What are people buying grandchildren for Christmas?

Ours have loads of toys already, with more coming along courtesy of Santa. So for the last two or three years, we've treated them all (mums and dads too) to an 'experience' at or near Christmas.

Last year, it was the Black Country Living Museum's Victorian evening, followed by panto the following afternoon.

This year, it's the Polar Express Experience at Telford.

Plus stocking fillers for the children and adults. Cost per family member (x7) around £40 all told. Quite a bit, but we don't see much of them through the year.

I am buying my grandson aged aged six a miposaur dinosaur, looks a very good toy, there is a huge variation in price, so well worth checking prices.r

I bought my dgd (5) a dolls house and accessories from asda. Reasonably priced. It didn't come with dolls though so ordered from amazon. I didn't realise they were coming from China though!! Haven't received them yet ?

I have eight DGC and another on the way. I budget for about £20 each for them, with a little leeway. Two of the DGS have birthdays within two weeks of Christmas day, as well. I'd love to be able to afford a bit more, but I simply can't. I do get them each a Thorntons Santa figure and each DC's household gets a tin of choccie biscuits. The adults (that is my children and their partners, my ex husband and me) do a draw and we each buy for one person in the group, with a budget of £40 ish. Everyone seems happy with this arrangement...those who are couples do also buy for their partners of course. Unsurprisingly, the DGC do 'hope for' pretty much everything that the advertisers tempt them with in the long run up to Christmas on the television!

This years good ideas include a 'mini Hornit' for GS aged 8...he loves his bicycle; some Schleich horsey bits for GD aged 9; two of the boys asked for Match Attax advent calendars instead of a pressie to open on Christmas Day (thats 24 packs of football stickers for footie mad children!)...youngest GS is having more Magna tiles to add to the set he had last year - lots of play vaLue for a 4 year old there...and GS aged 7 is having a Nerf 'blaster'...several pressies still to sort, but in the main, job done!

To quote Joanna Lumley "don't mind if I Baileys", although in my case it would be "don't mind if I... Wicked Wolf Gin" If you are a gin afficionado, do try this wonderful nectar from Exmoor, it's astonishingly wonderful!

Zoo Keeper experience for GS1- 12

Not sure about GS -11 & GD - 9 but will ask their Dad tomorrow for ideas. I always get them clothes as well.

GS-7 is into modelling so Meccano.
GD- 5 - glittery pink Tutu & Shopkins figures- (don't ask me why but they love these weird figures)
GS - 2 - Build a Bear dressed as Marshall

& BOOKs- always books!!

I try very hard to spend the same on each of them- £50-60 each roughly

Latest Lego here for younger GS. (Do they ever tire of it?! ?) Money for big bro. Items of clothing for both thrown in, but can't really count that.

Our DGS will be 4 months old at Christmas, so he's getting a Nemo Sea of Activities Jumperoo, can't wait to see him bouncing about in it!
He's also getting a few 'educational' toys, it feels as though we've bought shares in Vtech!
Oh, and clothes too, he's such a big lad, he's already outgrown almost all of his 3-6 month stuff, so we're buying 6-9!

99 per cent decided to buy my two GDs (4 & 2) a supermarket. Comes complete with shopping trolley so hope that will further generate the sharing practice. They're pretty good together already but.......... hey. Don't know what their parents will think but, again..........hey! Maybe hey-ho would be more appropriate!

We do tend to go a little bit ott for the DGC at Christmas time . I save all year around in a Christmas club and thoroughly enjoy spending it on the little ones . I am not in a position to spoil them ( with gifts) during the year but really like to indulge them at Christmas .

My 2 granddaughters love those little collectible shopkins too Craftycat

Thanks Jan, other gifts he would like are new bicycle or remote control Jeep, big one! difficult when whatever you buy has to transported home on an aircraft. Will have to keep looking

I have 5 - all in teens and twenties now and all sporty so I bought 4 kayaks on ebay to be stored at the most central household and shared. They have been much in use and enjoyed already - best of all for me, no wrapping or postage!

