3 ms·

The present flood is unstoppable, especially for young kids. Relatives feel bad if they don't buy presents for kids and there's no changing that. Birthdays for

The present flood is unstoppable, especially for young kids. Relatives feel bad if they don't buy presents for kids and there's no changing that. Birthdays for young kids are also terrible. They invite the entire class and get 20 gifts: 10 lego sets, 5 nerf guns, 2 knock off nerf guns, and 3 "educational toys". I think the only solution to to stash 99% of them out of sight after a day our two, wait another week or two, and then drop them at the goodwill. I wish I could build an underground pneumatic tube system straight from my basement to the goodwill toy bin.

shanecleveland 8y ago
We initially felt obligated for each of our kids to have their special day with a party and friends/family over. It became a stressful challenge we didn't look forward to with each kid's birthday. There's still plenty of gift giving, but we have shifted to planning a family day doing something fun. Whether it's just a dinner and movie, fun activity or overnight stay somewhere, it's much funner for everyone and just as special.
ticmasta 8y ago
Have a toonie (for us Canadians) party (or fiver if you have an affluent social circle): Every kid bring 2x $2 or 2x $5 - one goes to the birthday kid and the other to a stated cause, like a charity that is close to the child's likes or interests. In our experience it's a very socially acceptable way to ask for money, which I think most of the parents of attendees would appreciate more anyway. Family tends to already give money for birthdays, or if not you still significantly cut down on the # of presents no one really wants. You also have more time at the party for games and cake - we usually don't get a chance to unwrap presents at the party as it is.
noneeeed 8y ago
We had a party recently where they explicitly asked everyone not to bring a present, and it was just fine. None of the kids minded and the birthday girl certainly didn't seem to care. I've also noticed a push-back against party bags filled with plastic knick-knacks, with people putting a bit more thought into what goes in, which is great.

shanecleveland 8y ago

We initially felt obligated for each of our kids to have their special day with a party and friends/family over. It became a stressful challenge we didn't look forward to with each kid's birthday. There's still plenty of gift giving, but we have shifted to planning a family day doing something fun. Whether it's just a dinner and movie, fun activity or overnight stay somewhere, it's much funner for everyone and just as special.

ticmasta 8y ago

Have a toonie (for us Canadians) party (or fiver if you have an affluent social circle): Every kid bring 2x $2 or 2x $5 - one goes to the birthday kid and the other to a stated cause, like a charity that is close to the child's likes or interests. In our experience it's a very socially acceptable way to ask for money, which I think most of the parents of attendees would appreciate more anyway. Family tends to already give money for birthdays, or if not you still significantly cut down on the # of presents no one really wants. You also have more time at the party for games and cake - we usually don't get a chance to unwrap presents at the party as it is.

noneeeed 8y ago

We had a party recently where they explicitly asked everyone not to bring a present, and it was just fine. None of the kids minded and the birthday girl certainly didn't seem to care. I've also noticed a push-back against party bags filled with plastic knick-knacks, with people putting a bit more thought into what goes in, which is great.