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View Full Version : Do you buy toys for your DC all year or just holiday/bday?



pittsburghgirl
11-10-2008, 09:09 PM
My DH and I are having a "discussion" on this. Do you buy your DCs toys during the year, or just for birthday/holiday?

Mamma2004
11-10-2008, 09:20 PM
To an absolute extreme (which may not be a good thing), DS receives new toys for Christmas and then for his birthday in May. I figure they're nearly half way through the year so every 5-6 months he gets some new loot and gives some away.

SnuggleBuggles
11-10-2008, 09:30 PM
He gets toys throughout most of the year. I stop buying toys in October in the run up for Christmas. At various times throughout the year I declare a "no new toy" month (or longer depending on my mood). I institute those months when it seems like ds just has too many things or is being unappreciative of what he has. His b-day is in June so it is 1/2 from Christmas. We like to buy toys though so I don't limit it to those 2 occaisons.

Beth

hillview
11-10-2008, 10:05 PM
Throughout the year. Bdays don't net a lot of gifts from us (2?). Christmas is an issue and trying to cut back!!

So far this year have books only.

I do have a pretty full toy closet with older kid games/puzzles that I got on sale etc.
/hillary

brittone2
11-10-2008, 10:30 PM
So far primarily on bdays and Christmas, but we find some good 2nd hand stuff and they'll get that throughout the year.

I'm always on the fence about whether it is better to limit how often they get new stuff (so that they aren't always asking at stores, etc.). Currently DS (4.5) doesn't really ask for much at all in stores, etc. and I'd like to keep it that way LOL. But...I don't like getting carried away for holidays/bday. We usually keep things fairly modest for holiday/bday gifts.

I see pros/cons to each approach!

elliput
11-10-2008, 10:41 PM
I am always on the lookout for new toys. DD's b-day is just a couple weeks after the holidays, so I like to add new things in during the year as her interests and ablilities evolve.

zephyr
11-10-2008, 10:42 PM
My ds gets toys year round. We don't go crazy for christmas and b-days, although we do celebrate them and I try not to focus on all the gifts/stuff he gets but about the actual holiday/celebration at hand. He also has some stuff I have found that was very inexpensive and I do buy ahead (gets stashed away in a closet). So if I happened to see a wooden dollhouse on craigslist, I would probably buy it but it would be in stashed away for later when he was old enough to play with it.

greatcanuk
11-10-2008, 11:04 PM
Sigh. I'm a toyaholic and I buy toys ALL THE TIME (always things I've found at an amazing price, of course.) Therefore, I have a huge toy stash. So I'll give something to DD somewhat at random. For example, I'll break out a new toy if she is expressing an interest related to something I have already in my stash. Or is she was extraordinarily patient, or had an extraordinarily hard day, sort of as a bonus (not as a bribe though).

For big occasions (Xmas, b-days, graduations, etc), I'll maybe do 1 big item usually bought ahead, supplemented with some medium or small items.

Camille

C99
11-10-2008, 11:41 PM
So far primarily on bdays and Christmas, but we find some good 2nd hand stuff and they'll get that throughout the year.

I'm always on the fence about whether it is better to limit how often they get new stuff (so that they aren't always asking at stores, etc.). Currently DS (4.5) doesn't really ask for much at all in stores, etc. and I'd like to keep it that way LOL. But...I don't like getting carried away for holidays/bday. We usually keep things fairly modest for holiday/bday gifts.

I see pros/cons to each approach!

This is pretty much us as well. My kids don't ask for things in stores all the time either, which is nice. They do ask from time to time, which I think is normal. But there are no tantrums when the answer is no either.

bubbaray
11-10-2008, 11:45 PM
All the time. I use small things as behavior rewards/bribes.

SnuggleBuggles
11-10-2008, 11:45 PM
I have found it to be quite helpful to express your toy buying plans before going into the store or somewhere like the zoo where they might be tempted. I tell him before we get out of the car that we won't be buying anything and that is almost always that. If he does ask I just remind him of our previous discussion and that works.

Beth

ett
11-11-2008, 12:12 AM
Sigh. I'm a toyaholic and I buy toys ALL THE TIME (always things I've found at an amazing price, of course.) Therefore, I have a huge toy stash. So I'll give something to DD somewhat at random. For example, I'll break out a new toy if she is expressing an interest related to something I have already in my stash. Or is she was extraordinarily patient, or had an extraordinarily hard day, sort of as a bonus (not as a bribe though).


