Birthday gifts going rate? Post Reply

[urbanblossom]

Hi everyone - I’m just wondering how much Nappy Valley mummies tend to spend on class birthday party gifts? My daughter goes to a private school thanks to the generosity of grandparents, and I suspect my budget is much less than those of some the other mums....There will be a lot of children to buy for this year but I really don’t want my gifts to look mean in comparison to the others. The children are all turning 5. Thanks for your advice!

[Alchemy]

£10.

At this young age, where normally the entire class is invited, it's well worth teaming up with a few other mums and getting one larger present -- makes everybody's lives much easier, as the child won't be swamped with 20-30 presents.

[SW12Pops]

At this young age, where normally the entire class is invited, it's well worth teaming up with a few other mums and getting one larger present

Best advice ever - one birthday my son received 21 small gifts.

I'm sure they were all picked with love but it made his bedroom resemble a school PTA jumble sale and actually when you think how much money it cost it almost made me weep!

[Bunnypigeon1]

We do £10-20 for gifts, except for my children’s best friends who we probably spend a bit more. Melissa and Doug arts and crafts sets are really good, or buy in bulk if you see a good offer! I once bought 15 of the same present when it was 40% off and just slowly gifted them out throughout the year

[urbanblossom]

Thanks so much - lots of really good advice. One mum told me £20 - but I've seen lots of really good stuff that costs less than that and seems to be appropriate to me....I'll keep my eyes peeled for special offers, and the pooling idea is a brilliant one to be able to give something that will be a truly appreciated gift not forgotten about the day after!

[shawn1254]

Hey,

The average cost of a kids' birthday present nationwide is between $15 and $20, and

[Mamanchelsea]

Between £10-£20 although it's often the latter. Notonthehighstreet have great quirky gifts which are often around the £10 mark. It really doesn't have to be expensive, I love the original gifts my kids get and they always prefer them to the "big" brand presents.

[firsttimerSW11]

I tend to spend around £10-£15 and towards the lower end if possible. I often use amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sambro-Patrol- ... 4773662031

Is one of the best value products I've bought.

[Goldhawk]

£10 to £15
Argos is sometimes good for 2 for £15 or 2 for £30 gift deals

[PleasantPresents]

We are two local mums who sell lovely personalised gifts for children and adults. Prices start from just £7. www.pleasantpresentslondon.co.uk

[Emptynestmummy.com]

We have a sort of unwritten policy at our school whereby, in Reception, the parents tend to share parties. So, perhaps 2 or 3 kids with birthdays at a similar time, do a party together. And then the party-goers tend to just bring one present (gender neutral if it's a mixture of birthday boys and girls), for the party-parents to share out between the 2 or 3.
If it's one of those, I tend to put in a bit more to get a slightly better present; if not around £10.
And I also buy general stuff in the sales and keep it for when I need it.
I bought a big batch of Cath Kidston kids handbags one year and they were very well received. A sale purchase!

[Sheds]

I am intrigued.

Is it ok amongst the mums to recycle a number of those excessive £10-£20 gifts by giving them to the child holding the next party?

Seems to make the most sense to me whilst the notion of having to turn up with a gift that has to have a certain monetary value attached to it continues, as the gifts are obviously not personal to the child - especially the bulk buy ones.

If all the mums decided to drop any judgement on any gift and were truly grateful, that would be the greatest gift for these children growing up.

I witnessed a child turning 5 telling it's parent that a present suggestion from a relative/friend wasn't big enough - together they were laughing about it and it was very sad to watch.

[Natalia3005]

£10 to £20 is plenty if you don't want something personalised. A place like TK Maxx is great if you dont mind them finding out where your present comes from