How much would you spend..

[Lonewolf]

I'm in a similar situation with a 2 month old by the time Christmas rolls around. I have a 20 month old, who still to this day thinks its great to sit in a box and drink from her sip-cup, so I plan to take it light on presents. I like the idea of putting a little extra in their 529 plans, as they will get plenty of gifts from Grandparents and other family. Just enough under the tree to have the fun ripping and opening, and then time to enjoy each other.

Wolf

[Mabuisakura]

Thank you! I also realized that the other famliy member wanna by her stuff so we are just going to buy her a couple little gifts for pictures and stuff like that! Thanks for all your input

[vishenda]

"pillows pillows pillows", says the baby

[frugalmomof1]

My DS was almost 3 months old last Christmas... I bought him some outfits and a bath time book (good to chew on!!). I didn't go nuts because 1) I knew my family would 2) I was just finishing up my 12 week maternity leave and didn't have extra money and 3) Its not easy taking an almost 3 month old shopping...in the cold..... with that huge stroller and no place to park!

[Mabuisakura]

Originally Posted by frugalmomof1

My DS was almost 3 months old last Christmas... I bought him some outfits and a bath time book (good to chew on!!). I didn't go nuts because 1) I knew my family would 2) I was just finishing up my 12 week maternity leave and didn't have extra money and 3) Its not easy taking an almost 3 month old shopping...in the cold..... with that huge stroller and no place to park!

I know what you mean. They should have new mother parking. I find it hard to good grocery shopping.

[PrincessPerky]

Try a sling..easy to use and leaves two hands free..and no one steals the kid from a sling...nice in crowded places.

[BCHGRL]

Perhaps you can buy new clothes if he/she is starting to outgrow his/her newborn outfits. If they have plenty of clothes for this season, I've seen plenty of spring clothes in stores already. I agree that a baby's first year ornament or savings or something else.

If you don't have a decent camera or camcorder, I would just buy something small for the baby and have the camera as a family gift. Not only is it a nice gift for yourself, you can make sure that your son or daughter's childhood is captured forever.

[tabbycat31]

when my cousin was a baby, I bought her an outfit. Although she was much more interested in the box and tissue paper.

[Snoopy2645]

I would buy a few things & save your money when they get older you will need it LOL!!! My brother got my niece one thing for xmas when she was that age it was $10 this year she got a car from him shes 17 now so it definetly gets expensive the older they get!!!! If you want to get the baby alot of toys because between 6-12 months they do play alot more you could also buy used toys on ebay because new stuff is super expensive & baby toys they dont play with much!!!

[The Budget Man]

This discussion on how much we spend on babies has started me thinking about the different times in children's lives and how both the expenses and what they are for change so rapidly as a child grows.

Babies are cheap to look after. They don't demand expensive presents and aren't always needing to be run around.

Toddlers and young children are cheap though school expenses seem to come up quickly.

From about 12 on the expenses seem to go on an upward spiral...
The right clothes
The right toys
The clubs
The entertainment

Then the mid to late teens hit and the expenses explode.

Then they leave home and the expenses become irregular but big.

Then they start looking after you. Last week our daughter offered to pay for a holiday for us! What a turn around.

What are other people's experiences of the cost of kids?

Enjoy Your Money
The Budget Man

www.personalitybudgeting.com
So you can get through the expensive times.

[Mabuisakura]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

Try a sling..easy to use and leaves two hands free..and no one steals the kid from a sling...nice in crowded places.

I love slinging Elizabeth but I have the nojo sling and she is starting to outgrow it! Thats a good idea maybe I will get a sling for Christmas!

[PrincessPerky]

Originally Posted by Mabuisakura

I love slinging Elizabeth but I have the nojo sling and she is starting to outgrow it! Thats a good idea maybe I will get a sling for Christmas!

Sounds like the perfect gift!

as to budget mans question as kids grow, I cannot say much past toddlerhood, and for that they are still cheap..but I have no TV..no adds, and as they see things in stores they are taught to say 'wow that is cool' no 'I want that' allowed..same with ads and such.

When I was a teen I never really needed the right clothes, the teens who demand them the most when I was a kid had one of two situations

A. Mom or dad who knew what was 'in' and cared (Mom says 'I can't wear that coat it is from last season')

B a Mom or Dad who allows/encourages them to be 'in' (oh is that what they are wearing, guess we can get you one)

I know of a teen right now who has her own sense of style..bit odd, but it all looks good..her mother is in dismay...um be happy she isn't asking you for 80$ jeans!

I know of another teen who regularly gets asked "Is that what kids wear these days?" who cares!!!!!

I know many kids who say they will not wear something because it isn't 'in' and mom or dad agrees..err try asking them what looks good on them..that is all I care about.

I know another kid who wanted a lightbulb for his microscope till he went to public school (former private), now he wants a gameboy thinging, and ps59 or whatever, and a laptop, and new clothes, and more TV time, and a new movie, and and and and.....mom is lost wondering what happened to her sweet boy.......I dunno what will happen this christmas but I hope mom sticks to her guns and gets him the lightbulb and whatever other wants come from his heart, not from his peers.

[kealina]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

When I was a teen I never really needed the right clothes, the teens who demand them the most when I was a kid had one of two situations

A. Mom or dad who knew what was 'in' and cared (Mom says 'I can't wear that coat it is from last season')

B a Mom or Dad who allows/encourages them to be 'in' (oh is that what they are wearing, guess we can get you one).

ditto... i didn't even know there were right clothes... i was one of those teens that had my own quirky sense of style... looking back, i'm sure i looked odd to other sometimes but i remember having fun and that's all i cared about...i didn't get any major exposure to "style" until i hit college, lucky for me...

i also agree with the idea that the kids who make demands like that usually learn it from somewhere... i know one girl who's mom is always saying stuff like "you deserve it" cuz _________. drives me nuts because i feel it creates a sense of false entitlement. then she'll turn around and complain about her daughter and how much her stuff costs. Duh! I just want to bang my head on the wall sometimes...

then again, i've also seen parents that were pretty good influences... i was friends with one girl in school who was really picky and would always end up spending maybe $60 or so when she finally found pants she wanted to wear... her mom was smart and imposed restrictions... she was only allowed to have two pairs of pants at a time. She had to wear them until they got worn out and then they would get replaced so that she always had two pairs... if she wanted more, then she had to pay for it...

even that was extravagant by my standards in high school... i was allowed to pick what i wanted out of what my mom bought at garage sales and that was it... a few times i used my credit from christmas gift exchanges to buy stuff but more often than not i gave the credit to my mom for household stuff...

anyways, even though school/friends/peers have an influence, i do believe that our overall personality and also our parents have a much larger influence...