how much people spend is also relative to who else buys for the kids.

I keep an eye on Facebook marketplace to pick up some bits - got a couple of Happyland sets in excellent condition for £20 each this year, and I think DD will love them. Also got a marble run for DS for about 1/3 of the price it would be in the shop. He's also getting a Lego set and then they'll each get a book and a board game.

So in total I'd say we spend about £50 each on big things, and then maybe another £15 on stocking fillers, but that will include things like pants, toothbrushes etc that we'd be buying anyway.

We don't set an amount beforehand as such, though - and sometimes one will get something bigger, like a bike, while the other one gets the usual amount (we won't get away with this in a few years' time, I guess!)

I try not to buy too much character stuff, as they'll be into something different in a year's time, so I'll buy eg a plain Ikea garage rather than a Paw Patrol one, and then Paw Patrol stickers so they can decorate it in a way that can be changed.

I spend between £150-£200 a year, I spent a bit more two years ago when I bought an xbox. I buy throughout the year so get some good bargains on things I know my ds would love. I spend more on Christmas days out then presents on ds.

Fucking hell, I’m genuinely shocked at how much people are spending!!
I’m on £100k and have never spent more than £150 on my DD - just don’t see the point. DD is 8, and gets overwhelmed by too much stuff under the tree. On the Christmases where I’d bought a lot, she was like ‘ANOTHER present!’ Most of the stuff she got last year has just been sold or given away, as she’s outgrown it already.

I think (DH and I earn similar salaries each although we also live in London etc) that this is fine for kids who do get books and toys year round like my kids do. And new clothes when they need to.
I know that lots of people use Christmas to buy new clothes, coats, dressing gowns for their kids. To me those are necessities so wouldn’t count as presents BUT I am aware of my enormous privilege in being able to say that. (And my children’s privilege). So the two kids are getting roughly 120 pounds worth of stuff each but that’s just ‘presents’.

Every year I feel sick at the amount I buy but I genuinely love the gift buying/giving process. dds love and look after everything and will happily pass on to charity shops outgrown items. i normally spend around £350 per dd. this year ive been much more conscious of crap and stocking fillers will be edible, or more expensive but useful items.

I'm currently going back through what I've picked up and will be reselling some of it (bits I bought in charity shops/car boots as a bargain but they don't NEED it although they would like it and use them) we've just sorted their room I don't want to fill with stuff again! so gifts will be adding to existing collections or well thought out. hoping to get under £200 per dd. they are 11 and 7.

When they were little £30-50. Now they are 10 & 11 likely to be about £100. Can't afford any more tbh and they have generous gifts from relatives & friends.

Oh dear, I’m also astounded at the sums being paid out. £100-ish each on my three older teens, and they don’t get presents from any other relatives and friends. I do pay their mobile phone contracts though.

I've gone quite overboard for my 2 year old DD.

We celebrate St Nicholas and Christmas and I've spent 200 pounds for both of those together.

I've still not decided entirely which present is for what occasion. So far we've got:

A drum
A doll
Marble run set that is compatible with Duplo ( this was expensive )
A small flute
Small dressing up set
Still to buy - an electric train for her wooden trainset

As you can see I am very much a quality over quantity person! I recently sold some old toys of hers for 90 pounds so that doesn't make it as bad.

Her birthday present was a much more modest 40 pounds.

I’m a bit shocked at the amounts being spent on little ones who are happy with second hand and little things. I agree its more difficult once they are older and they ask for things like MacBooks. We spend far more on ours now they are older than we ever did when they were little but they still get “cheap” things like pjs, books, scented candles etc.
I’m touched that they understand the value of things and remember what it was like when they were little and we had no money. I actually shed a tear last year when DD2 (25) put on her list a MAC lipstick but then wrote next to it - don’t get this unless you win the lottery. I know its really expensive! It was £17.

When they are 2-3 is the right time to invest in quality toys that will last a long while.

All my DDs toys are treasured. I bet she'll be playing longer with her train set than most electronics last. After she's done with it another child will be happy with it.

I'm always surprised at people who buy their kids things like MacBooks to do school work. There are loads of decent quality laptops at about a quarter of the price of a MacBook. Fair enough if you have the money and want to spend it, but it's definitely not an essential if they're just Googling things and typing up essays.

I have three dc under 7 and spent £100 in the Sainsbury's toy sale on them all. They will than get maybe an additional 5 each on small.things for stockings.

I usually spend £100-150 on dd who is 6 but gone a bit overboard this year so it’s closer to £200 now. It will be her last Christmas as an only child so probably won’t be able to afford as much next year.

It has varied enormously over the years as they are teenagers now, so there's no typically about it. When they were 1 and 2 we probably spent £10 each on them, if that.

Our most expensive year we bought 1 child an entry level HP laptop, and the other one had a PS4. That was about 5 years ago. So I guess they had £300 each spent on them?

Other years it probably evens out at about £100 - £150 each including smaller presents and stocking presents.

DD is 1 this year. I don't think we're getting her anything special for Christmas (except for a sibling in the new year). Her grandparents will bring a few gifts I am sure!

I have one ds5, we're spending about £350 total on him this year but his big present is his first real ipad so that was quite expensive on its own. As others have said I reckon as he gets bigger and into technology more it will be more.

On actual gifts to open on the day probably £120-150 per DD (inc balance bikes) but on Christmas activities in December it's probably another £300 for the 4 of us. But we budget throughout the year for it

About £50. DS (9) happy with monster trucks from ebay and other bits - festive jumper, advent cal etc. We do lots of activities through December and we enjoy choosing lovely food. He gets bits and bobs through the year from charity shops plus lego figures. He's happy as Larry.

I hate it when there's a huge pile of presents and the child opens and chucks it to the side like 'next!' then whines when pile runs out. Makes me want to scream. I've seen it (not with mine), its not pretty. So would rather keep it modest but fun. Its not about the stuff.

Not judging though, each to their own. All families are different.
This just suits us. It may change when he's 15....!

It varies so much from year to year here.
£50 each when they were tiny.
All adult/nearly adult now.
I try to think of "surprises" that they love but weren't expecting.
One year they got kayaks (cost a fortune but years of so much fun)
Another year DD got a musical instrument that cost thousands (but she earns money playing it at weddings now).
Other times just board games and clothes.
This year we have spent £500 on DD,
£200 on DS1 and £450 on DS2.

About £250/ child this year.

Jesus I feel poor after reading this my son is 12 weeks and I was only going to get him a toy so he has something under the tree. He's going to get loads from family and he's been given loads of second hand stuff already.