Is 10 presents still considered awful?

[CloudyVanilla]

Just wanting some perspective as I'm already planning Christmas!

So I googled "10 Christmas presents" and the most popular results all seem to say this is cruel/stingy/a let down...

I have 3 DC, ages this Christmas will be 5, just turned 3 and nearly 1. I'm wondering if 10 presents each from us, plus a stocking, plus about 4 - 5 presents each from family is enough, or would you consider this a disappointment?

I'm not overly concerned about money, as in I am low income but I can budget and save enough to buy more, I'm just wondering what the general mindset is these days especially once DC have started school...

I'm mainly doing the math, 30 presents in total, averaging a about £30 per present is £1200 already!! That's an awful lot of money and that's not even including the stocking.

I try not to think of pile size but I do want it to be magical, exciting and relatively normal, as in not dramatically different from what the average child in their class is going to get.

I'm so sorry for totalling rambling, basically I'm asking if 10 presents from parents is generally considered possibly average, way below average or plenty! I have a feeling it is I adequate but I also have quite a small house and there is just so much stuff. They all have autumn/winter birthdays too so will be getting presents then as well!

10 is loads, particularly at £30ish each! My kids get about 5 each and only one of those, if any, would be £30+! I do the want/need/wear/read/share thing. So usually a ‘main’ present of a toy that they want, some clothes, a book, whatever I’ve decided they ‘need’, and a board game or similar that we can all play. Then a stocking of a few small bits.

Oneain present,few small things and a stocking.I always try to include something to make so that it's not just about opening presents and a family jigsaw,wasjigs were popular and can often be found in charity shops.

Also think 10 is too many. But we have a massive family so DS gets an obscene amount without us adding to it. I am obsessed with books so always go a bit overboard with those, but we get him one main one and then a few little ones. The stocking is from Santa.

Dont worry about people being grumpy, this is a specific Christmas forum. No one made them click on the thread.

Nothing wrong with that amount at all and certainly not cruel! The amount that some kids toys cost these is a fortune anyway! Our DD was 8 months old last Christmas and we only got her a few bits because of her age and because we knew other people were buying for her - same for her first birthday this year. DC2 is due November so this Christmas will be getting clothes and not much else due to their age.
Not a competition and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, if your DC are anything like mine, they'll want to spend more time playing with the paper anyway!

I don't think it's a lot.

I think it also depends on if you buy your kids things throughout the year too.

I got my sisters tickets for see Paddington on ice + a box of chocolates each + £20 starbucks gift card.

You don't have to stretch yourself just to keep up with others.

There’s not really a good or bad amount of presents. Surely you just base it on what they want and what you can afford.

Up until this year I have to admit I have fretted about the pile size, filling up the xmas sack and all that. What I've realised is I worry about it a lot more than my son does and now he's 6 and at the age where he has more obvious interests I can focus more on getting stuff I think he will actually like, and this year I'm going to try and really focus on not spending more than 150 either (he's into gaming so it quickly adds up).

This year I will be having baby girl too who will be around 3 months old at xmas. I'm going to do the want need wear read thing for her presents to keep me in check!

As OP has pointed out once u factor in presents from family, friends, stockings, Santa grotto and what not it all adds up. I know my mum has gone overboard in the past lol x

Less is more especially for the little ones. Think carefully about what they want and need and which toys will keep them occupied for more than a few months. I try to avoid anything with characters on eg Peppa pig kitchen because they grow out of it. The baby will only be interested in the package and I guess you have loads of toys suitable for that age range. You only need presents for the baby so the older ones don’t think Santa forgot the baby. Wilko have a great range of preschool and baby toys. Learning resources have some longer lasting toys.

I thought around 10 was average. That’s the amount I plan on buying, plus stockings, they don’t get toys year round, only special occasions.
Still writing my lists but plan to start shopping next week.

I don't see how you can judge this on no of presents.
What do your kids need, what do thry want, what can you afford?

Frankly I think £300 for a 1 Yr l, 3 yo and 5 yo is ridiculous unless much of it is on family xperiences.

@Orangecake123 what would you spend more than £300 on for each of a 1yo 3yo and 5yo?

Possible ideas. I've always loved books the most and personally I don't think I would spend as much on the youngest.

1 year old
Baby's first slide and see Usborne books
Palm crayons
Small rocking horse

3 year old
Usborne Fingerprint Activities book
Janod Wood Zigolos Balancing Game, Flamingo
Melissa & Doug Lacing Beads

Coloured wooden building blocks

5 year old
Books:
Wherever You are, My Love Will Find You–By Nancy tillman
Christmas activity book Usborne
Puzzle
Play kitchen
Ukulele
Junior monopoly

SleepingStandingUp

Once our kids started really liking toys at about age 3, we did spend £300, possibly more on them at Christmas. It soon adds up. Obviously you should just buy what your kids want and spend what you can afford, there’s not a right or wrong answer. I don’t like to hear about people who only spend about £20 on their kids when they can easily afford more though, I feel a bit sorry for the kids.

