Ideal number of gifts ?

[Bikingbear]

What would you say is your ideal number / amount?

I'm never sure how much I should pad out their piles with 'extras' they will have 6 things from Grandparents/ Aunties.
Stockings in this house are generally filled with novelties whatever I find.

@LindaEllen

I remember once, a girl I went to uni with had a baby girl mid December. On Christmas morning, she took a photo of the baby with all her presents.. and I'm not even joking, the whole three seater couch was full of gifts, with the baby shoved (asleep and completely oblivious) in the middle.

I have no idea what the gifts contained, but it looked to be more than any baby could possibly need, when newborns just bloody lie there anyway.

But what baffled me was the fact that she had shopped for and wrapped such a huge number of presents when she'd had such a difficult pregnancy. Surely that's the last thing you'd want to do, and you'd want to keep things minimal!

I wish I could find that photo actually but I'm not friends with her on Facebook anymore as it was just one of those adds because we were at uni, but we were never really friends as such.

I was spoiled as a child, and I know that, but it's NOTHING compared with what I see today! Kids getting bikes, consoles, TVs all in one Christmas. I'd have had one of those, quiet a few smaller items, plus chocolates, smellies and some clothes.

I went mad on my first borns first Christmas - it would have looked ridiculous. He was 4.5months. However it was things like a bath seat for when he was sitting, high chair for when he started weaning, clothes in the next size up, toys for when he was started sitting up, and then some other toys to last his development until his birthday like a push along toy etc. So it may not have been as obscene as it looked.

Mine have 22 each so far including stocking fillers, they'll probably get a few more things still as I'm going by budget and still have a bit left to spend. Most expensive is £32 and cheapest were free using vouchers. I do want to create a pile each but of a reasonable size and have been careful not to buy tat because I know I'll want to throw it away a few weeks later.

Including a stocking I usually get my 3 around 10-13 presents each. Most are just small bits though. We dont have a large extended family so they wont get gifts from elsewhere

I only have one child so I work out what I can afford rather than the amount in her pile. In the past it’s ranged from 18-20 gifts “under the tree” (in our house gifts are actually left on the sofa)

Do you have a lot of storage to put all this stuff?

I do the same every year, 5 from us then 5 from santa plus a stocking. Always includes a set of books, some clothing (although nicer than I'd usually buy) something crafty and a board game that we can all play together. The rest comes from their lists or things I think they may enjoy. It may be tons for some people or not a lot to others but it works for us. Everyone's different just choose what suits you.

I don't set a quantity really. Obviously I'm conscious of the pile wanting to look impressive but not go overboard. I usually get what is asked for within reason and depending what is on the list and also things I see which I think will make nice surprises. My daughter is 14 so harder to buy for. She has all the gadgets. This year she asked for a couple of pairs of trainers and some LED coloured lights for her bedroom and also some money. I bought her other presents for around the tree which I know she will like and have bought some clothes,mainly Nike and Too Shoo jeans. She also has a Santa sack. 🎅🏼🤗☺️

Thanks it has been helpful to see that around 10 from parents / Santa is within the range of normal.

Re the I wouldn't criticise anyone for buying their newborn Christmas gifts. If you take the logic that the next gift buying time is the babies 1st Birthday, surely all babies have toys before they are a year old???

Re, Places to put things, not everything is a great lump of plastic that needs storage.

I aim for about 30 presents to open. Sometimes more. Couldn't care less what other people think about that though!

I've always gone all out at Christmas though. I'm not nearly as generous for birthdays

Usually around 10 gifts under the tree, a couple big ones and the rest smaller stuff like hot chocolate kit, annuals etc. They also get their stockings which have 10 small presents in - I don't put novelty stuff in as I think it's a waste of money, so they be a bit pricier than average.

HoxtonBonnet, what sort of stuff do you put in stocking?

I usually end up with socks or underwear (to help fill the daft things) chocolate, sweets, small toys, lego blind bag.

Usually one main present, one small present, some books from us and one small present from Father Christmas. BUT then the stocking contains around 25-30 items such as a sheet of stickers, poly glider, chocolate coins, bubble bath, spinning tops, a small game, tube of sweets, pair of socks, a satsuma, a shiny coin, tree decoration...

This is something I've spent all my parenting years fine tuning! When I just had one DC and she was 3, she had an obscene sized pile which I tried to justify by them all being amazing bargains or second hand and things she needed too, but it really was too much and I'd stash bargains all year and forget about them until wrapping. I've gone less and less each year, but I also think one present under the tree is miserly and so is the want need wear read thing. I second that 8-10 tree presents seems the ideal number.

"Padding out" IMHO is another term for just buying for the sake of it and not considering the environmental impact. That's just how I feel. If a gift is bought to just add to the pile then it seems a bit meaningless.

I expect I will get shot down for this but I don't see the need for cheap plastic tat that won't last till New year if its played with at all.

Over the years of my parenting I have definitely learnt I am a quality not quantity person. 6 decent presents are way better IMHO than 20 cheaper ones for younger as well as older children.

