Please No Gifts for Baby's birthdayAny Ideas for Inexpensive Birthday Gift List?

Dear A.;

If I were you, I will write down monetary fund gift because then you can started her college fund account instead of toys and clothings since she has plenty of it. Good luck.

A.

One thing that we do for the people that have everything is make donations to charities that they support, in their name. That may be one solution. :)Every little bit helps.

I had a similar situation last year. I gave people 2 options...donate to my daughter's college fund or donate to her sister's memorial fund (I enclosed a separate card in the invitation describing the options). That way they felt like they were still doing something. It worked out great and I will defintely do it again!

Good luck!

I think the Mission Viejo library has a program where someone can have a book donated in your child's name. I'm sure it's inexpensive and you/they would also be helping the community.

My son is 2.5 years and when he turned 2, he still had toys that he hadn't opened from Christmas. So for his 2nd birthday, we asked that in lieu of gifts, people bring school supplies that we can send to children in Iraq. We did this through Gary Sinise's organization Operation Iraqi Children. www.operationiraqichildren.org. Another friend asked for donations to be made to Unicef in honor of her son's first birthday. At this age, your child is not even aware of his birthday, so the gifts don't matter. We plan to pick a charity for each birthday, and when he's old enough, he can help us pick one. I think this teaches him to care for others, and the party with friends, playing, and cake is the real excitement for him. Besides, they get so much stuff for Christmas/Hanukkah! The other good thing about donations is that one can give as much as they are comfortable with (maybe even inclined to spend a little more since it's going to a good cause), and I think it's easier for everyone since you can donate on-line and not have to make a trek out to the mall. Also, if you find a charity, I would check it out to make sure it's legitimate. Good luck! I hope this helps...

Hi A.,
Being the Mom of 2 kids, 18 years and 16 years I know the excess of gifts and how it can become a stress to give and receive over the years. There are accounts that might seem self serving for the parents; 529 plans (for college education costs only) and Educational IRA's (for tuition costs, educational fees, trips, but usable for primary, secondary costs or college vs. only college costs.) Some more practical family and friends prefer to go in that direction. I know that there saving accounts too that can be used for trips to Disneyland, new big items like a WII or the next electronic item. These account don't make any interest but they are nice to have for non education expenses down the road. You will have to pay taxes on the gains each year. The 529 and the IRA won't have any taxes if spent on educational costs. Cool!
It may seem weird to let people know about the accounts, but you have loving people that understand the value of how much kids costs down the road a bit. For instance, senior year of HS costs are incredible!!!
Have some fun with close friends by ageeing to do an event together;the train ride, Aquarium, zoo, etc. and no gifts...take lots of photos! Good luck with a fun, fun time of life, kids are simple. We face an incredible amount of pressure from advertising, and peer pressure soon enough to "have it all". Happy new year D.

I suggest diaper & wipes- you can never have too many of those!

This idea is not always inexpensive but i love it. Tell your friends/ relatives they can purchase a share of stock. Any company they want spend a little or as much as they want. Also find a great local charity in your area. And ask them to make a donation in your childs name. I love to do this for friends, and it is something that stands out. Just a suggestion. J. H.

I know how you feel...my daughter is 3 1/2 and we have always felt that gift giving is overrated! This past Christmas we asked all of our family & friends to refrain from giving toys/clothes since she has more than she possibly needs. Instead, if they wanted, they could give money to go towards her 529 account (college savings) or pay for one of her classes (art, dance, etc.). They really went for it and that's something we could all appreciate! I don't think people will be offended. Just make sure you give the reasoning behind your request.

Hi A.,

My Daughter too has every thing, instead of asking them not to get her a gift make notations on the invite "No toys & Clothes Please" so they have the option to get her learnign books or maybe some learning games etc...there are other alternatives for gifts maybe someone can make her a blanket or scrapbook it varies so just a thought....

Sincerely,
E.
Costaa Mesa, Ca

Maybe you could set up a college fund. If people really want to give her something, they could contribute to that. Or ask them to give her clothes that are much larger than what she is wearing now, like 2T's. She may have everything now, but one day will come when she does need more. They grow so fast!

could you suggest putting money toward her college fund? that is what we did for xmas, even if it was only a small amount, it all helps

or I have heard of moms registering for bdays, that way they can get what you need and you can pick out little items, not too expensive

hope this helps

Make it a theme party like a book party or bath toy party. you can also ask that everyone instead of a gift make a scrpbook page for your daughter that you will bind and save for her. Then you can add pictures and momentos from her party to it too. We also went to a party once where the parents asked for a small donation like a dollar or 2 and they chose a childrens charity to give it to. They asked for no gifts please. That was nice too. You can write on the invite Your presence is your gift to our child. No other gifts necessary. Some people are going to give regardless.

books! Caldecott honors are always great, first word books are great b/c later she'll 'read' them to you. Almost all the "Spot" books are great as well as any sturdy lift the flap books...and don't forget nursery rhymes and songs. All are excellent for bonding/language building and last for their whole childhood....as long as you take the time to read together.

Ask them to make a small donation to a certain charity in your childs name.

How about a kids musical CD or DVD
HOw about a book
I have found that my child has hours of fun with a balloon or a ball
Coloring book
Markers

My son just celebrated his first birthday, being so close to Christmas we decided to put on his birthday invite "In place of gifts please bring hand-me-down clothing or other babies items for the Tender Life Maternity Home" of course you'd want to find our own local charity. This allowed people to still bring something but also taught some of the older kids that birthday parties aren't about presents, they are about celebrating birth, life and a new year filled with giving and helping others. I know sounds totally sappy but thats what I heard one of my friends tell her 7 year old. It brought me to tears!

