How many presents do you give your child for their birthday?

Okay I've been totally restraining myself here because it seems like I am in the minority. I can't help myself and I LOVE to wrap gifts and have a big pile for my kids. So they get WAY more than 2 presents from us.

Now part of my problem is that both kids have birthdays so close to Christmas that we end up with a deluge of toys in about a 4 week period. Now obviously while the kids enjoy the present pile and a few of the gifts right away they can't cope with it ALL. So I generally pick up anything they aren't IMMEDIATELY attracted to and put it in the closet. Then throughout the year as they get bored with/outgrow things I pull occasional new toys out of the closet.

I was feeling guilty for spoiling my kids as I read this thread, then realized that you all do the same thing I do, just differently. Beth WHY do you have a bunch of things in the toy closet? Do you buy them throughout the year? And do you pull them out when a new toys seems appropriate? If so, then I think we're on the same track. Does it really matter how many Sarah gets at once as long as she doesn't 'keep' them all immeediately?

And BTW, Happy Birthday to Sarah!

"Beth WHY do you have a bunch of things in the toy closet? "

I do buy things throughout the year. I buy stuff when I see things I want at places like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Costco, and TRU and Target on sale. So by the time a major event rolls around, I generally only need to shop in the closet, LOL!

And I ended up going with 5 things, just because there were a lot of little things as opposed to big things. But she would have been PLENTY happy with 3, and I think I should have only done three. Almost everyone who came to the party brought a gift, even though I asked for no gifts. So there were a lot of presents to open! I now need to figure out how to hide away some of these gifts.

I sometimes buy things in the year too if it's a fabulous price.

It certainly sounds like Sarah is a happy girl with her priorities straight!

I do the same thing. I pick up gifts all year round and some end up being given as bday and Christmas gifts. Some are given as "rewards" and some come out on bored days. The remainder are given as gifts to other kids.

This year Nate will get a kitchen from us and an Easel from my parents. I'm hoping I can get his other grandparents to get him art supplies. He was supposed to get a keyboard, but he saw it when it arrived, so he already has that (and loves it!).

I'm currently trying to weed the toy room in preparation for his October birthday.

Sara, mama to Nathaniel (10/01)

Well, for Jack's 1st birthday, he got a Kettler trike, a ball drop, a ball pound, Melissa and Doug transportation blocks (the 2 put together make noise), a harmonica, a plastic dump truck, a wading pool, sand pail, handmade blanket and bib, and several books. That sounds like a lot, but that's from grandparents, too, and we didn't have a party.

Personally, I prefer to buy him things myself rather than have others buy him things, just because I know what he likes. And we concentrate new toy giving at birthday and Christmas.
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
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Breastfeeding 14 months and counting