How many presents per child?

[Xcited4Disney]

With the holidays approaching, I always encounter this problem. I have only one child and every year I feel like I go a bit overboard with presents.She gets a variety of items but I sometimes feel like I bought too much.

For example this year so far I bought her a DS Lite and a refurb Ipod shuffle. Okay, great. Now I'm getting her a new American Girl doll, an outfit for her to match the doll, the Target doll bathtub, the new Monopoly game, maybe a Cranium game, the Bratz guitar taht I found on clearance, and now Target's $1 spot has all of those cute play-food/aplliances sets that I grabbed. Is this typical? Now that I typed it, it doesn't seem as bad, but I still have a long way to Christmas. Last year, my mom slept over to open gifts with us Christmas morning and she just kept making little comments. You know "another doll?" and "more toys?"

How about you?

 

[taraprather]

I'm horrible about getting to many presents for my children. I always say, they are only getting a couple things this year, but when my xmas shopping starts in August, it's hard. For my son I got him 2 tickets to wwe, a gameboy sp with 3 games, 2 ps2 games, 2 memory cards, and a new controller for his ps2, 5 different spy items, a nerf toy, a airplane remote controll thing, wrestlers.
For my daughter, I've got her barbie musical items, disney princess jumprope and matching baton, baby alive, doras magic castle, lots of mr potatoe head, doras cash register. i am still needing to get her a train table with a train, a bike and a power wheels.
I have a horrible habit of buying them every single thing that they put on there list.

 

[golfgal]

We usually do around 5 for each, one big thing, 4 smaller things. This year we are thinking about a new big screen tv or a second computer so then they would each get a couple smaller things with the big group present.

My sister's MIL buys 25 presents for each grandchild, spends about $2000/kid, there are 14 grandkids, it takes them 6 HOURS to open presents, then it goes to the adults but they only get 10 each .

 

[KelNottAt]

3 gifts from Santa
3 gifts from parents
1 ornament
1 classic book (future-heirloom-type)

 

[JVL1018]

Usually 7-8 gifts. Last year I believe it was 10 though. This year I am reallllly sticking to 7-I hope!

Plus a stocking full.

 

[Skatermom23]

If you can afford it, then go for it!

 

[belle&beast]

If you can afford it, then go for it!

I agree! Enjoy shopping for special things at the holidays! We always say we are going to cut back, but I always find such great deals, I juast can't walk away That being said, we have planned better this year, so I don't think I will go overboard.

 

[Amy]

Now that my 2 DS's are old enough to understand how much things cost, I don't have a set "number" of presents per child, but I do have a set "amount" that I spend per child. So one might get a big ticket item and maybe one or two smaller gifts, while the other gets a bunch of small gifts. I try to keep the total amount spent on each one pretty close to equal.

 

[princesspiglet]

Christmas and birthdays are the only time of the year that my daughter gets any gifts at all. i don't rountinely just pick her something up at the store and she knows not to ask. With that saisd she is an only child and the only grandchild on my parent's side...therefore, she gets alot of presents. Her birthday is a month before xmas, so she usually gets about 6-8 presents from me and about 5 presents from my folks. On Christmas, she gets I would say about 30-40 things, from everyone. Yes that is alot, but like I said, she doesn't get anything during the rest of the year. I spend about $600 on her alone and my mom spends another $500 on her.

Yes, she is spoiled, but she is not a brat! :wink:

Plus, we can afford it. i would rather spend the money on her then myself. (or anyone else for that matter!)

 

[AKLRULZ]

We don't really cap it by number of presents.

 

[kinntj]

I think each child will get 6 gifts. Usually 1 from Santa, 4 from us, and 1 they give to each other. It might come to more from us, but since I said 3 total originally, we're way over.

It's easier to buy things for my 4 year old than 2 year old. The 2 year old usually doesn't want much except what she's not suppose to have that her sister owns KWIM?

My DD doesn't want much for her birthday, so we'll indulge on Christmas.
She always gets clothes in there too and we haven't shopped for that yet, because she grows too fast.

