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vonfirmath
11-09-2010, 03:35 PM
I see people talk about getting their kids 4 things for Christmas.

We don't spend a lot for our son's christmas... but I can not imagine cutting it off at only 3 or 4 items! And that is with trying to cut off.

Our list is as long as my arm for maybe wants. But I have to cut somewhere. Somehow... when I buy one thing here and one thing there... it gets too long even with trying to just stop!

vonfirmath
11-09-2010, 03:38 PM
My really unfocused list
Already got:
Discovery Toys Marbleworks
48-pc wood puzzle and 32-pc regular boxed puzzle
a Sing-a-ma-jig
new toothbrush
hand puppets (Costco)
Signing time vol. 4-6

Going to get:
fabric food from IKEA
Maybe their put-it-together yourself trucks?
Cranium Hullabaloo (Since I can get it for $15 this week from Toys R us)
jelly beans

On list to send to relatives (still trying to pare this down. I feel very unfocused!):
tea set
cash register (which one?)
cook top playstove -- Maybe? Need more food, utensils, pots though with this
garage? -- I kind of feel the marbleworks fulfills the same niche
wood blocks (citiblocs?)
Lauri Puzzle Kids
Lauri Fit-a-space
Lauri lowercase lace and link letters
Hat Stackers Party game

Books:
Swim! Swim! by Lerch
Dr.seuss's full size Foot Book, Green Eggs and Ham, Mr. Brown Can Moo

Leapster Explorer
Signing Time DVDs (Season 1, vol 1-3 and 7)
Toy Story 3 DVD
Beethoven's Wig CDs

KrisM
11-09-2010, 09:22 PM
Mine get more than 3-4 from us. They generally get 10-12 total, including Santa, mom and dad, and siblings. But, this year I'm struggling as I have 11 I'd like to keep on DS1's list, but DD and DS2 are at 7 or 8. I need it to be even, so either I come up with more ideas that are good and not just fillers, or I cut from DS1. Not sure yet.

When it was just DS1, I went a little more crazy and it was too much. I decided also that I can buy things throughout the year and don't have to wait until a birthday or Christmas. This has helped a ton. Tomorrow, I'm brining out a new game because DS1 is home from school and he just loves games. I have a couple put away and it'll be fun to play while DD is at school and DS2 is napping.

egoldber
11-09-2010, 09:41 PM
Well we do Hanukkah (8 nights), Christmas and Santa. :o

Santa does one big thing and one small thing. This year for older DD it is the Lego Hogwarts and for younger DD maybe the M&D folding castle. I thin he is also bringing another Magnatile set for them to share.

Christmas is at my mom's with my niece and her DD (5). They are quite poor, so we do not do anything large there. Usually a book, a puzzle and something "fun", but small like a Barbie or a board game.

Hanukkah is a mixture of medium toys (craft kit, Wii game, DS game, doll accessories) and necessities (e.g., slippers, boots, hats&gloves or PJs depending on what they need that year).

kristac
11-09-2010, 09:49 PM
Mine get more than 3-4 from us. They generally get 10-12 total, including Santa, mom and dad, and siblings. But, this year I'm struggling as I have 11 I'd like to keep on DS1's list, but DD and DS2 are at 7 or 8. I need it to be even, so either I come up with more ideas that are good and not just fillers, or I cut from DS1. Not sure yet.

When it was just DS1, I went a little more crazy and it was too much. I decided also that I can buy things throughout the year and don't have to wait until a birthday or Christmas. This has helped a ton. Tomorrow, I'm brining out a new game because DS1 is home from school and he just loves games. I have a couple put away and it'll be fun to play while DD is at school and DS2 is napping.

I need to do more of this. I end up with tons of things just sitting in the closet waiting for the holidays. DS1 and 3's bdays are close to Christmas so I really do need to spread things out more during the year. I just noticed I have a beach ball sprinkler from the target clearence that I obviously missed the proper gift moment for- now it's going to be in hiding until spring.

Back to OP-
My kids definately get more then 4 things each. Looking back at last year- They each got 3 from Santa and then 5-8 things from us. I also purchase gifts for the kids from my parents and my grandparents so my list I post on here looks really extravagant :) DS1 and DS3 have Nov/Dec bdays as well to add to the crazyness. I keep a tight budget though- it's all the bargins that pad the stockings.

crl
11-09-2010, 10:32 PM
Well, dd, age 7 months now, is getting a push toy and a dress from us and a pull toy from Santa. DS, age 7, is getting a wii plus games from us and more unit blocks from Santa. They will both get some pretty nice stocking stuffers (watch for ds, Hanna hat and mittens plus Robeez lined boots for dd). But that's it.

BUT, they will get stuff from my parents, probably 2-3 toys and some clothes. They will likely get a toy each from each of their three aunts and uncles. And a toy or two from the other grandparents. That's a big part of the reason we try not to get them a ton ourselves.

Even with us only doing 2-4 toys and a few nice clothes, etc, they will end up with 10-14 new toys over the holidays, plus clothes, etc. It always seems like way too much. Too much for ds to absorb and really appreciate, too much to keep neat, too much in relation to how little other people have, etc, etc. We appreciate the generosity of our families and don't want to ask them to stop so we try to limit ourselves. Additionally we end up spending a lot of money getting to my parents' place for the holidays, so limiting presents is a way to help afford that.

So, I'm not sure it is about the kids' ages so much as it is other circumstances and other priorities.

Catherine

Multimama
11-09-2010, 11:01 PM
So far for DS I have 6 toys and 2+ articles of clothing. It seemed like a good amount and a good variety of things, but now relatives are starting to ask what they should get and I'm thinking it's going to end up being too much all together. I'll probably cut out a few things.

