How do you wait till Christmas/Bday to give gifts?

[Jenn98]

I'm having a hard time waiting until Christmas to give DD her holiday gifts. She's only 14 months, so even if I do give them to her now I can still get away with putting them under the tree and she'll have no idea (bad mommy, I know...) For example, I just bought the PBK anywhere chair knockoff from Target and I'm not sure I want to have it sit in a box for almost 3 months when I know she'd love it today. And her play kitchen is already set up in the rec room (although we hardly go in there and she walks past it every time we do :( ) Anyway, I'm wondering how others handle this? Should I just suck it up and keep the toys hidden, or is it okay to give them early and then "re-gift" them?

[jgriffin]

E is about the same age as your dd, so I don't have any older-kid experience. But last year we gave him a Jumperoo for Christmas, and he got it the day we brought it home from BRU...a month before Christmas. I plan to buy a chair from Target, too (hopefully they won't be sold out because of this board!), but he'll get it when it arrives.

I also took a lot of the stuff E got for Xmas last year and gave it to him weeks after the holidays were over. He can only handle so much new stuff at once, and that way the gifts extended themselves for about 2 months. I figured he's too young to even know what Christmas is, or care if he gets something on the day or weeks before or after.

Next year I'll probably (try to) wait until Christmas Day. :)

[buddyleebaby]

I hide it.
I know that she is not expceting anything and it is ME who is excited to give it her.
I like to wait until Christmas and see her get something new along with everyone else.
True I could "re-gift" something she has already been playing with, but then the novelty would have worn off.

P.S. WHich toy kitchen did you get?

[Emmas Mom]

I've been pondering this myself with DD#2. I got her one of those Parent Magazine Around the Block Wagons from Costco. She pulls herself up to standing & I can see her already wanting to chase her sister, so I'm thinking it would be very useful to help her learn to walk well before Christmas. I think I'm going to give it to her early & save the box to wrap. Honestly at this age I think she may even have more fun with just the box!

[niccig]

DS's birthday is Christmas Day. Last year he was one and we were travelling. I had 2 things I gave him, 1 for each celebration. The real present was an activity table, it stayed in the garage for 6 months until we felt he was ready to play with it. He didn't know and didn't mind. I would personally wait, so the novelty hasn't worn off for you. As she gets older you'll have to hide things, so maybe find a good place now.

[HallsofVA]

I've only had a few years of Christmas presents with DS so not a huge amount of experience, but here's what we do. If I buy something that I think has real play value early, then I'm likely to go ahead and give it as an early gift. Last year we did this with quite a few items, but partly because we took a cruise at the beginning of Dec. and some of the items were potential cruise takealongs.

If I give DS something early, I don't go through the re-gift process on Christmas Day. Thus far, he's been too young to really understand the concept of a Christmas present. Plus, he gets so many gifts from so many people, I already try to limit what he receives.

Since DS' birthday is in mid-January, I tend to hold back more of my own purchases for his birthday, and just give him a key gift or two on Christmas day, under the thought that there are more folks giving Christmas presents than birthday presents, and it helps to keep him from getting too overwhelmed.

That said, I'm a compulsive Costco shopper, and can't resist the toys they stock at the holiday season (that instantly disappear the rest of the year.) Last year I ended up with a huge tower of toys by the time the holidays came. DH and I went through the pile, decided what we were giving to DS, and whether it was for Christmas or his birthday, and what we were giving as gifts to others. The tower got a bit out of control, but everything worked out really well in the end.

[Saartje]

I like to give most things according to when my son seems developmentally ready for them, rather than by the calendar. He got his big Christmas present from his grandparents in August last year, and we gave it to him right away: it was a train table, he needed a spot to center his toys around, and in a Chicago winter we needed something for him to do indoors long before Christmas. I've done that for all birthdays and Christmases until now, in fact; if he's ready for a big present ahead of time, he gets it then, and there's something smaller for him to open as a token on the actual day. This year I expect it to be different; at 2.5, I think he'll be old enough to understand some of the excitement of the particular day.

[sdbc]

I second this. We give DD toys when she is developmentally ready for them. Why let it go to waste in my attic for months when I know she could be using a developmentally appropriate toy to enhance her skills and learning NOW? Also, I think it is overwhelming for babies and toddlers to receive multiple toys all at one time. I'd rather her receive one or two things on the holiday so she can focus on one new thing at a time. Honestly, we probably won't get much for DD for the holidays. She'll get a gift from each grandparent, and I think that will be enough.

All this said, while DD has plenty of toys, she probably has fewer "redundant" toys than most. She doesn't have numerous toys in the same category, for the most part (except where we've gotten them as gifts).
Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04

[MeyersDVM]

>I'm having a hard time waiting until Christmas to give DD her
>holiday gifts. She's only 14 months, so even if I do give them
>to her now I can still get away with putting them under the
>tree and she'll have no idea


I am an impatient gift-giver and I haven't even gotten to DD's 1st Christmas yet. I give gifts early and then go buy more.... What am I going to be like this year? DH better put me in a straight-jacket or else :P