Gifts for Dads: Ask Three Questions Before You Buy

Most advice about gifts for dads starts in the wrong place. It starts with a product list. The better starting point is the man himself. A new dad wants sleep and something he can hold one-handed while the baby is on him. A stepdad wants to be thought of without a lot of fuss being made. A dad in his sixties with a shed full of tools does not need another multitool. Before you buy anything, work out three things: what he already owns, what he actually does at the weekend, and what you can spend. Then pick the gift to fit the budget, not the other way round.

Why most gifts for dads miss the mark

Gift lists treat dad as a single category. He is not. The same present can be thoughtful for one man and useless for another. A bottle of whisky is a good gift for the dad who drinks whisky and a poor one for the dad who stopped years ago. A drill set is useful if he has no drill. It is clutter if he has three.

The label on the card is not enough information. You need to know how he spends his time, what he already has, and what you can afford. That is the whole method. The rest is just shopping.

Answer three questions before you spend

1. What does he already own?

This is the question most people skip. Open the cupboard, look at what he uses. If he has a garage full of tools, do not buy him a tool set unless you know the exact gap. If he plays golf, find out whether he needs balls, tees, a glove, or a round. If he cooks, check whether he has a decent knife before you buy him another gadget.

The goal is not to find a gap in his life. It is to avoid buying a second version of something he already has.

2. What does he actually do at the weekend?

Not what he says he would like to do. Not the hobby he had before kids. The thing he does most Saturdays. If he spends Sunday morning fixing bikes, buy something for the bike shed. If he walks the dog in all weather, buy gloves that work in the rain. If he watches football, buy him a ticket or leave him alone for the match.

This question stops you buying for an imaginary dad. You are buying for the man who actually turns up at the weekend.

3. What can you spend?

Set a ceiling before you open a browser. £20 is a real budget. So is £100. A useful £15 present beats an awkward £60 present that sits in a drawer. Write the number down and stick to it.

If you start with the budget, you make better choices. If you start with a product and work backwards, you usually spend more than you meant to.

Match the gift to the type of dad

The new dad

Sleep is the real gift, but you cannot wrap it. Look for something he can use one-handed at 3am: a mug with a lid that seals, a long phone cable, a soft hoodie with a zip, a voucher for a takeaway. Avoid anything that needs setting up, charging or cleaning.

If you want to help, offer a specific block of time. "I will take the baby for two hours on Saturday" is a better present than another babygrow.

The stepdad

Think about the relationship before the gift. A new stepdad may not want a "World's Best Dad" mug on day one. He may want to be included without a ceremony. A book by an author he likes, decent coffee, a pair of gloves for walking, or a meal you actually cook can work better than an engraved gift.

Keep the fuss low. A card with a short, honest message can do more than a grand gesture and I know that from my own experience. If the children are old enough, let them choose something small. The point is to make him feel seen, not to make a speech.

The dad in his sixties with a shed full of tools

Do not buy a multitool. He has one. He has several. Buy what he uses up: drill bits, sandpaper, wood glue, a decent torch, a stool for the shed. Or replace something worn out if you know it is worn out. Ask first: "What do you keep meaning to buy for the shed?"

Also worth reading: Halloween in Wigan: a zipped face, a reluctant two year old and a street full of kind kids

Do not buy oversees cheap tools from the likes of platforms rhyming with Emu.

If he is trying to clear the shed, buy an experience instead. A round of golf, a mus

eum ticket, lunch at a pub he likes. The gift does not have to live in the shed to be useful.

Pick the gift to fit the budget

Gifts for dads under £20

Useful consumables, a good paperback, socks if his are actually worn out, a small torch, golf balls if you know the brand he plays. The test is simple: can he use it this week?

£20 to £50

A mug that keeps coffee hot, gloves, a book he will read, a ticket to something local, a contribution to a round of golf. If you are buying for a golfer, check the course's price per round before you book. A cheap round at a course he likes is better than an expensive round at a course he does not.

£50 to £100

An experience he would choose, a good pair of walking shoes if he needs them, a meal out, a round of golf at a course he has mentioned. Do not buy a gadget just because it fills the budget.

Over £100

Ask. At this level, a surprise is less important than getting it right. Contribute to something he is saving for, or buy one thing he will use often. If you are not sure, ask his partner or his kids. A useful gift he knows about beats a surprise he has to pretend to like.

Three checks before you pay

• Has he got one already?

• Will he use it in the next month?

• Does it create work? Will it need charging, cleaning, storing or assembling?

If the answer to the third question is yes, put it back. Gifts should not become jobs.

If you are still stuck, ask a question

Ask him: "What are you doing at the weekend?" Ask his partner: "What has he broken or run out of?" Ask his kids: "What does he never buy for himself?" Then listen. You are not looking for a clever answer. You are looking for a real one.

The takeaway

The best gifts for dads are not the most expensive or the most clever. They fit the man in front of you. Work out what he owns, what he does at the weekend and what you can spend. Then buy the thing that matches those three answers.

Before you open another browser tab, write the three answers on your phone. If you are stuck, leave a comment with what he owns, what he does at the weekend and your budget, and I will suggest a direction.