Three Year Old Saw Some Xmas Gifts! Now What?

How about tell her they are for a friend or needy children and seeing as she told you she likes them that you will let Santa know and maybe he'll bring some of them for her...
that's how I used to find out what my kids wanted and liked..I'd say I was shopping for a friends kids and to show me what a child their same age would like then I'd get them for them and they were always suprised and pleased!!

My daughter 3 yrs old last year, found her stocking gifts also, and I told her those were the gifts we bought for her two cousins that were the same age. She was very mad, and told me all week that she really wanted santa to give them to her. She complained all week about it. Xmas day she was thrilled that Santa brought her the same toys as her cousins got. Merry Xmas and happy & healthy New Year A.

What I do in these situations is..have 1 wrapping paper for each child...1 boy and 1 girl...next year will be harder. Then I have a hidden wrapping paper for Santa. They never once see this paper and it's kept hidden. If they see gifts their paper wraps it. If I get it from Santa and it's not seen, the special paper wraps it. As soon as it's wrapped it's hidden along with the paper completely out of site! Even if 1 child sees it and the one its for doesn't, it still gets hidden.
So what I would do is wrap it with Mommy Paper. Or I would save them for another time, Valentines, Easter...whatever. I'm still learning too because my son 12 never believed in Santa but we're letting our almost 4yo keep the magic alive as long as she wants to. So I hope I've given some advice that helps.

I don't think you need to worry about it. When my daughter was little, before she started school, she was always with me when I was shopping. My husband was in the navy and often deployed so I had no choice but to buy gifts for her (and her older brothers) while she was with me. I always told her the gifts were for other people (we were quite generous! LOL) We "bought" A LOT of gifts for her cousin who is three months younger than her. On Christmas morning, I never had to explain anything. Half the stuff she didn't remember me buying. Sometimes she would say things like, "Santa knew I wanted [that thing] you got for Ellery!!" Or "Jeremy got the same thing as Logan!" She was very excited and believed in Santa much later than most kids. Even though she had older brothers. (Although, I told the boys that when a person stops believing in Santa, he stops bringing them gifts. So they kept going along. To this day I have never confirmed to my children - 29, 25 and 22 - that there is no Santa.) I was SURE sometimes that I took that too far, just because of the sheer volume of things. (Her birthday is also in December) but she never caught on. You may want to say something now about the gifts or wait until Christmas morning as another poster suggested, and say, "Santa knew you liked them." But I wouldn't stress too much about it. Kids at that age want to believe and aren't very logical in their thinking. One caveat -- her cousin didn't live nearby, so there was no way for her to "check" on the supposed gifts to her cousin.

Merry Christmas! So fun with little ones. :D

This happened to me a few years ago so we wrap about 3 gifts in its own paper that is different from all the others usually red white and green stripe and those are from Santa (try to make the wrappping look extra special with bows and ribbons) the rest we wrap are from us. We told our kids that because Santa gives gifts to all the kids in the world he only bring a few special things and then we buy you gifts because we love you and the things you do. The ones from Santa are usually the ones on the letter to Santa unless they see it. It also help because not only can we say be good b/c Santa is watching but b/c we are watching too. We also try to make the stockings from Santa as well b/c they are part of most Christmas stories and the coal thing. So if the things were stocking stuffers I'd put them in a gift bag and give from you and find other things for the stocking. Good Luck Happy Holidays!

J., are there any friends or relatives that would be giving your daughter gifts and would trade w/you? Also, you could have Santa leave only a few gifts and have the majority come from you and your husband. It depends on your own traditions, of course.

It will all work out. Happy Holidays to you.

Could you make the ones she already saw from a family pet and the ones she didn't see from Santa? Just a thought, I hope it works out! Merry Christmas!

Hi J.,

We too had a similar issue this year. We were very lax about putting things away right away becuase we have had a lot going on. Our almost 7 year old may have caught a peek or two at some things. We have decided to make those gifts from us, not Santa and we luckily just had their birthday parties (combined) so some of the things she may have saw, we gave a b-day gift instead. It's so tough, I don't think you should return them if you put a lot of thought into them and they are special, just don't make them from santa. Happy Holiday's to you and your family!!!

What a bummer. It may be too late for this thought, but what I had always planned to say if my kids found the Santa gifts early was, "Oh my gosh. You don't suppose that's how Santa is able to carry all those toys? He must come and hide them in every house before Christmas Eve and then on Christmas Eve he just has to fly around and take them out of their hiding places ! Where did you find them, we better put them back quick before he finds out." In fact, now - after the fact - you could say that Santa called you to say he hoped your daughter hadn't found the gifts and to ask you to hide them really well, so now you know they were from Santa so they have to get hidden until Christmas.
Your other option, if you really are set on giving these, is when she opens the Santa gifts say "Oh my Gosh! Santa picked out the same things for you as I did! Well, don't worry, I'll return mine and get you something else." You might want to think about maybe returning some of them and getting a few surprises those, so at least something will be a surprise. Good luck!

