Kid's birthday party gift amount

Generally people like to feel that others have at least made an effort to think about their birthday occasion.

As well as contributing somewhat to the effort parents may have gone through to welcome.

It doesn’t take much to buy a card and stick a few quid in it for a child. Children like gifts and like a few bob. That’s what being a child is about. Being appreciated on their big day. And you also get satisfaction knowing your little effort gave a child a nice day.

Imagine if everyone took your stance and decided that “presence” was enough. Be a bit sad!!! And thoughtless.

I remember for the first class birthday for my eldest, we were shocked by the volume of presents. We hadn't even thought about it up to that point. People meant well, of course, and individually you couldn't knock anyone for the effort they went in picking something out, but overall it was just a load of junk no-one needs. Like tubs of slime, those black cards you scrape off to reveal a rubbish picture, feckin' sea monkeys. I'm still vacuuming up plastic beads from all the "craft sets".

That's for sure. We always get our kids to make cards. And the ones their friends make are usually keepers too. Some of them are hilarious.

A county town in the West. The primary school has about 500 kids in it (maybe a bit less). 28 in their classroom, 2 rooms per class year. From talking to anyone else around, my experience seems to be the norm for all the other schools around the town too. Been at a few kids birthdays of family members in more rural areas, and they're certainly smaller (as you'd expect). Never noticed that birthday gifts weren't a thing, though, but I wouldn't have been paying attention to what other people brought or didn't bring.

Almost no one I know has a house big enough for that! Twould be a zoo.

Ha! Never in the house, that would be a rookie mistake! I couldn't deal with the tidying, before or after.

Last party we did was the cinema and a pizza after . Most of the ones they get invited to would be in the local play place, and we've done that ourselves too. 2 hours, in and out with no hassle, bowling and laser tag (soft play area when they were younger), kids have a blast.

Our kids always made handmade cards for every party. It made the card more meaningful. I'm not saying their handmade card should be framed, they were usually scribbled together at the last minute, but there is zero thought from grabbing a card from a petrol station on the way to the party.

Depends on the time of the year. Our kids had spring and summer birthdays so we could do mostly outdoor stuff.

For the younger kids they are easy enough to entertain if you put a bit of effort in.

We had treasure hunts, themes like pirates or space or explorer... A few games prepared, cake, food and free play and it's done.

We all know the games. The classics you played as a kid with some minor twists all still work

I don’t know, seems to me that every generation thinks the “kids today” are feckless wasters. Personally, I know a lot of great, hard working, head-screwed-on teens and young adults, and I don’t recall them having particularly austere birthdays.

Do you do Santa Claus? I honestly don’t see any harm in appropriate gifts. I personally don’t think everything has to be hard life lesson. And there’s plenty of opportunities in the other 364 days a year to teach a multitude of values, by lesson and example. There’s room to relax and enjoy harmless traditions too, though. Interesting perspectives, for sure. And I can see you put a lot of thought and effort into your parenting, which can only be a good thing.

A card, or gift, or voucher / money / token of some kind for a party is normal in every culture I've encountered. I wouldn't show up to a party I was invited to with my arms swinging, and I taught the same to my children. We give something small to the host or the person the party is for. It's pretty universal. It's really flexible in Ireland, almost nothing is out of bounds for gifts. Handmade, bought, cards, cash, vouchers. I personally prefer when they receive a card with cash tbh, because cash is so flexible. I've got a wardrobe full of gifts to be regifted or given to school fundraisers, it just builds up when you have a few children. We simply don't need 7 stationary sets with colourful printed rulers, as nice as they are.

Kids parties are mini versions of grown up social events. We took them as an opportunity to learn how to behave at parties, by making sure they participate in the gift, telling to say please and thank you etc. Either make or write the card, pick the gift or voucher etc.

Worse than weddings.

Honestly I'd be too embarrassed to stick a fiver in a card, I don’t know why, it wouldn't cost me a thought if my kids got a fiver in a card for their birthdays but they never have.

it was always just presents when I was younger, way better than money when you think about it. what does a child need money for?

my brother had a friend and every year on my brothers birthday, the friend would come to the party and say "mam will drop the present in Monday" 😂 The mother is notoriously tight, imagine being so tight she couldn't even buy something in a pound shop for 5 pound. I have met the kid who is grown up now, he is as tight as anything, haggling for everything, pints in a bar, taxi fares, bread at the shop etc

The mother had loads of money as well as does the son, just 2 miserable to spend any.