Large presents like bikes/scooters-wrapped or not?

[AlternativelyWired]

Ds would like a scooter for Christmas. He's 7. Do you wrap big presents like this or put them next to the tree ready to use?

And how do you balance things out when one dc has a large expensive gift but the others don't?

No, I never wrap massive presents. I normally put an envelope under the tree with a message inside saying ‘Look in the greenhouse’ or ‘Look in the spare room’! One year I even made a whole trail of clues like a treasure hunt.
And we’ve never spent more on one than the others. So if one child has a large expensive present, then either the others do too, or they have several smaller presents. When they’re young, they like having more presents to open, and when they’re older they understand that we’ve been fair.

We used a large bag (google bike bag) or similar to cover the item (we split the long seam on one side so we didnt have to put it in or get it out of the bag).

We kept it and reused a few times for new bikes and also for larger items such as a pool table etc.

I've used a duvet cover

Halford do appropriately sized gift wrap for bikes etc they are big enough to drape over whilst they're fully assembled

drape a sheet over it and add a bow.

Just a bow usually.

As for big presents vs small, I think it fully depends on the situation. Was a scooter on DCs list, are the others getting what they asked for? If everyone is getting what they asked for then if anything is said just say everyone got what they asked for.

Ive never had any problems, they all know what each other has asked for, as long as they get what they asked for they have always been happy.

We just used a big bow on the front of the bikes and scooters - too much hassle to wrap and it didn’t take away from their happiness.

I’ve used a woollen rug so the object was hidden.

I'd stick a bow on it personally, but if I were commited to a bit of fun I would use cardboard boxes to construct like an elephant of a horse.reindeer or something to go over it and wrap the box, they'll be surpised it's a bike!

No I wouldn't wrap large or awkward presents but we dont wrap half the gifts anyway... if you want to do something maybe a big bow?

I have a budget, all kids have the same budget and if something doesnt fit in the budget they simply can't have it, if it does fit in the budget then the remaining budget left would go on other items to even the numbers between kids so they would likely be smaller/cheaper gifts.

To be honest my kids favorite gifts are usually the cheap 'silly' stuff, like they now all collect fugglers which are only like £4 in some shops lol.

Just a bow

If one child has a massively more expensive gift than others, it's usually from us plus grandparents etc. Like the year DS got a climbing frame, and the year he got a laptop.

The other children get presents from us PLUS presents from their grandparents etc so it evens out. Or it's a combined Christmas/birthday present

I’ve done a big bow for large presents like that before, same with DC’s play kitchen

We always set up big presents beforehand and use a big 🎀

Father Christmas got ds a plastic toy house 2 years ago, so just stuck a bow on it. Last year he brought octopod and gups and characters so they were not wrapped and spread about the tree gifts. I'm not sure yet if he will wrap this year as it's more convenient to wrap size wise this time...

We set them up the night before and put a blanket or cover over them. Last year DH assembled a scooter for DD and a Hot Wheels garage for DS... I was in charge of finding something big enough to hide them

My little one is getting a gymnastics bar and a play kitchen so I'm probably just going to have them set up under a throw blanket or something but he'll be just under 16 months so he won't know the difference anyways 😅

We put a big bow on the trampoline one year, with outdoor lights draped around. We knew he would likely get up while it was still dark. Then I put wrapping paper over the windows in our back door, so DS tore the paper off the door and saw it at the bottom of the garden. It was very lovely.

Definitely assemble it. And then either wrap or don’t.