Mine are 5, 3 and 9 months.

All 3 will get a large stocking from Santa as he will not be putting anything under the tree. As Santa brings no main presents this is filled with decent things, small "proper" toys they actually want, a book, lovely stationery, self care items, knitwear, pyjamas, games etc.

I've set a maximum of 5 main presents under the tree from us. The only other people buying for then really is their grandparents on my side so I take this into account and don't feel guilty getting them plenty.

I don't do competitive under buying but I am very mindful of them having too much and it being detrimental in a practical sense - I've learned that figures are preferential to play sets both to them and to the space in my house! I try to include a good proportion of presents that are not toys. We don't buy much outside of Christmas and birthdays but we would not buy large items like bikes for Christmas

I totally agree that padding out is completely the wrong way to go about present buying. This is the first year I've actually extensively planned what I'm getting and I'm really happy to not be worrying about buying to get a certain pile sized

@Marlena1

I once heard "something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read".

^This is our Christmas motto. These four gifts from parents plus three gifts from the Santa for the young believers (because Baby Jesus only got three.) We have a small extended family so there will be only three other gifts from aunts/uncles/cousins. So 10 gifts if you are young and 7 gifts if you are 13 and up. Plus the stocking of course, stuffed with little items (makeup, chocolate candy, jewelry, chocolate candy, gift cards, and chocolate candy!!!

I’d say around 20 gifts each here this year, including things like clothes, a scooter, games, books, a new pc, equipment related to their sports, Lego sets etc. The eldest is in secondary now and still likes toys while the youngest doesn’t do tat and has never really played with them, he prefers technology and clothes.

I do a stocking each and usually get completely carried away but I really enjoy the planning and finding things I know they’ll love. I don’t do the padding out thing or buying needlessly to even out cost - an orange isn’t a present in this house for example and one dc will usually have more or less spent on them depending on what their gift is that particular year.

Extended family mean well but don’t tend to know what dc like and then either get it quite wrong or just give them money so I am generally sole Santa and take my responsibility very seriously.

I spoil dh too, I genuinely enjoy making a fuss of the people I love in this way.

@LindaEllen

I remember once, a girl I went to uni with had a baby girl mid December. On Christmas morning, she took a photo of the baby with all her presents.. and I'm not even joking, the whole three seater couch was full of gifts, with the baby shoved (asleep and completely oblivious) in the middle.

I have no idea what the gifts contained, but it looked to be more than any baby could possibly need, when newborns just bloody lie there anyway.

But what baffled me was the fact that she had shopped for and wrapped such a huge number of presents when she'd had such a difficult pregnancy. Surely that's the last thing you'd want to do, and you'd want to keep things minimal!

I wish I could find that photo actually but I'm not friends with her on Facebook anymore as it was just one of those adds because we were at uni, but we were never really friends as such.

I was spoiled as a child, and I know that, but it's NOTHING compared with what I see today! Kids getting bikes, consoles, TVs all in one Christmas. I'd have had one of those, quiet a few smaller items, plus chocolates, smellies and some clothes.

how judgemental and depressing your post is

my DS was nearly 1 at his first xmas because hes a new year baby but honestly even if he wasnt first xmas is increadibly important to most people evenmore so if its a first child (and ESPECIALLY after a hard/complicated pregnancy or infertility or losses where she probably was constantly worried she wouldnt get to have a first xmas - what a shitty thing to judge a person for obviously all of us with high risk pregnancies should just not enjoy anything)

• babies need such a HUGE amount of things, their delopment changes monthly (sometimes weekly or daily) and the grow faster than any of time of life - buying a 1 week old or 1 month old a years worth of stuff you'll have to buy anyway is not 'spoilt' its practical and basic parenting, the fact she wrapped up up should not make you this mad

It depends a lot on age in my opinion.

The older DD gets the less number of presents as she just doesn’t need a lot and she knows the value of items.

Also, I normally don’t give things like clothes, pyjamas or similar unless it is a specific wish or a character item I wouldn’t normally buy. That may very well change the older she gets again.

Also, she only get 2-3 other presents as we don’t have a large family and don’t exchange gifts apart from with the grandparents who DD normally asks for something around the £20 max mark.

🤔 I don't think I bought anything for DD's first Christmas. She was less than a month old and the first grandchild both sides of the family so I knew she would be (well her dad and I) would be inundated. It made sense to wait until after Christmas to see if there was anything left to buy. 😁

I know some people now only buy for 1 person doing a secret Santa in some families.

I always struggle with this, every year. Cutting back always feel miserly, but when I sonny, it feels excessive. This year, ours will have stockings (8 gifts - include small games, yo-yos, Top Trumps, small activity, skipping rope type things, so not big gifts, but not complete tat). Under the tree, they will have one gift from Santa, three gifts from us (one of which will be books) and one from each other (£10 Lego set). They then get gifts from around 8-10 other people - some biggish, some smaller, so in total, there will be about 15-20 presents each under the tree, and 8 in their stockings. This seems to work, although it always feels a lot when trying to house it all!

As much as you can afford and feel comfortable giving.