Do you buy all your friend’s kids presents?

[Baby2023x]

My friends are all at an age now where we’re having more and more babies all the time so in the space of just a couple of years I’ve gone from knowing no children to about 11 or 12 between different groups of friends.

I’ve always got them something for Christmas, maybe about £20-30 each but there’s been lots of new babies born this year and it would be 2 or 3 hundred pounds to get them all a little something. Really don’t know what to do! I’m sure they will all be feeling the same. I’m wondering if I should buy a couple of emergency presents that would do for baby/toddler and just give them out if someone gets my kids something. Would you buy them all in this situation? Is it really awkward to raise the subject with them and ask if they want to give it a miss? 🙈

No. We all agreed at some point to stop.

No.

In the 15 years I have been a mam I think 1 friend has bought one of my kids a gift once.

God no. Just my best friend's 2 kids.

We always spent on birthdays and did family only at Christmas to make it easier for everyone.

There’s only one where this is the case, the rest have older kids too so we’ve both bought each other’s up til now. It’s just grown arms and legs this year though

I'm finding this difficult too. The more kids around the harder it gets, and when older it feels like you are giving vouchers and money.

Not sure how to stop it though as when I brought it up, my friends said no, they want to buy.

I have lowered the budget though from previous years.

In that case @Baby2023x I'd be the person that suggests to your wider friendship group that you knock it on the head. But, I'd make an exception for the friend that has happily bought your kids presents until now. We bought presents for loads of friend's kids pre-DC (one of the last of the group to have a baby), but suddenly everyone stopped when ours arrived. I was a bit miffed they hadn't come to the same conclusion a few years earlier. That said, I'm now delighted we only buy for family children now.