How to Win at Birthdays

I must to say I love search the perfect birthday gift or gifts in genaral but with kids is a little bit more complicated so I tend to call mum and ask what the kid needs-for example this summer I gifted a swimsuit and a tshirt- maybe I find it omplecated because I’m not a mum, I’m been “only” a nanny but I noticed that in the kindergarden mums tend to ask course and your ideas are brilliant too that ice cream voucher is a thing that I’ll copy also for adults!

Taking a wee break from politics for a moment. What a day!
There have been so many great ideas already but there are some memorable successes I’ve had that I haven’t seen listed yet.
I know folks have mentioned flashlights, a twist on that theme is headlamps as a fun smaller stand alone gift and great as an add on for a bigger gift like a sleeping bag.
One year I gave monogrammed towels to everyone on my Christmas list. For the grandparents I used their special “grandparent name” and for little kids I made sure I knew their favorite color. I ordered when towels were on sale during the summer. We saw those towels in use all over for years and years. Big hit!
One year all of the kids (ages 6 to 12) got Maze balls https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/perplexus-3d-puzzle-maze That was a bulky noisy present bag!
Another year the go to was a kit to make Mentos Geysers https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/mentos-geyser-kit and some bottles of soda after we saw one at a “Science Magic Show”
I haven’t given these but remember being fascinated by and loving “magic rocks” as a kid https://www.teachersource.com/product/1974/homeschool-science?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIobyn4KDb1QIVxrbACh0n_g-KEAYYAyABEgKuxPD_BwE

A friend just told me about that book and I immediately bought a few for quick gifts! It’s a longer read so my 3 year old and I like to pick one kid to read about at a time. I like the map at the back too…she’s slowly starting to see the world outside herself. Small steps, right?

Great idea!

I always give a book that I loved at that age. If it’s for my only niece, I also include a STEM treat (like math flash cards) and something creative like fresh crayons or paint (nothing with characters). Get that little brain going! Last year I taught her how to use my sewing machine and she’s been sewing all year long!

I have a gift closet!
My built-in closet has a lower part and a small top part. The top part is stacked with gifts for family and friends. That way, I always have something to grab for a party.
The best part is that I get to buy gifts for holidays and birthdays all year long. As if December isn’t stressful enough with all the food preparations and everything having to be fun… In the past I gave out a lot more ‘standard’ gifts. Now, I buy a lot more personal gifts that are really ‘made’ for that one person.
I especially buy gifts during sale(s). I even buy December gifts in January. If it’s 50% off, it makes the fun of giving a whole lot better!
For my son, it’s this magical closet that he knows is there and he knows it’s got stuff he really wants, but he’s not tall enough yet to see exactly what’s in it…
Plus, whenever I pay an impromptu visit to a friend, I can just get a little something from the closet to give to them (although most of the times, I give them magazines that were passed along from my mom; who cares if a magazine is 2 months old? It’s always fun to read a magazine – and it doesn’t cost me anything! )

My Go To Kids Birthday Items: Piggy bank with spare change, nice sturdy drawstring back pack (especially if they play on a sport team), wallet with a couple of bucks (for older kids 7-8 years old), and beach towel.

The game Spot It! for any age and we especially love the card game Sleeping Queens for ages 4 and up!

I have two go-to gifts for young kids: a butterfly kit (comes with a send-off for ten caterpillars and a mesh house for when they become butterflies) and solar print paper. My mom actually bought the same butterfly kit for my kids (aged 1 and 4 years) and they both loved it equally! It was so fun to get them involved in caring for them – we even printed out a blank calendar page and wrote notes on their behavior and counted the days until they would turn through their phases. Then at the end, you release the butterflies and can re-use the house and order more caterpillars if you want. So fun! I remember using solar paper when I was little so I ordered some for my 4 year-old son – it’s so much fun to take leaves, flowers, even toy cars and see how the sun takes a ‘picture’ of them!

Some of my favorites to give: sidewalk chalk, bubbles, ribbon dancers, sprinklers, glow sticks, disposable cameras (getting harder to find!), and gift certificates for the small mom-and-pop toy store in town.

