Post by dancingirl21 on Dec 21, 2014 7:47:43 GMT -5
Way too much for a 17 month old. I just kept finding such good deals that I continued to buy. This year everything will be opened on Christmas morning and not really from us or Santa because he doesn't get it. We may save some of this for his birthday but have bought:
PB kids anywhere chair 5 board books 4 Melissa and Doug toys (pounding block, tool set, car carrier, semi with tools) 3 VTech toys (electronic keyboard, cars and carrier, learning turtle) Broom/dustpan Magna doodle Elmo
C has 2 - baby Stella and a puzzle - plus a stocking that has mostly practical things in it (socks, puffs, hair elastics, bath pouf, toothbrush). So not a lot but she's also only 9.5 months old.
I'm fairly certain both mil and fil will outdo us. My parents will probably do about the same as us minus the stocking.
Post by cricketwife on Dec 21, 2014 7:51:29 GMT -5
DH and I had a date day on Friday and went to an arcade. I wanted to play skew all and couldn't believe how tiny it was! ANecdotes! Just to say that perspectives change and it doesn't take a million presents to feel like a million. That said I know I will have a very hard time not buying All THE TOYS as he gets bigger. This year , he's getting 3 toys from us but we are traveling so we had to keep it light.
I spread gifts out over Hanukkah, Christmas and Little Christmas (Jan. 6) so that there's not too much to open at once. I had to make a list this year to keep track of everything (but mostly because my short-term memory is shot 4 months post-partum). Santa usually leaves one big gift and a stocking stuffer.
But I'll admit that I still don't really get stocking stuffers or who they are supposed to be from. We never had them growing up.
So far the only thing we really have is a Cozy Coupe that I'm unsure if I want to assemble before Christmas or wrap and watch him (hopefully) tear the paper off of it.
I would assemble it. Just make sure you walk into the room first so you can see his expression when he sees it. In my experience that is the best part.
Our kids get 4-5 total. 2-3 from Santa, one from us, and 1 from other siblings (we take them separately to purchase). My H and I both came from families who went really overboard, and looking back it was too overwhelming for both of us.
So we keep it simple. My MIL however goes nuts. Now that we live out of state we go through the gifts from her first and hold back. She literally buys a ton of crap, and it sends our day from "just right" to chaos.
A from Santa- scooter, one Lego set, a playmobile fairy, a dress, a specific Barbie she asked for,and earrings.
From us- a few books, a homemade hobby horse.
M from Santa- a basket ball, a bike(free from the dump) a skate board(it was $10 at Kmart), knee and elbow pads, a green toy fire truck, tool box and Daniel tiger figures.
Post by Velar Fricative on Dec 21, 2014 8:48:22 GMT -5
We have 7 wrapped items for DD - the Cozy Coupe is from Santa and everything else from us. The only reason we have that many is because three of the wrapped boxes are pairs of shoes lol. Our rule was "big toy, small toy(s), clothes/shoes, and books." She'll get a ton of toys and clothes from aunts, uncles and grandparents anyway, so even when she's older I think this will be a good rule for us.
No stocking stuffers because we can't for the life of us find our stockings in any of the boxes we still have left to unpack.
She will have 3 things to open from us. She is 8 months old. It's more than enough. She will also get gifts from her grandparents and possibly aunts/uncles. Two of our friends have already got her gifts.
I should add, we don't spend a lot on gifts as a family. (3 of us). DH and I had a limit of $65-70 each for each other. I spent $35 on DD. So less than $200 for us as a family. But we had to do stuff for extended family that cost us another $250 maybe. Then with friends I think we might only be at $600 total for Christmas. Then I had to buy gifts for staff/boss...another $100...I would say we probably managed it all for $750. This is why our budget for us is so low.
I spent way too much but I am known to go overboard. DS is getting a kitchen with food and pots and pans, a small table and chairs, a crayola invisible coloring set, custom converse sneakers, and his stocking. We spent about $350 on him.
So far the only thing we really have is a Cozy Coupe that I'm unsure if I want to assemble before Christmas or wrap and watch him (hopefully) tear the paper off of it.
I would assemble it. Just make sure you walk into the room first so you can see his expression when he sees it. In my experience that is the best part.
That's what I'm leaning towards too. It'd be more fun to let him play with it right away. MH really wants to watch him tear the paper off stuff though, lol. I'll have to get something else for that.
I would assemble it. Just make sure you walk into the room first so you can see his expression when he sees it. In my experience that is the best part.
That's what I'm leaning towards too. It'd be more fun to let him play with it right away. MH really wants to watch him tear the paper off stuff though, lol. I'll have to get something else for that.
That's exactly what we planned with the kitchen and table and chairs. We assembled it but bought him a bunch of necessary stocking stuffers to open like a toothbrush, bubble bath, and soap.
Post by browneyedgirl9 on Dec 21, 2014 10:31:34 GMT -5
We didn't go overboard, as this is the first xmas and we know the rest of the family will. We got DS 4 gifts (LP school bus, new pool for bext summer, mega blocks, frozen dvd/olaf doll) and some books. Then some puffs as stocking stuffers.