I have bought a Football shirt for my 11 year old Grandson which cost 45 pounds, and a game and a visit to a Christmas wonderland for my 3year old Grandson.

Best present you can give your grandchildren is your love, time and attention.

We get a list of 'suggestions', so we do not waste money on things they do not like/want/need. It works for us because they still do not know what we will be getting until it is unwrapped.

Personally I would rather not know what people get me for Christmas as it is not a surprise then. I keep telling them there is a lot of fun in giving as well as receiving. I don't need much nowadays as I have most things I like. Very difficult I am :-) Although something for the garden is always welcome.

Smuggles schoolbags for 2 of them and a Bonsai kit for the other. Plus a few stocking fillers and a book each.

My grandbabies are 4 and 3. They are having pjs and dressing gowns, 4yr GS loves Playmobil so it's fire engine and station for him, and GD is having a Disney Rapunzel hairdressing head and curlers!

For my Grandson who will be 7 a few days before Christmas,I have bought a match day experience for Boxing Day at Yeovil town football club . He is fooball crazy so this will be brilliant for him. He will get a ball ,his profile written up in the match day program and a ticket for the match.He will meet the players ,the officials and managers of both teams .He will do some training with the team and will lead them out at the start of the match with the captain .He will also have his photograph taken with the players.He will then get the chance to score a goal in front of the fans who always give the boys a massive cheer. Can't think who will be more excited him or me.Havent got a clue what to buy my 9 year old grand daughter yet .

One of our GC will be getting Hotwheels stuff, the rest of them, I have no idea. We spend £25 on GC and £50 on the DC's. The youngest DC still lives at home so he will get more spent on him just like the others did when they were younger. By the time we add in another £15 for each partner that is about £750. This is a new limit because it was double that until my DH retired. I add in a few wrappable fripperies but they don't count because they come out of the pittance I earn

My DGS is 6 - my list is Jigraphy (jigsaw map of all UK League Football Teams)

Frankie's Fantastic Football Books (Nanny always buys books & he loves them)

PS3 Football game

Stocking fillers

Always rely on suggestions from DD, spend between £50-£100 depending on what DGS wants

TheGlovers1 a friend's DGS was a Mascot for The Glovers, a treat for his Birthday, he didn't know until they got there for the Match - absolutely loved it

My DDiL has booked a weekend at Centre Parcs in January as a surprise for my DS and DGC. She asked before she booked if we would contribute rather than buy a main present for them all, which we readily agreed to, as did her mum and dad. Friends are giving money to pay for various activities for the children. Apart from a main present we usually buy a few smaller gifts which we will do. Smiggle pencil cases, stationery, etc is the thing my 6 year old DGD wants.

Our DGS is 3 & has enough toys to stock Hamleys so this year, we're taking him to a place of his choice for a day out. He's chosen Chester Zoo so we'll be heading off for a fun day out after Christmas, in the flat & dreary January days , to cheer us all up & have some fun

Cherryblossom they are called Hatimals and you will be very lucky to find one. DD2 requested one, all of our local toy shops etc had sold out. The stores were not selling them on line, only in person and one per customer.
We were driving to Scotland, so thought we could maybe pick one up in a large town or city, en route. None to be had!

Father Christmas has helped us out by suggesting an alternative, My Blazing Dragon! Quite a cute fluffy dragon, safely obtained before they sell out.

Hatchimals!

Well I have 2 grandchildren aged 4 on 29 the Dec and 7 yrs.
I find they just get way too much. So other than buying a few stocking fillers, we have always taken them away between Christmas and new year. We can't afford alot so everything is on a budget. This year we are going to Thomas land, staying 2 nights in a premier inn near by at a fab rate. Last year polar express, again staying at travel lodge in Durham which has to be our favourite one yet and year before, splash landing in Alton towers ( we managed to get a really cheap rate to stay at the actual hotel which was amazing). Their mum loves it too. Alot of grand parents I speak to, just do this for the day, especially the polar express.

X box. Clothes, books, money.