How many presents do you think is overwhelming for young children?

[IKissedSantaClaus]

I've made the fatal mistake this year of not keeping track of what the children were getting, and have bought far too much (I think). I don't really understand it - in my head they didn't have that much, it's only now I've started to wrap and put it all together that I've realised it's a lot. About 20 things for each to unwrap, a mix of some small stocking stuff and larger boxes. The stuff isn't expensive it's just a lot of separate parcels.

They'll also get grandparents etc presents although they will be in the afternoon and on boxing Day.

They're 3 and 5. Would you sift out some stuff? I had in my head that I wouldn't go overboard this year

Our 'system' is similar to another posters - we open everything and look at it and admire it but we don't open and immediately use / play with it.

Once everything is opened we clear away the wrapping paper and sort the presents into piles and then we dip in and out of them throughout the day / holiday

Even when tiny dc never wanted to open lego / sylvanians / play mobile etc and start playing immediately when there were still presents left to open!

My kids have over 20 presents each, plus a stocking. It barely fills a sack tbh. I don't think it's too much.

I think Christmas is so personal to people. One person’s ideal is another’s nightmare (as many people discover after they have children).

One person might think that present opening should be an orderly turn taking activity that happens after church and lunch. Another might see that as utterly joyless and prefer a paper ripping frenzy at 6am, followed by eating a breakfast of loads of chocolate. Neither of them is ‘right’. They just have different ideas about what a lovely Christmas is.

There are as many ideas as there are families. And one of the things about becoming a family is figuring out how to combine your preferred idiosyncrasies (and not despair of your inlaws).

‘How many presents are right?’ is a question with millions of answers and those answers change over time. The huge pile of presents that graced the home of a toddler can dwindle to a very small box and a stocking in a teenager (while costing considerably more). As a parent you know your child. Maybe you have a three year old who will love a huge pile of presents. Maybe you have one who will get bored or overwhelmed quickly. So you plan accordingly.

@Fprince

This is Mumsnet so two presents is too many.

Just give them a satsuma.

Children don't need toys!

A satsuma! You were lucky! In my day you were lucky to get a lump of coal

I would sort out the piles into what can be for stockings and what you want to give as main presents. Can some things be grouped and wrapped together? My kids are much older than yours, but we get them about 9/10 for their stockings (bars of chocolates usually get wrapped together) and then about 6 main presents. I sort mine by having a max budget and trying to work out what to get them using that and the max limit of presents.

Mine probably have about 20 each as well. But at least 12 of those are in the stocking so little things like bubble bath, chocolate coins, little playsets. They seem to cope fine and not be overwhelmed. If it was 20 big presents that might be different.

I think it depends on the child, some kids find it overwhelming, and turn into a different child when presented with lots of presents some are great with it. Also depends on if they have siblings, how many? Etc. Dc1 finds more than a few presents overwhelming, Dc2 turns from the most calm, polite child into a bit of a ‘next one’ monster, dc3 is fine and Dc; is still to young to care much. Probably all be different if an only child though.

My DD genuinely has got overwhelmed in the past by presents - and not by huge numbers either. Last Christmas she opened her stocking and two other gifts all day (age 2). We asked if she wanted to open others and she said no. So we just kept them visible and she gradually opened them over the next few days. On her 3rd birthday she did exactly the same. What she'll be like this Christmas I have no idea, but we are absolutely fine with her going at her own pace - whether that's all at once or over 3-4 days.

It does mean we as parents don't buy her lots of presents though on top of those from other family members, or we would still be opening them over a week later - instead she does get more "just because" gifts at random times in the year.

My daughter opens 2-3 things, and then wants to play with them, so has no more interest in anything else for a while. This is her choice, and we often have family waving their gift for her to open next, but she’s not interested in those! We forewarn people now (she’s 6 and always does this at birthday and Christmas) so that they don’t get too disappointed. I think it’s brilliant that she’s so excited and grateful for her gifts. Some years it takes quite a few days to get through all of her presents- it took 4 days at her birthday recently.

I guess more than 15? I've always let mine pace themselves. If they want to open one thing and play with it for awhile, that'd fine.
No encouragement or pushing to open the next one.
I have one who likes to open all in one go and another who likes to take a slower pace. Maybe she'd be overwhelmed if pushed to open faster. Neither are ungrateful, just different.