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Whilst chatting to readers on social media, one of the mums, whose child has recently started school asked this question.
I am now a mom to a son who goes to school and he has received a birthday invite. This would be my first party that I don’t know the kid or parents. What do I buy the child?? ~Anon
I too have been a little anxious about this. I have 3 children and have found it quite stressful to buy an appropriate gift for the child. My first solution has always been to take my own child-the one who is invited to the party- to the shop with me and let them choose something they think their friend would enjoy. That way the decision is being made by them-after all, they know the birthday child better than I do.
We’ve all been in this situation before and it is hard to know how to get around it. After all, you don’t want to buy something totally unsuitable! The best way to do it is to :
- Have your child ask the birthday child what they like or if they have anything they want for their birthday.
- Be brave and ask the parent. They may be able to steer you in the right direction with a few suggestions.
- Take a look at what your child’s favourite toy is and look for something similar.
- Books are usually welcomed by parents, so consider buying a copy of your child’s favourite book.
- For older children, a card with a voucher or cash is appreciated.
- If the party has a theme, you can know the child likes things related to it..so for a Pirate party, get a pirate themed gift.
If all else fails, buy a gift and enclose the gift receipt. That way they have an option to swap it for something else.
Anyone got other ideas? Please feel free to leave a comment.
I am a preschool and primary school teacher and mum to 3 children. I have been involved in education since 1997 and have trained in a variety of educational specialist areas. It is with this expertise that I write articles to help parents and educators provide quality learning experiences for the children in their care.
