How much do you spend on your LO's for Christmas/Birthday?

[Mummy-D]

Just wondering do you set yourself a budget and stick to it. Or do you just buy whatever you see.

 

[MummyJess]

With 3 to buy for we have had to stick to a budget partly so we don't go bankrupt and partly to keep it fair. I tend to make lots of lists, especially at Christmas where they have stockings as well as main presents. Last year, we said £20 each for the stockings from Santa and £50 each, plus a few joint presents, such as stuff for their room or games to play together.

We tend to get them things during the year as well, such as a new bike at the start of the summer when they most needed it. If there was something they really wanted then I might spend a bit more, such as when I got them their kitchen but they are spoiled rotten by friends and family at BDays and Christmas so I certainly don't feel the need to spend any more as a general rule.

 

[Red_Fairy]

last year we spent about £150 on hannah for xmas - but this year i doubt we'll be spending that much on each. Probably about £70-£100 each this year.

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Over £200 on each, we dont set a budget really, we will buy things as we see them but we usually plan what to get him for each. We do spoil him rotten on Birthdays and Christmas but thats the only time of year he gets anything like toys etc.. hmm well me and OH will buy him something small every now and then. It probably seems wayyy over the top but I love spoiling him on his Birthday and Christmas, he isnt and wont be a spoilt brat though (a brat to me is someone who gets everything and anything they want, when they want it) and we look at as if we can afford it then why not, what better things would we have to spend our money on.

 

[Happybunny]

We have decided not to buy very much for April at birthday's and Christmas. It isn't because we are mean - it is just that the rest of the family can not stop themselves from over indulging her. We could spend up to £50 on her and she woould still have a million presents to open from everyone else.

We also buy toys and things for her during the year, so we would probably make birthday's about doing something fun together rather than spending a lot of money on presents.

 

[mummykay]

Jam gets toys and clothes bought for him with no occasion, mega spoilt for bday and xmas tho

 

[helsekia]

we usually spend about 200pound on kiara at xmas and half that at birthdays.so i guess caden will get the same.we usually get 1 main present and then stocking fillers.i buy them threw the year.

 

[sarah113]

we spend about 50 pounds on each for their birthdays and about 100 pound each at xmas

 

[Minime]

Under 100 for eefie and about 150-200 for DD as she's loads older. Last year she got Mark 4 GHD's as a treat but she's been asking me for years for them. She's never had a console or anything like that and normally its about 100-150, last xmas was a one off.

 

[SarahH]

Over £200. We dont go silly with toys tho as the family and our friends get all that. We usually buy one big toy, like for her birthday she got her battery ride in car/jeep this year and then loads of clothes, books, some DVD's. I also got some new bedding and light for her bedroom as part of her gift.

 

[Xena]

We don't stick to a set budget, but we aren't loaded so we don't go crazy.

For Alex's first birthday last week we bought:
a £15 rocking horse
a £20 musical bear keyboard thinggy
and about £15 worth of clothes
(so about £50 in total)

(Would have bought the clothes anyway though because he needed some - he didn't have many his size)

we spent more than that on Lydia's last birthday for her - think we spent about £90 in total (trampoline and a toy pig), but we didn't have as many debts at the time.

It's not like either of them know the value of toys, and to be honest they'd probably be just as happy with something home-made. Little kids are easy to please in the short term, and likewise they get bored of even expensive presents quickly.

I know there will soon come a time when they'll be asking for waaaay more expensive things from us.

 

[Misslarue]

I spend about £50-£100
I try not to spend too much as I know the older he gets the more it will cost me!
I do buy him clothes and toys all the time though. He def has more toys than one lil boy needs

 

[chickadee1976]

I always go overboard, i try not to think about the actaul amount.
I reckon i blow the budget because i feel guilt because he doesnt se hal his family, so has very few presents from other people.

He is gettng a PS3 this year and very litle else.
Sleared out the toy room at the weekend and have managed to half the amount of cars, litle men and guns hanging around.

 

[Tangerinedream]

About £50, we dont need to spend much more because the family get him loads of stuff too. Saying that last year we bought Jake a lot of equiptment before xmas last year (stage 1 car seat, high chair, walker) so we kinds classed them as presents- and they came to about £150 (on top of his toys etc)

 

[maybebaby]

For his birthday we spent about £50 on his bike which was his only present from us - he got loads from family and friends too.

At Christmas his main present cost about £60 and then I probably would have spent about £20 on his stocking but I was lucky enough to win the prize draw on here which paid for most of it and I just got a few bits and bobs.

Generally I think we aim to spend about £50 maximum but could go to more if we saw something we loved.

 

[Lola's Mummy]

We spend far too much!

I've spent about £200 on just clothes. This is only because she will want 12-18 months clothes not long after her birthday.
She also had about £150 on toys from us. I actually bought more but OH made me put some away for Christmas

She's getting a bike, pram & dolls etc from other family members but i always new she'd be spoilt by OH's family as she's the first girl for about 3 generations

She won't be a brat though

 

[mum2A&L]

TBH, whilst she is little and still doesn't understand xmas or birthdays 100% we don't go mad - she has grandparents to do that!

And what with xmas and birthday being within 20 days of each other, its an expensive time of year! last year, £50 on each. We buy her one thing for her birthday - but bigger. she tends to get loads of smaller toys throughout the year though. she is quite spoilt

This year, im going to get her one of the trikes you push along for her birthday, and im not sure about xmas yet, but we will spend 70 - 100 i recon

 

[Babylicious]

We have a big family so I tend not to go overboard as they get spoiled anyway!

Last year I spent £100 on Paris and I'll be spending around the same again this year and maybe £50 on Harrison. They get stuff all year round anyway so I'd run out of space if I went mad

 

[Riot_Grrrl]

we spent £1500 on my 9 year old for xmas about £700 on my 2 year old..i know it sounds a lot but they don't have very much off the rest of the family and we work very hard..if we didn't have it we couldn't spend it it, plus i had nowt when i was small so i like to spoil them a bit xx

 

[daftscotslass]

I don't think we're going to go mad at Christmas for her, mostly because money will be quite tight with me being off on leave still. I want her first Christmas to be more about us being together rather than spending a fortune because she'll be starting nursery full time two weeks later