Sometimes looking for the right gift for your kiddos can seem so easy until you actually hit the stores and try to find that right gift within your budget! We try not to over do it too much with a large variety of children toys and only buy one large gift and 5 or 6 smaller gifts. We have extended family that purchases gifts for our girls so they tend to get a lot of gifts and we don’t want them to become spoiled and loose the trued meaning of Christmas.

So we tend to try and buy their number 1 item of their Christmas list as their big gift! But then the smaller gifts more personalized, educational items, things they need and items they will keep for years to come. Whether it be the latest Wii Game, LeapPad or a engraved locket there is a lot of work that goes into finding gifts that mean something! Here are some tips as to how we try and find the right gifts for our kiddos and stay on budget:

• What is on their Christmas list: Any parent wants to make their kiddos happy and make sure they think Santa is the best, so we tend to try and buy their most wanted gift as their bigger gift since that item tends to be the most expensive. But after that we do keep in mind what they want but don’t want to fill the tree with tons of toys that they will play with for a few weeks and then forget about them. Find gifts that you know will help enrich their minds or something they will cherish for years to come. I know what kids wants something they will cherish, but in the long run finding the balance between 2 will be the best option!
• What is your budget for these gifts: Budget can be the biggest factor as to what gifts you buy and how many you can get. So figuring out what you can afford will help you get the most for your money. Sit down and come up with a number and then go through their Christmas list: is there just one item you can afford or are you able to purchase multiple smaller items?
• Do Your Research: Make sure whatever you buy is worth your hard earned money and not something that is going to fall apart come January! Also be sure that the gift is age appropriate, will withstand the abuse of your child and of course affordable. Almost every online store offers customer feedback. This feedback can give you insight as to what other parents have experienced with certain products. Read them, it will help you understand the item, what is good and bad!
• Additional Costs: Our 11 year old is on a mission to get a phone this year for Christmas. Although we do not feel that she is ready or needs a phone just quite yet, we need to figure in the additional costs of getting a phone for her. Many gifts can be a great idea, but when the gift receiver has to continue playing monthly access fees or purchase additional items to use it, the gift may not be the best idea. Consider everything that goes with it and what you may need to continue to purchase to continue using it!
• All in all, are they gonna love it: Even though we want to purchase some items that they will get educational value from or keep and use for a long time, in the end it has to be something they really want! You can’t give a 4 year old a engraved gold necklace and get upset that they don’t jump up and down with joy that they didn’t get the latest Buzz Lightyear toy! Find a happy medium and get gifts that make them happy, make you happy and are easy on your pocket book!

Although this post was sponsored by Tesco my opinion is 100% my own.