Christmas is 3 months away, so it’s a good time to start thinking about Christmas presents.

If you’re sick of your house being overrun with toys that are played with for all of 2 minutes, and want to do something a little different this year, we’ve got you covered. We’ve had a chat with the mums over in our community group for some inspiration, as well as doing some brainstorming of our own.

Passes, Tickets or Cash For Days Out

This idea is one we’re considering this Christmas, as our son Max has so many toys already. We’ll still get him some new books and a few more diecast cars to add to his collection and a new case for his tablet, but he doesn’t really play with the rest of his toys and there’s so much clutter!

Asking family & friends not to buy your child toys and consider passes, tickets or cash for fun places nearby is a really good idea, we think. This way, you’ll be able to make fabulous memories with your children and they’ll get so much out of it. If you put your own gift budget together with money gifted, you may even be able to afford a yearly pass to somewhere like;

The Zoo
A theme park (Drayton Manor, Alton Towers, Peppa Pig World, Lego Land etc)
A local soft play – many have membership schemes

This idea guarantees that you’ll be able to enjoy a fun trip, even on those days where your budget may be a little tight, because the pass will still be there for you!

Money For a Savings Account

Why not add to their nest egg instead of adding to their overflowing toy box? Setting up an ISA or a savings account with a decent interest rate is a really popular idea, especially for parents whose little ones are too young to enjoy toys when their first Christmas comes around.

Money Saving Expert has some great guidance on picking the best account for your child here.

Clothes

Another great alternative Christmas gift idea is to fill your child’s wardrobe ready for the next season, or next size up. We know that clothes are sometimes given as a gift anyway, but you can take this one step further by asking for no toys, just clothes or vouchers/cash that can be used for clothes. Put this towards your gift budget and you’ll have plenty to help you prepare for the next growth spurt.

To really maximise your cash, you could take advantage of the sales around Boxing Day and the New Year – read our baby event & sale guide here!