Is this enough for our daughter for Christmas?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I'm not sure we've bought enough for our daughter for Christmas.
She'll be 5 in March. So far she has from us:

A scooter, that flashes

A make your own necklace set

and a pair of warm fluffy slippers from monsoon.

She will get other pressies from family and friends. Do you think it's enough?

I bought her a stocking, but can't decide what to fill it with? Everything seems so expensive, but I don't really want to buy some cheep tat, that she dosn't need.

I'd be greatful for any stocking filler ideas too.

If you've got her what she has put in her Christmas letter then what's wrong with that? (I'm assuming she has expressed a desire for something!)

Re stockings, I usually put in some sweets, useful things like new toothbrush, socks, etc. A bath bomb. A small toy or something like a pack of Top Trumps. Depends what she is into really - maybe a few nice stationary bits?

you may hate it, but littles love cheap tat!! the last 2 xmases, my children have spent hours on the cheap tat - whooppee cushions,fake poos, cars, stuff from the pound shop, satsuma and nuts of course, pants, socks (boring things you need to get them anyway) chocolate coins without fail, mr men books, colouring pens. To me the stocking is the best bit of christmas, it's all about fun and surprises - in my family the stocking was a bigger/better present than the rest of the stuff but was always done on the (relatively) cheap and so was really enjoyable.

Embrace the tat (you can always freecycle it in the new year!!)

I have the same dilemma but last year got so much it was just stupid. This year I've probably gone too far the other way. I think what you've bought is enough, she's got other gifts and the necklace set will keep her occupied for ages.
Have a good christmas.

Sounds lovely

Sounds perfect.

For DS's stocking I've bought new toothbrushes, flannel, sweets, trivia game, small slinky, egg cup and crayons.

For your DD what about hair bobbles/slides, bubble bath, crayons, note pad, sweets, cookie cutters, tights - anything like that.

sounds just great to me

stocking fillers - stuff you'd buy anyway, just a bit nicer - so

character pants, socks, nice tights

new toothbrush (character or flashing rather than just plain)

new toothpaste (Superdrug do one that is pink and sparkly - dd only gets it in her stocking!)

one lot of chocolate - eg coins or large tube of smarties/maltesers

book or annual

new flannel/towel

pack of crayons

mini cereal box

pack of character bun mixture to cook from supermarket (Usually by greens I think? can get them in dennis the menace, HSM, Tom and Jerry etc)

Sounds fine. For stockings I try and buy stuff that will be useful but is more funky or different than she would normally get.

My bag for Dd2's stocking (ie for 5yo girl) has:

Bottle of pink sparkly bubble bath
Electric Barbie toothbrush (save up Boots points for those)
Hello Kitty knickers (normally only buy plain)
Chocolate coins
Percy pigs from M&S
Sparkly pens/pencils
Knitting nancy thing
Dora the Explorer socks
Miniature notebooks
Glow in the dark stars for bedroom
Sparkly hair elastics (£1 from Primark)
Tangerines
Pair of fluffy slippers (£3 from Peacocks)

Arf. Crossed posts with panda. Great minds...

How about filling the stocking with the sort of things she would get anyway but it's nice to have lots of little things in one go, i.e. books, colour pens, etc, think of what things she would need anyway in the next few months.

Thanks everyone. She's asked father Christmas for a scooter and a dolly. She has loads of dolls already. My Mum is getting her another one though.
I think a few feople are buying clothes. She dosn't really appreciate clothes at the moment. She dosn't see them as a present, just something she gets anyway.

I hate buying stuff that will just be landfill - I'd rather get slightly better stuff that will be used.

in fact, am going away for Christmas, and know that as stocking have enough new undrwear in for the time we are away have only packed a couple for the day we are there befoer stockings are opened. I don't buy underwear from half way through the year (unless desperate!) and stock up on nice stuff in stockings

Sounds good to me too. This is about the same as we've got dd, who's 4 - one big present and two smaller ones.

For the stocking, she's having a toy car to add to her collection, chocolate coins, some pens and a notebook because she's obsessed with writing and a satsuma, because I'm a traditionalist.

Sounds fine. I was having a wobble about our 'minimialist' present buying for our 4 yr old DS this year. But my mum, sister and dad + DH's brothers and mum have all bought him presents, so there is really no need for us to buy him bucketloads.

Don't worry!

stockings

bath and shower stuff
hair bobbles
brushes and combs
oranges/satsumers/cleminties
gold coins
a couple of small puzzels

I have to say I have shedloads of Aunties (Mum, one of 4, dad one of 7) So when I was little, I got LOADS of pressies - most of which were cheap tat or selection boxes. I thought it was marvellous!

Plastic hairdryers, combs, hairslides and those mirrors with a bit of silver foil stuck on them...I cared not! In my humble experience, at that age, any wrapped parcel is magic whether it cost 20p or 20 quid!

Thanks everyone, great stocking filler ideas. I like the cake mix idea.

I've filled my dd's stocking with bits from charity shops and e-bay and stuff that I'd have bought her anyway eg paint, chalk.
Do they really care as long as it's there and full?!

I've only bought my ds a handful of stuff this year, following a big, stressful move and a reduction in income. But it's got me more philosophical.

It shouldn't be about how much you spend or what you buy.It's about the fact iut comes from the heart, and that you're spending chrsitmas day with the people most important to you (something I could murder my brother for, but thats another story)

I have run this past DD (6) to see what she thought.

Obviously, as soon as I opened my mouth I realised that she'd wonder why Father Christmas wasn't involved, so had to edit slightly!

Anyway, her little face lit up and she thought they sounded like lovely presents, especially the fluffy slippers . And if this was everything FC brought her, no, she wouldn't be disappointed.

I'm going to go against popular opinion and say I would get more if you can afford it.

We're probably moving in January so it's a minimalist christmas for us too - all I can think is that anything new is just more stuff to pack! I always get my boys (7 and 4) colouring books and crayons for stockings, as these always pass the time when they get up at stupid o'clock wanting to open their under tree pressies. Also go for pants/socks/waterbottles too. Any tat from poundland always goes down well I find!

I wouldn't worry about the stocking tbh. Just put the stuff at the end of the bed with a note from Santa that says 'Dear X, I hope you like your presents, sorry they were too big to fit in the stocking.'

I don't bother with the cheap tat at all. I hate the glazed look that they get as they rip the paper off and don't bother looking at the contents before going on to the next thing.

Rainbow- I've now bought two DVD's extra. We can't really afford that much this year.
We have a big family, and she'll be getting a lot of pressies from them.
In recent years, she's been a bit overwhelmed and couldn't be bothered to open any more. (Which was quite in front of the family. I do't want her to be spoiled, but still want her to have a lovely Christmas.