How about contributions or presents for an orphanage.

Why not ask for books? We did that one year for our son (although he was older) and it was well received. I get tired of reading the same old books to the kids - so to have a new variety to choose from is great.

Let people buy gifts! Just ask them to think about what the baby might need 6 mos to a year from now. Between 1 and 2 babies change dramatically in what they need to keep them occupied!

Designate a place in the house for the baby gifts to be kept, in their original packages (unwrapped, of course)until your daughter is 18 months old. Then have a 1/2 birthday to enjoy the gifts. I'm sure both of you will be happy for the new toys & clothes by then.

Hi A.,
My aunts gave my girls savings bonds when they were small. Some they paid ten dollars for and when they matured, the girls had a little extra money for college. It is an inexpensive way to help the baby in the future and it is good for our economy as well. Win-win.
C. c.

I am going to a 1-yr-old party next weekend, and the parents requested no gifts but said if you do bring a gift, please make it a favorite book or DVD. Personally I think you can never go wrong with books. Even if they have the book, it's nice having 2 copies of some things to keep one in the car!

Hard huh, esp with grandparents? I would let the grandparents do whatever (because they're going to no matter what). I have seen people set up a donation gift on Make a Wish Foundation website where their guests can go and donate a little money instead of buying your child a gift. Just check out their website or any other foundation like that! I think that is an awesome idea.

Have fun

My house is cluttered with too much stuff, and at some point my mom decided to start buying savings bonds for the kids instead of more "stuff" that they don't need . . .

We had a party were we just asked everyone to bring a book for our daughter. There was a lot of variety (we read 3-4 books to her every night before bed, so we like variety) Our daughter was turning one at the time. Some people brought pop-up books and non-board type books, so we just set those aside for later. Depending where they decide to buy them, they don't have to cost a lot to get some really cute ones. DollarTree has some neat ones for a buck a book! Everyone seems to love the idea of promoting reading, plus they get to revisit some of their favorite stories again! Hope this helps!

You could ask for gift cards only. In a few months, she'll be "bored" with these new Christmas toys, and she will also be developmentally ready for more advanced toys. You can shop later on with the gift cards, instead of cluttering your house with more "stuff" now. Or, you can write in the invitations that you'd rather have any money they were planning on spending donated to a specific organization that is close to your heart. You can "get away" with this while she's young and doesn't know any better, but when she's old enough, I think it's best to go ahead and allow the extra gifts. (You can also start celebrating a 1/2 birthday in JUNE of every year, a lot of Dec/Jan people do this-to keep it away from the busy holiday season.)

You could also have a party at a place like Gymboree, then have the parents "donate" money toward classes for your daughter there. This will allow them to "see" what they're giving to her. You could try a free class before the party and invitations go out, just to be certain your daughter actually likes it. The last thing you'd want is for her to hate it and have it all set up for lessons. If she likes it, the other parents will be grateful to give something she actually enjoys. It will also give Mom a chance to get out and be around other Moms.

I too have two kids that have birthdays at the beginning of this month. It is always hard after Christmas to not get presents for their birthdays. I am always asking for NO TOYS! I don't have the room. However I do ask for Savings Bonds or have them deposit money into their bank accounts for their college funds. Hope this helps!

I had this exact same problem!! I ended up opening a savings account for my daughter and asked that is the grandparents or friends, etc really wanted to get her something they could "contribute" to her account. That was 2 years ago and I tell you she STILL to this day gets checks from Grandma and Great-Grandma and I deposit them into her savings account. when there is enough money, I tranfer it to a CD account. I just had another baby in September and she already has her savings account and had her first deposit today (Christmas money from Grandma). Hope that helps. I think it will teach them the value of saving their money too once they are old enough to receive it for themselves.

Hi A.,

Maybe at the bottom of the invitation in a slightly smaller font you can add something like, (Gift optional. Just having you celebrate our daughter's first birthday with us is the only gift we need.) I think that lets the person you're inviting know in a polite way that they don't have to bring a gift. However, I'm not sure how many people will adhere to that request since turning one is a big deal and want to give something to your daughter.

I'm in the same boat as you because my daughter's birthday is in January. I've said to friends that she doesn't need anything, but they end up purchasing something anyway. And I know they do that because they want to and not because it's out of obligation. And I appreciate that they want to buy things for my her.

She gets a lot of gift cards which is nice because I save those for when she needs them. For example, the gift cards she gets this year will be used to buy her summer clothes since she will have outgrown last year's summer clothes. Also, she has an uncle who gives her savings bond every year.

One year a friend of mine asked people to donate to a charity that her daughter picked out. I thought that was a good idea, too. I may do that for my daughter one year when she's a little bit older (she's just turning 5) to understand the value to give back to others in need.

Hope this helps you. Good luck with your daughter's birthday party!

Dear A.,

You could ask them to write a short note about when they first saw the 1 year old and what she did. When she gets older, she will just adore these vignettes of her past. No kidding.

C. N.

Hi A. - the "No gift" request is difficult to inforce for any age or occasion. Here are a few suggestions: donation to a charity or children's cause, planting of a tree in the child's name, savings bonds. Grandparents can start a college fund or savings bonds.

Hope this helps, D. B

Hi A.,

I would ask for things she will need/want in 6 months. The next size or 2 up of clothes, for example. Also, your child can never have too many books. A basic board book only runs about $7. People can get cheap paperbacks for $4. You can ask people to give you books they loved, or give suggestions, such as titles of types of books (touch and feel, photos, fairy tales, Dr Seuss, etc.) Here is a list of suggestions: http://www.planetesme.com/bookbasket.html

ALex