This is what I pretty much do also.

sarahsthreads
11-11-2008, 12:26 AM
Year-round. Especially because DD1's birthday is in late October, so that's a huge stretch in between Christmas and her birthday.

But because we buy year-round we tend to not go overboard with birthday and Christmas gifts. We only buy 1 gift for her birthday (plus we throw her a party with a fun cake she gets to design - this year it was a pink alligator) and I try to stick with the "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" poem I read on here a few years ago for Christmas gifts - so that's really only 1 toy from us. I haven't decided if that's separate from what Santa's bringing or not. Depends on what she asks him for!

Lately, if she asks for something in the store, I tell her we'll put it on her wish list. I don't know how that's going to work after the holidays, though...

Sarah :)

new_mommy25
11-11-2008, 02:30 AM
Big stuff is usually only Xmas or Bdays. I will pick up smaller things throughout the year, like an action figure or Hot Wheel or small Lego set for DS. DD only plays with baby dolls but I buy her lots of art supplies, play doh stuff etc. If I score stuff on CL or find something for a great deal I will buy it and give it to the kids.

Melbel
11-11-2008, 02:50 AM
For DS and DD1, we stick to birthdays and Christmas with a few exceptions. On occasion, I will get the kids something small (i.e. a Webkinz) as a reward for exceptional behavior or great grades. I also do not hesitate to buy books throughout the year. We tend to put some birthday/Christmas gifts away and break them out throughout the year (both of their birthdays are pretty close to Christmas so they have a lot of new items at 1 time). DC use giftcards and allowance $ during the year as well. When the DC express an interest in an item, we simply put it on an Amazon wishlist, which puts an end to the "I want" issue. With DD2, I have bought a few items as needed depending on her development/interests. As she gets older, I will use the same system as the older DC. I actually buy toys throughout the year when I find great deals and stash them in my closet for birthdays/Christmas.

KBecks
11-11-2008, 09:29 AM
mostly just b-day and holiday -- or when I want something new. I like book shopping when I get to a resale shop and I bought some Playmobil just to see it, we do art stuff and seasonal toys here and there.

hellokitty
11-11-2008, 09:41 AM
Sigh. I'm a toyaholic and I buy toys ALL THE TIME (always things I've found at an amazing price, of course.) Therefore, I have a huge toy stash. So I'll give something to DD somewhat at random. For example, I'll break out a new toy if she is expressing an interest related to something I have already in my stash. Or is she was extraordinarily patient, or had an extraordinarily hard day, sort of as a bonus (not as a bribe though).

For big occasions (Xmas, b-days, graduations, etc), I'll maybe do 1 big item usually bought ahead, supplemented with some medium or small items.

Camille

I could have posted the same thing, only difference is I have two boys instead of a DD. My DH says the unfinished side of our basement is my toy store.

fivi2
11-11-2008, 09:59 AM
I am always on the lookout for new toys. DD's b-day is just a couple weeks after the holidays, so I like to add new things in during the year as her interests and ablilities evolve.


this is us, too

BeachBum
11-11-2008, 11:57 AM
DS is 3 and I buy less throughout the year now that I did when he was younger. But I do still buy some things.

When he was younger, I felt like his interests and abilities were constantly changing and he was ready for new challenges. Most toys for little ones are educational/ developmental anyway so I didn't feel guilty about it.

Fairy
11-11-2008, 12:50 PM
All the time. It's not toys really, it's books. We go to BN quite a bit, and we usually come out with one book for DS every time. Sometimes a toy from there. We don't go to BRU and TRU regularly, so there's rarely toys coming from there, and when in Target, DS knows that we're in the toy aisle for X for their bday party, and he doesn't generally ask for toys. Our big weakness is at BN. We're generally sure to come away with any new Boynton, patrick McDonnell, "Bugs" pop up (David A. Carter), stuffed animal/beanie deal, etc. We also buy him DVDs quite a bit. Right now, I'm teaching him all the Presidents. When he could name 1-15 with no hints, he got to choose any DVD he wanted. When he gets the next five, then the next five, then the next five, he'll get a new DVD with each of those milestones, too. Like a PP, tho, we don't buy him anything after Halloween so we can gear up for the holidays.

Then Xmas and Hanukkah will be a zoo.