How many presents

[Claz88]

How many presents does everyone get their young kids (under 7). My husband thinks 20 each + stocking is too much, but I think it's wonderful to see presents under the tree!

I think you missed the points though? Like you could compromise with your husband and get 10-15 better quality things instead.

No set amount- we don’t have a set budget per child either. It’s too variable- 5 kids with varying ages. As an example- my one year old’s “main” gift is a little people set that cost about £40 whereas my older two are getting much more spent on them as one is getting an iPad and the other an Oculus VR. Everyone each gets a big Santa sack filled up and I find the little ones always have extra gifts outside the Santa sacks.

We don’t really have much in the way of rules- we just buy whatever we think they will like and use.

About 4 or 5 plus stockings . They have a big family so will get a lot in total . If they didn’t get loads others I would probably get a few more .

Last year we had 10 plus stocking and that was about right. The 10 included books, slippers etc mostly small things with one “big” gift which was the tonie box.

I’ll probably do similar this year except the “big” gift only cost £5 in a charity shop.

She’s the only grandchild on both sides and gets a lot.

Ugh, every year someone trots out this horrible trite joyless mantra. I think this is the earliest I've seen it, it's only just November 😂

It varies but I like a decent pile to be honest. The something to wear, need thing seems a bit sad to me but I completely understand doing it. We get everything they want on their list plus extras and try to make it as balanced as possible. Only one of mine is that young now - she is 6 while the others are older and they understand the expenses of things more so are grateful regardless. We still get her things that are not going to go to waste. It probably ends up being about 10-15ish plus stockings each year. We do try not to buy so much because they get a lot from relatives and the older ones get stuff from friends but it is hard! Same thing for all my older ones when they were that age.

@kikisparks Out of interest, what was the big gift?

It’s a Barbie camper van in excellent condition, don’t know why it was so cheap. I will buy a couple of Barbie’s to go with.

DD1 doesn't have a 'big gift' this year so she probably has more to open than usual because it's smaller/medium things. She will have about 15 gifts I think plus a stocking.

DD2 has fewer to open, maybe 9 or so, but she has a 'big gift', a scooter and helmet.

I don't know who these kids are who are fed up and overwhelmed after 4 gifts, definitely neither of mine nor me as a kid! I bloody loved opening all my presents.

We do get them quite a lot I suppose but Christmas has always been a big thing for us and we enjoy it and can afford it.

Usually around 10, plus some small bits in the stocking. To be honest it's probably to much, I think 6-8 would be fine, but always end up seeing extra bits they'll love or putting stuff away, then forgetting it until I come to do wrapping.

We agree a budget for each child then ask them what they would like - last year DS wanted a very expensive Lego set (in a large box) so he got that plus a few stocking fillers. Younger DS didn't want anything in particular so got a pile of £25/£30 items. Older DS was told that his gift was expensive hence he got a lot less things to open than his sibling which he understood. I'd rather get my kids what they would like than spend money on random items just to make their pile look bigger.

20 is perfectly normal... but this is mumsnet with middle class virtue signaler are in a race to the bottom despite realizing they sounding ignorant not awakened.

I worry about some mumsnetters children. Yes if they have autism or are literal babies but most children are perfectly capable of seeing 20 items in a day without their head imploding.

If your kids really struggle that much with massive over stimulation and do not have a previous diagnosis you may want to mention it to a Dr or Nurse.

My kids are autistic and get very overwhelmed so we give them about 6 each and then a few more each day for a few days.
They don't usually touch them for weeks after they've unwrapped them but no pressure it's just how we roll 🤷‍♀️

I do 10 presents in stocking/sack upstairs and 10 under the tree downstairs for each of my children.

Honestly? Ours have also had a huge pile, they are spoiled rotten by us, and 3 sets of grandparents. One has a birthday 28/12. My two have never got overwhelmed and they are 12 and 14 (15 on 28/12). We set a budget, I normally go over it tbh. And we don’t buy tat - as others seem to think people who buy lots do. For their birthday they get around £100 each and that’s it, nothing throughout the year unless needed. They both have clothes in their Christmas piles, branded clothes that I wouldn’t normally buy.

DH and I learned to compromise when DD1 was a baby, his family didn’t open presents until after lunch, my family was a free for all. We do the free for all here! But in both of our families Christmas was the ‘big’ one, birthdays not so much.

Mine also get new pyjamas on Christmas Eve, not necessarily Christmas pyjamas just new pyjamas, and a hot chocolate. My mum used to do this with me and her mum used to do it with her. They don’t get put in a box just left on the DC bed at some point during the day.

My kids are both autistic, and have ADHD. Primary aged.

I do present piles, probably 20+, plus big stockings and they bloody well love it! Overstimulated at Christmas? By guests and Christmas cracker bangs certainly. By a present pile? Not a chance.

I jest, I know lots of ND children can indeed find presents/opening them all challenging.

I make no apologies for spoiling my children at Christmas. Our lives are bloody hard. I'm also ND and disabled. They both have SEND and need a lot of extra help at school it's a struggle. DH works his backside off. We cope with a lot, just to get by in the world every day.

We can afford it. We donate gifts and selection boxes to the food bank to help families in need and we then go a little bit mad giving the children a morning of excitement and wonder.

That list sounds like the most dull thing I've ever heard of at Christmas. Bah humbug, what a load of rot!

Do what suits your circumstances, never mind anyone else.

I also forgot to add in my post; I became disabled when my DC were small DD2 was 9mths old when I had the first operation that sent my life spiralling out of control. DD1 was 3.5yrs. For the next 18mths I spent 13 separate weeks in hospital, I didn’t count the one or two night admissions. DH had to give up work to become my, our, carer we were skint, proper skint. We had to borrow money to pay our rent, live on food bank parcels and my mum or MIL would help fill our freezer whilst our benefits were sorted out, and then going forward. We had gone from 1 full time wage and one 24hr a week wage. It was the shittest time of our lives. I have missed out on even simple things like taking our children to the park. My MH nosedived and I attempted suicide twice. I now don’t leave the house unless it’s for a medical appointment.

My kids have been through so very much with me (I know many other children have) and if I could give them the world on a stick at Christmas I would.

My advice to this sorta question is do christmas your way 1 gift, 20 gifts, whatever. It's YOUR christmas 😀

Admittedly my family always go big but if someone wants to follow the 4 gift rule or more or less, let them. It's not gonna affect what you do or how much you enjoy your Xmas day x