I have a three year old and what I would do is tell her they are for some kids that won't have many Xmas presents (we do the whole Toys for Tots so she is familiar with giving to others that don't have much), but the I would keep them and when she opens them, tell her that Santa must have heard her say she liked them and sent some for her too. My daughter has picked out a few of her own gifts by me telling her that I need her help picking something out for "so and so's daughter" Merry Christmas

You could still use the same stocking stuffers and if she remembers and asks about it, just tell her that you "saw" Santa at the store and he gave you some presents for her early. She is probably young enough to find that credible.
Hope the suggestion is helpful and that you all have a very happy holiday!
C.

You've been given great advice already. I'm in agreement with not returning and having Santa bring them anyway. At three she won't remember and saying you picked some things up or Santa dropped them off early will satisfy her. Good Luck.

if they are just stocking stuffers, tell her that we all fill our own stocksing to help satnta and that it is fun to buy presents for each stocking b.c we dont really knwo what santa is going to bring for any of us and this way we know we get something....my parents always had us help them pick out the stocking stuffers for our siblings...it was to help out santa and then to see if santa put the stuff in the right stockings....

Well you already know she'll really like them! I think a lot of the fun is unwrapping the presents and taking it out of the box for the first time playing with it. I think she will be very happy finding out that those toys were really all for her! I wouldn't worry about it.

Merry Christmas!

I would not return them. You can always tell your daughter that Santa is very busy and he asked you to help him by picking up some gifts for him. At three I don't think they can really make the connection that maybe Santa is not real. They love to believe in magic and will no matter what others may tell them.

I have used the excuse that sometimes Santa brings parents toys early so that his sled won't get too heavy! Worked like a charm :)

I would not say anything, just use them as you planned. My kids always knew some presents came from aunts and uncles (they put on those "to-from" stickers), sometimes a few from mom and dad (the little ones, if they noticed them under the coat in the carriage since I never had time to shop without them it seemed, dad would get the big ones late at night at ToysRus), and they thought the "big ones" came from Santa. If you need to answer a direct question, you could say that you thought that this year you would help Santa out since he is so busy. I have done all my shopping this year on Amazon.com - brown boxes show up by the garage. With the 2 day free Amazon Prime trial (they turn it on for a month and you have to remember to turn it off after 1 month or it costs $79 for the year) stuff can still arrive before Xmas. The check-out section will let you know if it comes before or after Xmas (I ordered a hat for me that could not make it on time but I don't care, but that is why I know they display a message to increase your shipping to overnight $$$$ if you want it on time).
Like everything else, not getting flustered and answering in a matter-of-fact or silly way deflects a lot of deeper questions (like my 4 year old asking how babies get in the belly and I just said mom and dad do the naked hug - she seemed fine with that). Good luck and merry christmas!

hi my two girls did the same thing. you just forget about it. dont let her get in to your room again. you spent so much time to find the right things for her. i would just keep the toys and but them in to her stocking i am sure she still will be happy. god luck and a merry christmas to you all
B. mello

If you do Santa, I'd return and exchange (or save for next year) because I'm a TOTAL nerd who loves all things Santa and keeping the magic and mystery for my kids as long as possible.

If she knows the gifts are from you, I'd just not mention it again and set them aside for Christmas day :)

Hi J.,
My son is three & when I ask him what he wants for xmas he says cheerios. Point is at 3 I don't think they get it fully & if you put them away till x-mas. she will be just as excited to open them. Don't drive yourself crazy, the holidays are crazy enough without added crazyness. Have a great holiday & remember what the day is about. family.
M.

She may not remember??? Hard to tell though!

M.

SAHM and WAHM and loving it!

You could put them...
To: DD
From: Mom and Dad

and then let other gifts under the tree fill the "Santa" quota.

She's only three. I don't think they really remember who stuff is from unless we help them to remember..."Oh, Santa brought you a..." Remember last year, you got a "_" from Santa. Just make the stockings from you this year.

When I was 6 I caught my parents wrapping presents in the middle of the night, and promtly told my 4 year brother that there was no such thing as Santa, not realizing it would crush him. So, many years of guilt later, when I had my daughter I decided that Santa didn't get to bring all of the presents. That way I could take her shopping with me, she always got to pick out gifts for her family members, help me wrap them, and I didn't have to take the chance of getting caught like my parents. To make it fun Santa didn't wrap presents. He was to busy delivering gifts all over the world to take the time to wrap, or even to place things neatly. Santa gifts were always heavy duty and/or non breakable. They got tossed and wherever they landed, there they stayed. They were often upside down, sometimes even in the tree. And he always made a mess with the cookies and milk. We also gave the reindeer veggies, bits of which, obviously chewed first, would end up all over the back yard. I believe my daughter had more fun with finding the mess that got left, then what gifts she got. She believed in Santa until she was 12. And although Christmas morning is much neater, and easier now, I miss the joy that Santa's messes brought.