Giving gifts to children is meant to be joyful. But for many parents, it’s started to feel pressured, excessive and hard to navigate.
To better understand what’s going on, we surveyed over 1,000 parents across the UK about how they feel about children’s gifts after Christmas. The issues uncovered show up all year round, especially around birthdays and parties.
What parents told us reveals a clear gap between what families want and what current gifting culture makes easy.
Parents want less “stuff” — and feel comfortable with alternatives
The idea that parents only want brand-new gifts for their children doesn’t hold up anymore.
From our survey:
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81% of parents say they are completely happy for their child to receive second-hand (pre-loved) gifts
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47% say experiences matter more than physical presents
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35% believe their child simply doesn’t need more things
In other words, many parents are already open to gifting that’s simpler, more meaningful and less wasteful.
But behaviour hasn’t caught up with values
Despite this shift in attitudes, most gifts being given are still brand new.
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Nearly one in three parents (27%) said that almost all of the gifts they bought were new at Christmas
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Many parents told us this didn’t reflect what they actually wanted — but felt like the easiest or safest option
This gap between values and behaviour is one of the clearest findings from the survey.
Social pressure is the biggest blocker
So what’s stopping parents from gifting differently?
50% of parents said they felt pressured to buy more gifts than they wanted to. This pressure comes from fear of disappointing their child and other people’s expectations.
But the excess of presents didn’t come from parents themselves. The biggest contributors were grandparents (48%), followed by other relatives (38%).
Read: How to stop grandparents giving too many gifts
This suggests that gift overload is often the result of collective good intentions, rather than individual excess.
As one parent told us:
“Other family members bought way too much, including brand new items that will barely be used. It felt wasteful.”
Another said:
“I wish people considered the size of our house (tiny), our values and our finances before purchasing gifts. We are on one income currently, so would have loved ‘experience’ gifts, date nights, clothes, nappies etc.”
Joyful — but also overwhelming
Parents didn’t describe children’s celebrations as negative overall. Many still used words like magical and exciting.
But alongside that joy:
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One in five parents said their child found opening gifts overwhelming
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A quarter said the experience felt rushed, with little time to enjoy each gift
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Nearly half believe their child received more gifts than they actually needed
More isn’t always better — and many parents can feel that in the moment.
Parents are ready for change, but want support to do it
Importantly, this isn’t just about frustration. There’s a clear appetite for doing things differently.
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48% of parents say it’s OK to break from traditional gifting norms
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One in four say the key reminder they want to take into future celebrations is that “less is more”
What parents are missing isn’t motivation — it’s social permission.
Parents are telling us that the current culture of gifting isn’t working for them.
They want celebrations to feel magical, but they know that excessive piles of new presents aren’t what create that magic. What’s missing is the confidence to gift differently — and the reassurance that they’re not the only ones doing it.
What this means for birthdays (and everything in between)
Although we asked about Christmas, the themes parents raised mirror what we see all year round.
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birthday parties
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party bags
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random family gifts
And that’s just for children – similar challenges play out at weddings, Christenings, new baby gifts, baby showers, hen and stag parties etc.
The pressure doesn’t come and go with the seasons, it’s ongoing.
Doing things differently, together
That’s why we created The Kids Party Pact — a simple, collective way for parents to:
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reduce excess gifting and party bag waste
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choose pre-loved items or experiences with confidence
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take pressure off themselves and others
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keep celebrations joyful without the overwhelm
Change is much easier when it’s shared.
If you’re interested in being part of that shift, you can learn more and join The Kids Party Pact here.
