Buying expensive gifts for kids

Discussion in Toys, Kids & Baby Stuff started by Peninha • Mar 12, 2014.

  1. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    More and more I am thinking that's a huge waste of money to buy expensive gifts for kids. I think they don't care, sometimes a 1€ gift (when not the wrapping itself) is more entertaining than a 50€ one. Do you buy expensive gifts for kids or do you go for the cheap ones?
     
  2. Lostvalleyguy

    LostvalleyguyActive Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2014
    Threads:
    168
    Messages:
    524
    Likes Received:
    14
    An expensive gift had better have a lot of play value to make it worth the price. Something that will last a long time and may be used by another child down the road will sometimes justify the costs. As many things that children want are just the current fad, there is no reason to pay a lot for it. Kids grow out of things very quickly and their interests change. Weighing the play value against the dollar value is the way to go.
     
  3. tinyfang

    tinyfangMember

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2014
    Threads:
    16
    Messages:
    90
    Likes Received:
    1
    I don't quite know what 'expensive' means in your question, but in relativity, I would say that the root of the problem is not the cost of the gifts, but how they were raised to think a certain way. If my kids turned out to be apathetic jerks of society, whose sole day to day purpose is to text infinitely, talk about how big so and so girl's breasts are or a boy's crotch bulge is, as well as check out the newest mobile gadget while eating dinner, then there is something wrong with my parenting.

    When I grew up, I didn't know the value of my parent's hard earned money and I did ask for toys, games and so on, but I never demanded. When they explained that something was expensive and that they have a hard time with money, I felt dejected, but ultimately accepted. As I grew up, while other kids talked about the NES and the latest G.I. Joe action figures, I asked my dad if he could buy me an Atari 2600 and cheap Micromachines. Later on in life, as teenagers talked about the Playstation (PSX), cars and sex, I focused most of my time playing with old toys, imagining scenarios, made-up stories, etc. I didn't get a Playstation until 1999, when I bought it myself.

    In short: it comes down to how we bring up our children, how they learn to think and how much the parents share its situation with their children.
     
  4. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    Well said tiny, when we are raising them we need to put the right values inside of them, but the problem these days is that kids have way too many toys and more toys that they have the time to play with, so there is really no point in buying them something expensive because they will not play with it.
     
  5. daniellydiad

    daniellydiadNew Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2014
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    My answer – it depends. Sometimes, I ask my kids what gifts they want to receive. But for some special days, I will choose the expensive than the cheap one.
     
  6. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    Yes, if we can afford it no problem, basically it's pretty much up to that, but I've seen my kids one too many times play more often with a toy that costs $5 than a toy that costs $50, this when they don't get entertained with the wrapping paper or the box lol.
     
  7. ghostwheel

    ghostwheelMember

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    Threads:
    18
    Messages:
    90
    Likes Received:
    0
    Or background appears to be very similar. I grew up with my cousins and my aunt and uncle basically came to Britain from Hong Kong with practically nothing but the clothes on their back and the promise of work. They have built themselves a life through blood, sweat and tears (my aunt has respiratory problems due to working constantly with the wok :( ).

    As a child, we're not always fully aware of the toil our parents go through to sacrifice for their children as they provide us a childhood that they never had and shield us from the poverty so that we don't need to go through the same hardships that they experienced. At the same time, how they live their life as in work hard and you'll get rewarded as been ingrained into myself.

    Now onto the OPs original question. I myself don't have kids (yet) but I have many nephews and nieces. One particular niece is one I find difficult to buy a gift for because she doesn't have an appreciation that the gift represents more that something to play with (she's always getting what she wants and is a bit spoiled)

    Values need to leaned at an early stage and I believe it's the parents responsibility to lead by example.
     
  8. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    That is true, values need to be taught to kids while they are small, but in the case of nephews and nieces that is not possible and there is always the uncle/aunt (as I also was) with no kids that offers them expensive gifts and also there's peer pressure, they see their colleagues at school with spiderman and hulk and all those toys and they want them also...
     
  9. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    Yes, I think we all do that Allen, I am not buying my kid gifts all the time because the word gift would lose it's concept, but even on birthdays or special dates I think that it's not necessary to spend so much money, sometimes the thing that he will really enjoy will be cheaper than we think.
     
  10. amynichole318

    amynichole318Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2014
    Threads:
    28
    Messages:
    221
    Likes Received:
    3
    It depends, just because a gift isn't expensive doesn't make it bad. We only buy the more pricey toys as birthday gifts or christmas gifts. Last Christmas we bought our daughter a tablet, and the boys each got a laptop. I did this more for myself because I couldn't stand the fighting over the desktop all the time. That was a one time thing though. My daughter mostly likes little toys like $5 Littlest Pet Shop. She is very happy with those tiny little cheap things.
     
  11. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    That was expensive Amy! How old are your kids? I am somewhat anti-technology for my kids, they are still young (the oldest is 6), but they have no tablets or laptops, we only have a laptop in the house and I think that so far is enough.
     
  12. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 10, 2013
    Threads:
    105
    Messages:
    2,037
    Likes Received:
    130
    My Cousins just had a baby, and I am shocked at the outrageous prices for clothing, diapers, toys and everything else related. I never knew baby items would be so expensive. And the worst part is that the baby will end up using very little of those items because they grow so fast. It’s crazy because a baby will only be able to wear a clothing item for a very reduced amount of time. And as for diapers, they’re so expensive and they go on like water. I agree with you that is a waste of money to buy gifts for kids, especially when they are younger, but at the same time you need to give them a gift when they are born, to an earthy parties, Christmas and such. That is why I prefer to give them toys – it lasts longer usually and they enjoy them more!
     
  13. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2014
    Threads:
    164
    Messages:
    1,811
    Likes Received:
    139
    I like to buy useful things for kids and adults alike. For kids I like to buy books and clothes rather than games or toys. Healthy sweets are always a hit. But in my experience, kids often want to do rather than possess things. So I take my nephews to the swimming pool or the lake where we have fun playing with simple toys such as swimming noodles, flippers and an inflatable boat. I also often taken them out for lunch. They are happy kids, who love action and don't ask for much. Most of the kids I know prefer you do things with them rather than give them expensive gifts.
     
  14. Peninha

    PeninhaWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 27, 2013
    Threads:
    294
    Messages:
    1,475
    Likes Received:
    23
    Sometimes we need to get to know the kid real well to know what's going to be a success. My younger for example has the Hulk and Spider Man around him for months, while the older just cares about his football, but in some months all this can change...