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April 2011 Moms
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Experience/event present vs tangible present?

shaindelrshaindelr member
in April 2011 Moms

Hey, All,

I'm just wondering about your opinions on this. Maybe it's because I grew up really poor or something, but it didn't even occur to me to get Liam a birthday present. Instead of getting him a "tangible" present, we spent all day at the zoo with him Saturday. This is "kind of" a big deal because the zoo is 200 miles away from us, so it involved a hotel stay, all day trip kind of thing.

Do you think I should still get him a tangible present? His birthday is Wednesday, but I had a poetry reading in Portland Sunday, so we just went a day early and made Saturday "Liam's day"...

If you took your LO/child for an "experience"/ event present for a special day -- ball game, amusement park, etc., would they get a tangible present too?

TIA!

MacAndCheese
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Re: Experience/event present vs tangible present?

  • BuffaloMomToBeBuffaloMomToBe member
    He won't remember your trip to the zoo but he could possibly always have something that reminds him of his first birthday. We had my DD's b-day party a little early but we did get her some gifts. Her actual birthday is this Saturday, I am going to give her some Dr. Suess books, one being "All the Places You'll Go". I plan on writing a little inscription for her. I'm going to read her the book and then tuck it away until she graduates high school. So she'll have that to hold on to...I don't know, maybe give a little something like that? 
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  • stephanie_shoestephanie_shoe member

    That's entirely your call whether or not to get a tangible present.  I always like giving "experiences" to family members other than presents, but I think it's because I don't like "stuff."

    If you took lots of photos at the zoo, I would suggest doing a Shutter fly book.  They have a special for a free 8x8 baby book right now, and you can do the zoo pics and do little captions of how he has made this past year amazing for you guys.  Then, it's not only a tangible present, but a very special keepsake.

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  • Nicki BostonNicki Boston member
    imagestephanie_shoe:

    That's entirely your call whether or not to get a tangible present.  I always like giving "experiences" to family members other than presents, but I think it's because I don't like "stuff."

    If you took lots of photos at the zoo, I would suggest doing a Shutter fly book.  They have a special for a free 8x8 baby book right now, and you can do the zoo pics and do little captions of how he has made this past year amazing for you guys.  Then, it's not only a tangible present, but a very special keepsake.

     

    This is a great idea!!

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  • shaindelrshaindelr member
    imageNicki Boston:
    imagestephanie_shoe:

    That's entirely your call whether or not to get a tangible present.  I always like giving "experiences" to family members other than presents, but I think it's because I don't like "stuff."

    If you took lots of photos at the zoo, I would suggest doing a Shutter fly book.  They have a special for a free 8x8 baby book right now, and you can do the zoo pics and do little captions of how he has made this past year amazing for you guys.  Then, it's not only a tangible present, but a very special keepsake.

     

    This is a great idea!!

    Thank you! I'm definitely going to do something like this! He called every single animal at the zoo a "Kitty," which was so funny. I was SO excited when we got to the tigers because he got to be right :-)

    MacAndCheese
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  • eriness`eriness` member
    We try to do both.  I love the idea of the photos of the event.  I encourage family to do event presents, as certain *cough* grandmas* cough* go a bit overboard on the tangibles, and we have a TON of toys.  So my sister and dad tend to do fun things with them.  After about age 1.5, my oldest just keeps talking about the fun things they do together.  auntie took him to the playground at the mall at 2 and bought him his own pretzel and smoothie while there, and we heard about it all year!  :)  We did a special zoo trip, and let them pick out a stuffed animal from the gift shop, and he still knows which one it is, which zoo it came from, and where in the zoo the animal was!
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  • kpips20kpips20 member

    At this age it really doesn't matter since they won't remember an experience or an actual gift. DH and I don't exchange gifts and instead do something together for birthdays/anniversary etc, but for kids I think that's a hard concept to grasp. DS is 3 and still doesn't get that an "event" can be his present (for his birthday we took him to see Elmo Live but still got him a small gift to actually open on his bday).

    But again, for a 1 year old, I really don't think it matters.

     
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  • ckolakckolak
    I'm all about the experience presents for older kids...babies seem to get more long-term enjoyment out of tangible gifts. Not that it needs to be anything big, of course. I think if we did an experience present we'd still get the kiddo a physical gift, at least until they are old enough to appreciate just the experience (like in their early teens).
    Old nestie, new name: formerly ckolak:-)
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  • TwirpleTwirple member
    When I look back on my birthdays, I don't remember any present I got for my birthday as a Kid.  What I do remember is that every year, My dad would get me a nice dress and he and I would go out to dinner together and a fancy restaurant.  The first one I remember, I was turning six or seven and I got a blue velvet dress and white gloves and we went to this great restaurant that overlooks the city.  I felt so grown up.  I think I only remember that dress because of the experience that went along with it.
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  • neufiesgirlneufiesgirl member

    imageBuffaloMomToBe:
    I plan on writing a little inscription for her. I'm going to read her the book and then tuck it away until she graduates high school. So she'll have that to hold on to...I don't know, maybe give a little something like that? 

    I love this! what a great idea :)

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  • GHBEAGHBEA member
    We took the older girls to Disney World for b-days and no we did not get them a tangible present.
                                                 Mom to 4 wonderful daughters
                                 Breanna, Ellie and 
                                 our 2 rainbow babies.

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  • campbaby76campbaby76 member

    These are all great ideas.  I have to say that I would like to set a precedent for Holidays and Birthdays and the like and I totally did it all wrong this year.  Not wrong, just different than I ever imagined I would. We had a HUGE party on Saturday,  It was a lot of fun but it was a LOT of work and I totally stressed about what we were going to get him.  We ended up picking out a trike and he loves it but he got so many toys for his birthday that I was embarrassed, like I actually lost sleep over it because that is so NOT what I want him to learn and not what I intended when we decided to have this party.  I wanted to celebrate him and all of the people in his life that love him.  I wish I would have asked them to donate to a charity in his name or asked them not to bring gifts at all. It's not that I am ungrateful because I am but one friend bought him a Scout, a radio flyer bumper car AND a Toy Story Power Wheels ATV... 

    We are going to the childrens aqaurium tomorrow for his real birthday because my mom and dad are still in town and I am afraid that I will cry all day if I sit at work.  Also I get bummed that I can't do any of the fun stuff during the week with him.  So all that to say that in the future, we will do something small and probably an experience...

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