Gifts for bday parties - what do people do?

DallasHorn

DD is at the age where she is starting to get invited to birthday parties of people she knows, but that we are not close to (e.g. classmates from preschool (she goes 1/2 days, 2/week), gymnastics class, etc). When it's a bday party for close friends, I usually spend $20 on a gift, but with the number of not-close friend parties coming up, that will get expensive. So I'm curious what other mom's do?

jettagurl

We're not to that point yet, but I would not feel bad about spending $5-10/child.  I'm a SAHM and we don't have a lot of disposable income. You can get a baby doll outfit, game, hot wheels track set, etc easily in that range.  When it's kids that I don't even know, I think I'd be more inclined to give a $10 gc to TRU/Target or similar. 

npeacock

Yeah, the random bday party express has been to us too. I usually get about a $10 item for kids that we see rarely, but DS HAS to go to their party. Crayola has some great sets for about $10. Like the pp, hot wheels and doll clothes are easy inexpensive gifts. Or if it's a summer birthday, I go with outside toys, like a bubble machine, bats/balls, sidewalk chalk, etc.

hopefulmom

We spend between $15-20 on those kids that are in his classes...but we don't know the parents.  For friends' kids it is usually around $30 or so.

JOEBunny

I politely decline the random birthday party express.  We have plenty of birthdays of just the people we know and love.  When she is older and can pick and choose, she can pick a few friends parties to go to. 

michelcreek

It gets to be a lot, but I've found books works great, and can be as inexpensive as you want them to be (softcover vs. hardcover, etc.).  The kicker is getting it in a theme they like...Tinkerbell invite...they're getting a Tinkerbell coloring book and crayons, or other tinkerbell books.