Are you finding yourself attending more birthday parties of late? You are not paranoid; evidence suggests that the cycle from July to September is the peak period for birthdays. Consequently, these months are packed with celebrations. Guaranteed, if you have kids, your family will be involved in a fair share of these parties.
A recent phenomenon that might have caught your attention is the 'no presents please' tag on some of these birthday invitations. It seems more parents are embracing this trend. They prefer celebratory presence over physical presents at their child's party.
The practice of requesting no gifts in birthday invitations is on the rise, according to a What to Expect survey involving 404 mothers. Approximately 13% of surveyed parents included 'no gifts' in their kids' birthday invitations, indicating a significant shift in birthday party norms.
The key takeaways from the survey show some interesting trends. One out of ten parents is inclined towards requesting 'no gifts' for their child's birthday. Despite explicit requests for no presents, 30% of moms still opt to bring gifts, and parents spend an average of $28 on a kid's birthday party gift.
Contrary to the immediate interpretation of the term, 'no presents' do not necessarily deny all forms of gifts. There are varying motivations for parents to opt for this approach. Case in point, some families already have an excess of toys and other children's items, and additional gifts might only add to the clutter.
There is always a concern for the environmental impact, considering many of these gifts will end up as landfill waste. Using second-hand gifts is a favored approach for some families, but it still does not deter the arrival of new, unwanted items.
Birthday invitations stipulating 'no gifts' are also from parents being considerate to other families' budget constraints. The survey showed half of the surveyed moms either don't want gifts for their children or have no preference about gifts.
A quoted member of the community voiced, 'So far, all the invites to kid's parties we have gotten have specified 'no gifts,' making me feel obligated to follow suit. But considering we don't have much family here, I think gifts to celebrate my daughter's birthday would be quite a thrill.'
Interestingly, even with ‘no gifts’ specified on the invitation, three in ten mothers will still carry a present to the party. This is more common amongst millennial mothers, with 33% admitting to this compared to only 23% of Gen Z moms.
Still, maintaining party etiquette is crucial. Leah Rocketto, a Shopping Director, advises that it's best to comply with requested instructions in invitations. If coming empty-handed feels intolerable, a small gift or a handmade card would be more than appropriate.
Despite the emerging 'no gifts' trend, gift-giving at children's birthday parties still looms large. A whopping 97% of surveyed moms usually buy gifts for their children’s friends.
Relationships with the hosting family influences whether invitees to bring presents or not, even if not requested. According to the survey, 31% of moms choose to bring a gift to a 'no gifts' party depending on the relationship with the birthday child’s parents.
The norm for birthday party gifts, based on the survey, is between $25 and $30, with the standard spending on a present being $28. Nonetheless, some mothers do not hesitate to splurge, spending over $50 on a gift.
Books emerged as the most popular gift choice, and they are especially favored for 'no gift' parties. As one mother puts it, 'You can never have too many books.'
This article was based on the Everyday Health Group Pregnancy & Parenting Talk to Moms Monthly Poll conducted by the Everyday Health Group, with 404 respondents aged 18 to 44, who are either pregnant or have at least one child up to 5 years old.