@DownADirtRoad I'm genuinely curious what that list looks like though. Esp as the 3 yo will have toys handed down from the 3 yo and the 1 yo from the yo. I'm possibly just bitter I couldn't fit nearly 1k of extra toys in my house 😂 esp as it doesn't sound like ops never brought the kids toys before and now wants to splurge.

DS has had about £60 for his birthday Askrigg I've cheated and gone on Sphock. I know such awfulness will horrify some but the kid wants branded plastic tat so he's getting second hand branded plastic tat

I'm genuinely curious what that list looks like though. Esp as the 3 yo will have toys handed down from the 3 yo and the 1 yo from the yo.

Well when my son was 3, I remember buying him a bike and then lots of Spider-Man, Transformers and Toy Story Toys. Then books and pyjamas. Easily £300.

But again, it depends on what they want and what you can afford. My kids always loved toys but I suppose if you refer to it as plastic tat you will never agree that it’s worth it. Each to their own and all that.

We used to buy second hand sometimes as certain figures he liked were no longer available. All the stuff was passed on to other children through a church group or charity shops.

I don’t know what Sphock is but guessing it’s like eBay?

@DownADirtRoad in defence of plastic tat 😏 DS wants the over priced stuff that's particular to a certain TV show / character and is vastly over priced and is replaced with a new design within 6 months and then he she's that. Not all plastic toys are plastic tat, I probably could spend £300 on Happy Land and a large dolls house, I wouldn't consider that plastic tat.

(And I did concede I was probably jealous I don't have room for 1k of new toys)

And I said I'm assuming she's spending similar in previous years so although the bikes might not be passed down, but the spiderman toy etc would be passed down, and the books so the 2nd child wouldn't need the same volume of new toys to get to the same level of actual toys iyswim.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying people shouldn't if they can afford it, but given op is low income by her own classification, I don't think it's really warranted

I probably could spend £300 on Happy Land and a large dolls house, I wouldn't consider that plastic tat.

I always just let my children choose, it didn’t really matter whether I thought of it as plastic tat, it’s about the value my kids got from it. Neither of my children liked Happyland stuff as lovely as it seemed to me. They liked the characters they seen on TV.

Also my kids liked very different things so most toys couldn’t be passed down. And yes, some people have lots of room for toys, we had a play room with lots of storage so we could have lots of toys.

I do agree that people should only spend what they can afford though of course.

I only get DS a good nice expensive gift of his choosing and all the little ones will come from family and friends (he was going to get them anyway)

I don’t see the need to spend £100s or to get a lot of little stocking fillers. It is not part of my culture and he has never complained. I’m pretty sure that all the little things would be ignored at the shadow of the main present he choose himself.

I always just let my children choose that's why he's having the plastic stuff from a certain TV show not happy land of a new dolls house. I'd question how much expression of preference a 1yo has though.

I've just looked online for pajamas for the eldest, I'm beginning to have more sympathy for the £300 that incudes them, I'm sure they cost less before lockdown 😂
Anyway, my kids will continue to have to suck up a smaller budget, two of them came mid December so thats an over abundance of new "stuff" in one month

Your kids are young they would love a cardboard box filled with glittery balloons, I have before gone a but mad but you just see so many things that don't get played with so now I do a family box -bit like a Christmas eve box I guess but given first weekend in December that my husband is off work and it has Christmas stories same ones every year, Christmas plates again same each year for a north pole lunch one day, some hot chocolate and some baking bits, then for Christmas a stocking and 5-7 proper gifts and then a couple of small items such as colouring books, I like to be organised so I definitely don't think it's too early to be thinking about it!

I'd question how much expression of preference a 1yo has though.

🤣 Well yes. At age 1 both my kids just wanted to be carried around by me. Or to sit on our long suffering dog. 😬

Most kids will be happy with a few presents, things they like. Both my kids have birthdays quite close to Christmas too, now they’re older they often have some money so they can buy what they like through the year which they like. I miss the toys though.

Buying throughout the year helps. I've already started buying bits, partly because my son's birthday is in October and little girl is due end of sept so don't want to be in a panic!
My son is more gaming now so it can easily add up when you consider how much a ps4 game costs for example. But again as others have said get what you can afford not put yourself in debt.
I did find when he was little he would get overwhelmed by presents ie. He would open 2 then want to play and forget about the rest for a while. And it's true what they say it's usually the stocking fillers that they go crazy for. He used to love those surprise egg videos on youtube so I did him a surprise egg stocking one year and he was landed lol.

Is this a joke?

DownADirtRoad the babies are 5 months so I'm dreading December. I've kept all their older brothers toys (he's nearly 5) so I can't see us buying them much new until they're old enough to ask specifically!!
He could EASILY spend £300 on his specific shows toys, he just doesn't have rich enough parents or a play room 😂😂