Shopping for birthday presents for dd's friends......

[Earlybird]

When you shop for birthday party gifts for another child, do you take your child with you? Seems a disaster everytime I do it, no matter how many times I explain in advance to dd that we're shopping for someone else. She whines/pouts and acts deprived. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should never take her along.....she's 5 btw.

And when you shop for presents, do you buy multiples of the same thing because you know you're going to need a half dozen more gifts suitable for the same age as class parties occur? I'm definitely leaning toward the "buying in bulk" and "stockpiling" mentality....obviously take a more individualised approach for children we know really well.

[lexiemum]

don't take my girls - disaster.

I buy as I need but have been known to recycle duplicate xmas and bday pressies rather than returning them to the shop for an exchange.

[annh]

Don't take the boys, also tend to buy children's gifts when they are in the sale or BOGOF so I rarely go shopping at the actual birthday time, just wave the gift under the appropriate ds's nose and then wrap it. Maybe it makes a difference that I have only boys?!