 

[golfgal]

3 gifts from Santa
3 gifts from parents
1 ornament
1 classic book (future-heirloom-type)

Totally but you know how you go places and see people that look like people you know, your DH is a TWIN to one friend of our and you could be a sister of another friend, they aren't married though .

 

[debbi801]

I don't go by the number of presents. I go by the dollar amount spent. I have the same dollar amount for each child. Depending on what each child wants, they may have one or two big things or lots of little things. But between us and grandparents they all have too much by the time the holiday is over. LOL

 

[taximomfor4]

I have never spent more than $135 on a child. Over the years, I have tried to spend less -- between $70-120/kid. We just don't need it, it seems so wasteful, and we are trying to minimize the "importance" of gifts. In fact for birthdays, we spend about $50. For us, it isn't a specific number of gifts -- nor do we try to spend exactly the same amount per kid. And a lot of the time, the kids get things they THINK they need as gifts. For example, dd13 WANTED the next-level Irish Dance dress. We talked it out, she decided it was important enough to her to make the cost of upgrading the dress be a Christmas gift. Some things she changes her mind about when it'll cost a gift...but other things, she wants badly enough. We just did this for my 8yo dd this year also, and she chose to NOT upgrade her Irish Dance dress yet.

I guess in the end, it all depends on your own values and thoughts on "stuff." My brother (military) spends about $500/kid...sometimes slightly more, sometimes slightly less I think.

 

[DaisyD]

Geez, I don't even want to think of how many gifts my kids get. I bought DD, now 7, so many gifts last year that she didn't feel like opening them all til the next day. She stopped halfway through the opening and asked if she could just play with the stuff she openend and save the rest for the next day! She actually took another 3 days to open stuff. I don't count the gifts but there was probably over 50 at least. I try to limit $$$ and not gifts. My husband remarked that we should keep in mind what her halfway point is and only buy that many gifts this year! LOL!

 

[golfgal]

Geez, I don't even want to think of how many gifts my kids get. I bought DD, now 7, so many gifts last year that she didn't feel like opening them all til the next day. She stopped halfway through the opening and asked if she could just play with the stuff she openend and save the rest for the next day! She actually took another 3 days to open stuff. I don't count the gifts but there was probably over 50 at least. I try to limit $$$ and not gifts. My husband remarked that we should keep in mind what her halfway point is and only buy that many gifts this year! LOL!

Wow, no offense but that is really sad.

 

[DaisyD]

Wow, no offense but that is really sad.

I don't think it is sad. We can afford it and I enjoy buying so it works out for us. You do what you want and I'll do what I want.

 

[DVCLiz]

Nothing like a little bit of judgement served with your cup of holiday cheer!!!!

I love our Christmases. Santa always left a big pile of gifts for my brother and me, so that's what we do at my house. We have things I know will be surprises, things that the girls have requested, and some classics - they always get new books, movies, beauty products, CDs, and some kind of art kit or project. I like a lot of presents on Christmas morning!!!!

 

[powellrj]

we have never counted presents and have always used a dollar amount. This year our oldest DS is only getting a couple of gifts because he is in the army and really doesn't have the space for many things, while DD is 10 and wants lots of "things"

 

[DaisyD]

Nothing like a little bit of judgement served with your cup of holiday cheer!!!!

I love our Christmases. Santa always left a big pile of gifts for my brother and me, so that's what we do at my house. We have things I know will be surprises, things that the girls have requested, and some classics - they always get new books, movies, beauty products, CDs, and some kind of art kit or project. I like a lot of presents on Christmas morning!!!!

Thank you~! My sister and I also woke up to a huge pile of gifts. They must have extended 20 ft out from the tree all the way around! LOL! My mom the shopoholic! We also woke up to a completely decorated tree and huge train garden. My mom made us to believe Santa put the garden and tree up Christmas eve as we slept. It was so magical to wake to such a scene. While the kids and I decorate the house and tree together I still make sure all 3 have a lot of goodies to wake up to.