YES! One of the cardboard houses or little dog houses that the kids can color in by Alex Toys.

I don’t have children, but I have been to 10k weddings in the past few years. Wedding registries make gifts a bit simpler (and EXPENSIVE), but man they just seem so impersonal. I ended up sharing one of my favorite cookbooks with probably 10 couples. Same cookbook & sentiment, different couples!

My son just turned 5 years old and has been going to the same school since he was 14 months old. He has a great, close knit group of friends that we feel so lucky to have because the parents are fantastic too. April through August is big time birthday season & a few years ago, we all decided presents had to stop. So we do a used book exchange. Every kid brings a gently used wrapped book & then after cake, book are exchanged, so everyone goes home with a new book. So far, so good! And so much less stressful! I told other friends about it, and that is what they do now too!

Once, at my daughter’s dog themed party, we asked for pet presents that we took to our local animal shelter. That was super fun for everyone. (The party itself was fun too. I was the “trainer” & “taught” all the “doggies” tricks. Treats were cookies shaped like dog biscuits. We painted spots on faces like puppies and the three-five yos literally played they were doggies for two hours.)

Regarding group gifts- great idea, but does that cause pressure on people to donate a certain amount? And what if they can’t afford to give as much money as everyone else? And then one person has to organize, ask for the money, try to collect it, buy the gift, etc…I have a hard enough time getting people to RSVP to the party.

Off-topic:
It’s like collecting money for teacher’s gifts. Class parent asking for a contribution with a ‘suggested’ amount. I love kids’ teachers…last year there requests for contributions for holiday gift, teachers’ appreciation day, a luncheon for the teachers, and then an end-of-the year gift.

Between birthday parties, class parties, teachers gifts…I need another job to pay for all of this.

How about some hand made gifts also? With a picture of the kids and teachers? I used to teach adults, and my favorite gifts were photos of me and my class.

We have been on the 4 year old birthday circuit this past summer. Since we live in a small space, I always aim to give a gift that won’t take up a lot of space for another family. This year, we gave everyone either Ada Twist, Scientist, Iggy Peck, Architect, or Rosie Revere, Engineer. The books are catchy, approved by my own soon-to-be-four-year-old, and have a great message.

We live in Boston, and most of our friends’ kids / kids’ friends live in small apartments that do not need more STUFF — many of whom do a “your presence is the present, please no gifts!” policy. So we just make a cool card, and maybe pop some stickers in.

But when gifts are called for… I try to do “consumable” gifts — cool washi tape, a multicolor pen, temporary tattoos, stickers, or a new box of markers. It’s the kid-equivalent of bringing wine or chocolates as a host gift rather than a new vase, mug, something that will need a spot in the cabinet.

This is great! Thanks for the ideas. My amazon basket is starting to fill up with book recos and flashlights (I LOVE this idea. Which kid doesn’t love a flashlight??) I have an 8 year old and an almost 4 year old starting kindergarten so birthday parties are about to double. This post will 100% be bookmarked for future reference.

Okay. I feeling a little confused by this post and all the comments are making me think I live in some kind of weird “Stepford” community. I live in WNY in a middle class suburban neighborhood. Pretty much every kid party that my boys (ages 6 and 10) go to, I send a gift usually of books, legos, or a gift card all at the value of $20. So, I’m confused and jealous by everyone else buying gifts of $10 or less. That’s what most other people do in our community too. It gets quite expensive sometimes. I usually allow them both to go to so many kids bday parties each per year and then skip some.

I don’t have kids (and neither do most of my friends) but I will say, my 36-year-old husband received a harmonica as a birthday gift a few years ago and it remains one of his favorite gifts ever. Ha!

I know that I hate the accumulation of cheapy toys in our apt so I have started giving crafting kits as gifts. Nice sticker books are a hit, too. Something creative to make/do, and then it can be tossed (in theory, at least!). I also use birthdays as a chance to clean out toys and donate whatever is not frequently played with or any duplicates, which is has been a good way to integrate a gratitude practice into my kids’ birthday celebrations.