I guess my thinking is that he's going to be over-stimulated enough as it is with everything that is going on. Too many toys will just overwhelm him.

ETA: Just so it's more clear what my answer to the OP's question is, my DS is 2. To me it doesn't seem like younger kids, even onlies, need tons of toys on the holidays unless you don't buy them anything new for the rest of the year. I do buy him stuff during the year at his age because his needs at 1 year old on his birthday were just so different than 18 months etc.

wimama
11-09-2010, 11:05 PM
To answer the OP question, yes I do think that younger children need more toys. At least younger first born children.

Last year we went overboard on DS birthday and at Christmas. He was 3 last year and when we looked around at his toys they all looked babyish. He was outgrowing a lot of his toys. We don't buy him much except on holidays or on his late spring birthday. Besides what we buy, he doesn't receive too many other presents or hand me down toys. So, we felt justified in buying the toys we now have.

Fast forward to now. He has what we feel is an adequate number of toys, and most of his toys now are age appropriate and will remain age appropriate for several more years. If we don't start curbing the number of toys coming into this house we will be overrun with toys and we want DS to appreciate the toys he has.

So we are doing something new this Christmas. We are limiting the number of presents this year. DS will receive 3 presents from Santa under the tree , a stocking and 3 presents from Mommy & Daddy. He will still have a very good Christmas and DS will not be disappointed. I still think he is getting more than enough.

My current list of Christmas gifts for him is:

Santa
1. Playmobil School - This is his big deal gift. We bought the expansion pack, cars to drop off the kids at the school, some playground equipment, and made a playmat for it to sit on. I am counting it all as his one big present.
2. Fuzzoodles Kit
3. MightyMind Patterning Game

Stocking
Toy Story 3 DVD, 2 Leapfrog Explorer games, a case for the Explorer, a few Playmobil figures, stocking stuffer Lego set, Water Dolphin Catch game, and candy

From Mommy & Daddy
(one present he needs, one present to read and one to play with)
1. Imaginext Space Shuttle
2. New pair of athletic shoes
3. Books. I have bought two and may give him one or both wrapped together.

Grandparents
Leapfrog Explorer Costco Bundle


I totally went overboard with the school. :bag DS has only asked for the school, Fuzzoodles and TS3 DVD. The school is kind of a present for me too! I loved dollhouses when I was a kid. And, I only have one child, a boy. I told DH this may very be my only chance to do up a "Dollhouse" for my DS. Sure Playmobil has other sets. But, none as house like as the school. Accessorizing a castle doesn't seem like it would be nearly as appealing to me. LOL. So, DH let me have fun accessorizing the school.

Last year there was such a big volume of gifts under the tree. I don't want DS to expect that every year. I would rather him have a few well chosen gifts now that he is getting bigger.

Raidra
11-09-2010, 11:09 PM
I do think that after a certain point, kids' Xmas lists get shorter, but also more expensive. My sister is 7 years younger than me, and I remember quickly getting to the point where my mom kept explaining over and over again that even though it looked like my sister got more presents than me, she still spent the same amount of money on both of us. It really worried her that I would be jealous, but I totally got it. I could take $50 and get five decent toys for my six month old, or one video game for my 7 year old. So that might be what's happening.. a kid getting 3-4 expensive toys rather than a dozen cheaper ones.

I've also noticed that some years, my older kids' interests don't change much and they already have all the toys they need.. other years, they change more and it feels like they need a whole new toy 'wardrobe'.

kijip
11-10-2010, 01:19 AM
I thought that my older son did not have too many toys but he totally did. We cut back as he got older for a few reasons:

He didn't need it and it was not teaching him the best values.

His wants and needs did get more expensive.

We started truly doing quality over quantity.

We realized just how happy our younger son was with less, kinda by accident because we didn't have time to buy toys during a rough year with a family death.

F has way less to play with that T did bit he has no less fun than T did and we have less stress over cleaning etc. He has a push wagon, a small rocker, some duplos and a handful of other small items. He plays with a lot of boxes and household items. He looks at a ton of books. He is getting to be the age that some he would be old enough for many of the handmedowns we have in the garage from T- a toy kitchen and all the accessories, a massive Thomas collection. We have decided to just give him a little bit of the train stuff at a time, and likely not give it all to him at all. We have not yet decided if the play kitchen is even worth bringing out. We got rid of the easel in favor of posting paper on the wall with magnets. Works just as well. All of the things I researched and wanted for T and bought for T are far more than I think in hindsight he needed and so far being way more minimalist with F has worked really well. All of this is by choice. Not only do we have far more money to bypuy toys now, heck we have many of the toys already stashed away in the garage. When we stored them we assumed we would definately want them for F but now, if just seems unnecessary.

So long winded way of saying, no I don't think younger kids need much more than older kids. We plan to get each boy 4 Christmas presents and F will also get a 2nd birthday present from us 2 days after Christmas. We will only give him 1 birthday present, sometime we started a few years back with T and it has been really successful. They get other b day gifts and then we can put the money saved to a nice party and/or a family outing or trip.

egoldber
11-10-2010, 08:17 AM
I do agree that opening too much all at once can be really overwhelming. My ILs really overdo Hanukkah (they do the family celebration as one large event) and it is a HUGE gift giving extravaganza. They have tried to cut back, but it is hard for them, but the kids totally burn out after they've opened 2-3 presents and want to just move on.

If we did not do several openings over many days, we would give a lot less! And it's why I try to mix in a lot of practical things with the toys.