What's your budget for young (ish) DC's?

[amisrong]

I have 2DC, 6&4. I was going to budget £250 each to include everything (and a lot of books/crafts included in that), however I realised that a few things that DC1 has said she's going to ask Santa for already take her over that budget. DP has suggested £300 each but I'm trying to reign it in, as last year I went over that for each. How much do others with DC this age budget for? TIA

£500 is our limit for DS, who will be almost 5 this Christmas.

Appreciate it's a lot, but he only has one other family member who'll buy a small gift for him, so we actively choose to spoil him. He's also an only child, which helps.

When they were under school age it was never more than £100. We could afford more but think it isn't helping them to be spoiled from birth.

Budget doesn't equal spoiling, you could get your child one present and if that present is the Barbie dream house you've spent £250 - it's all relative.

But when were they little? £100 10 years ago is £130 now, if you're talking 2000 it's £180.

And, again, I presume your child never got a swing, slide, bike, Wendy house etc - all things considered quite traditional presents for young children - which would far exceed a budget of £100.

Usually about £300. We were going to get her a bike as main present and then some small ones but she needed the bike for the summer really, her other was far too small so I’m not sure if there will be a big gift this year! She’s mentioned a switch but I feel she’s too young at 6.

Look, kids that young do not understand the value of money. Why would you stretch yourself and spend hundreds? I just don't understand it.

Most kids want lots of little things to unwrap and everything is exciting. They will have a brilliant Christmas because they've got you in their lives. This won't change if you spend an extra £200 on them. You

We got this slide when DD1 was 3yo. It cost £70 then, in 2014! £130 now.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9108453?clickPR=plp:1:21

Money definitely doesn't go as far as it used to. Lego is another thing that's really rocketed in price.

Probably about £250 for 4yo this year and 1yo about £100. The bulk of their gifts will come from us and my SIL who spoils them something rotten 🥰. Although I have no issue with them being spoiled one day of the year anyway. One day a year doesn't create spoilt children.

We don't have any big ticket items to get this year, we've got the bikes, kitchens, tablet, trampoline, swing and slide, Wendy house, etc. so we have probably spent more in previous years.

I only have one DD aged 1 and we are at the moment comfortably off. She is turning 2 soon. I want to get her an age appropriate scooter as she is obsessed with other kids scooters, and I want to get her either a yoto or toniebox with some cards/ figures- the globber convertible scooter I’m looking at is £90 and a toniebox is £80 so it would easily be £200 for her birthday if we get her those plus helmet plus tonie figures or if I split them between birthday and Christmas then about £100 each. I don’t mind second hand but it can be hard to find good quality second hand of these products.

There are some other things like books, pyjamas, jigsaws, a car garage, that I’d like to get her for Christmas and I will look second hand for these but I don’t see spending less than £150 for her. DH might have some ideas as well.

This year it’s looking at about 180 each! Last year was 150 I was aiming at similar amount for this year, but have gone over slightly. That covers main gift and few smaller gifts and stocking.

This is exactly my thinking. I buy items that are good quality and are durable. I never buy some of the stuff you see mentioned here as stocking fillers, whoppie cushions, yoyos, kazoos ect. Stuff for the sake of stuff. I'd rather spend the 10 quid on a book.
Buy what suits your family.

@MoltenLasagne Agreed. I appreciate not everyone can afford a new bike/ scooter/ play house and many people may prefer to buy 2nd hand for environmental and/or cost reasons. But I can't see how it's spoiling a child (who will have no idea of the cost) to get a present like that, which gets used for years. I can't see DD saying "you need to spend the same amount of money on my Christmas present as you did on my bike" in a million years. Last year the only thing she asked for was "sausages".

Sorry, was replying to @Christmasbroughtmeback

DD will be 8 this year and birthday a few days before Christmas, I do about £500 for the both.

£100 for 4 year old including stocking

We don't have a budget. But you just buy what you can afford. My kids are 10 and 8 and some years we would have spent over 2k on them. But that's because we got them a trampoline that was over 1k or a go cart that was around 500. However these toys they'll have for years and if we mind them we should be able to sell them on when they are finished with them. Would rather this than spending 2 or 300 on tat that'll end up in the bin after 2 months. A Good lego set could be 200 but again will last for years. I'm not far off 40 and my kids still play with with the lego I had when I was their age.

We don't have a garden so no use for a swing we just go to the local park. A quick google shows Argos sells swings for £55 though.

We had a slide in the living room, £15 from Argos 5 years ago.

We dont have wendy house but have 2 pop up tents... one cost £10 and one cost £5 second hand.

My kids have bikes, my youngest just got a balance bike £25 for her birthday.

They also had a paw patrol trampoline £5 second hand.

Non even close to 'far exceeding' £100 and its quite a privilege stand point to not grasp that many do not have that money.

@Bearonthestair absolutely! I also can't be doing with lots of little filler toys which will get broken, lost behind the sofa and inevitable end up in the bin by January, but as you say different styles work for different families :)

I won’t tell you what I spent on my 2 oldest at 4 & 6 as I still feel sick and wish I never tried adding it up, I went absolutely OTT that year.

We don’t do a budget, they get to ask Santa for 4 things and 2 reserve gifts in case Santa can’t get their main wish. I get everything they want and everything else is a bonus. Some years one will have way more than the others spent on them but it all evens up over time. We try and keep number of presents even.

I do a lot of 2nd hand gifts too if I can. For about 3 years in a row one of my DDs main gifts were from charity shops, the most expensive £8, she didn’t know or care, she was just happy she got what she wanted off santa.

I've budgeted £150 for my 2 year old but I’ve already got his main presents (a HappyLand cottage, tree house and train set and a Leapfrog ice cream cart) from Facebook Marketplace and a couple of shape sorter puzzles which has come up to £62 altogether so I will probably be able to spend less than £150 including his stocking as I’m already pretty much done 🤔

@ToddlerSAHM Good bargain hunting! I'm aways glad to hear I'm not the only one to get main gifts sorted so early😄

@MoltenLasagne well one has only been at school 4 years so yeah 4 years ago we wouldn't have spent more than £100 on a 4/5 year old.

£50 if that. Likely less

Obviously having money to spend is a privilege. I was pointing out that many presents that were considered childhood staples are now in excess of £100. We haven't bought DC a swing for that exact reason, as I can't really stomach how much they now cost.

We've had a lot of luck with Facebook marketplace and vinted too for smaller toys and clothes but I've never seen a bike for under £80 and that was still in pretty poor condition.