V has One Big Gift from us, some clothes, a few smaller toys, and then a couple of things from his relatives. Possibly an anywhere chair if dad remembered to order it.
He's 16 months, still a little to early to "get" Christmas. But he likes unwrapping things!
C is only a month old so I'm not sure if it counts, but he has five presents under the tree from us. Three are book sets, one is a teether, and one is a toy. Nothing is from Santa this year. I felt kind of ridiculous wrapping gifts for a one month old, but it'll make for cute pictures.
I would like to keep gifts light for him every year, and hopefully plan ahead for stuff he'll use throughout the year, since he has a November birthday. Also, our families will probably overdo it every year, so I have to counteract them
Way too many gifts, though no big ticket items. I get caught up in the excitement of finding good deals & in thinking of their excitement opening gifts. Then I regret it after Christmas morning when it all fills my house! I never learn my lesson, though. I get caught up in the "giving" and forget that if not done wisely, it'll make my kids gets caught up in the GETTING part of Christmas.
I also tend to go way overboard on gifts for my parents, my siblings & spouses, and nieces/nephews. I love giving gifts at Christmas.
For those who feel grinchy, don't! I wish I would cut back (& every year I say I will). Kids get overwhelmed with so much new stuff & it's just not necessary.
Kidkraft retro kitchen Melissa & Doug bead set Cart with cleaning supplies
Toys are sooo much more expensive here in Europe so that is it...I paid just over $200 for the kitchen...I think someone else here mentioned they got theirs for just over $100 :-(
The kitchen is from Santa and the others is from us.
Too many in my opinion. Maybe 3 from Santa, 5 from us, and something from each other. Plus stocking stuffers.
When I grew up, everything was from Santa and didn't appear until Christmas morning. DH insisted on having stuff from us, but I feel like that leads to MORE STUFF! At least a couple of the items are clothes, but still. And, they both have winter birthdays, so it will be MORE STUFF! Gah.
eta: they'll also get a present from my parents, and presents from 4 aunt/uncle sets. I told most of the folks puzzles/books so we'll see how things end up
now I'm wanting to think more about it. So we spent about $400 on the kids. Too, too much
DS1: (approx. $185)
Playskool ambulance (what he asked Santa for) ($30)
E's getting a Melissa & Doug dollhouse, 22-pc. set of Tegu blocks, and stocking stuffers include two Thomas Wooden Railway vehicles, two Janod race cars that fit on the wooden train tracks, stickers, a book, and a small stuffed Katerina Kittycat. Spent about $120 overall due to finding really good deals and counting Shop Small AmEx credits. H thinks this is borderline too much. A couple items we're probably waiting until spring to give. From grandparents (my mom/stepdad, my dad, H's parents) he's getting a train/Lego table, a mandolin, a set of big maple blocks, a Green Toys school bus, books, and assorted other items.
I'm not even going there with what the grandparents are getting him. He's the only on my side and DH's parents are divorced and he is the only local grand kid who is under 10. I had to stop SMIL from getting a cozy coupe AND a cozy truck. I'm closing my eyes on what everyone else got.
Post by dcrunnergirl52 on Dec 21, 2014 13:17:27 GMT -5
DD and DS1 each have 12-15 from us, including stocking stuffers. DS2 has 4 gifts plus stocking stuffers, but his gifts including a new cup, bibs, etc....stuff we would have bought any b/c his old ones are getting gross. They'll both also get gifts from my mom and DH's parents, but that's about it. We're both only children, so no aunts or uncles. And, MIL's gifts are usually toys that go back to her house b/c they spend 1-2 days/week there.
Oh, crap. I just made the mistake of adding up the total that we spent I the kids. Once I roll in all the stocking stuffers and stuff like their Christmas Eve pjs (which they will open Christmas Eve as the first present), we are at around $375 for DS1, $325 for DS2, and $250 for DS3. (They are all getting about the same number of presents, but DS1 wants expensive clothing items and xbox games, DS2 wants $7 action figures, and DS3 wants nothing, hence the disparity.). Some of that is clothing or practical stuff I would have bought them anyway, though.
DD1 is getting: A bike (my parents) A Belle dress-up (ILs) Aurora dress-up (us) Rapunzel wig (us) Frozen Lego castle (us thanks to the fab @kirkette) Sofia the First jacket (us) Bunny slippers (us) Sofia the First dress-up (us) Where the Sidewalk Ends (my parents) A bunch of princess crap in her stocking
DD2 is getting: Buckleyboo toy (teddy bear with buckles on it for her to fasten... us) Tegu blocks (my parents) Toy truck (my parents) Melissa & Doug Teddy Wear (teddy bear with lots of zips, snaps, buckles to do... ILs)
I feel a little bad that DD1 is getting so much more, but DD2 doesn't know the difference and we have a ton of toys and clothes for her since she is the second girl. She will be more interested in playing with the wrapping paper anyway.
We spent about $150 for both kids and I am happy with that.