How much do you spend for child’s birthday?

[Happyandyoudontknowit]

Just that really. I’ve spent £150 on my toddler this year and my MIL thinks I’m crazy so wanted to see other opinions

Surely it depends what you can comfortably afford and what you buy outside of birthdays.

DS' birthday is close to Christmas so Christmas is often cheaper than it might be otherwise. However when we bought his wooden swing/climbing frame that was about £400 but not a birthday present as it's not something that's great to receive in the depths of winter. Some say they'll buy a new bike when the old one is grown out of for example and therefore spend less on birthdays, others have said they only buy big ticket things for birthdays and Christmas. Also spending £150 when you can comfortably afford it is fine, putting it on credit or not paying bills to do so, isn't.

We usually go to Center Parcs so depends whether you include the cost of that, plus the activities, plus a few things for him to open

Our LO is 3.5. We’re not interested in buying branded goods for the sake of it so her scooter was £15 from Amazon so I get your MIL stance. This year our LO is having a whole class party and a bike so we’re spending £350 but it’s a one off.

To be fair, the micro scooters are excellent and worth the money and will outlast any cheap £15 crap from Argos, and hold their value in re selling.

I love birthdays:

We are in NI and I take DS (coming 9 next month) to London for his birthday weekend every year - costs hundreds and is a free for all spending wise - flights/hotel/zoo/Harrods/Hamleys/eating out etc. it's worth every penny. It's a mum and son only trip and I look forward to it so much.

He also gets a birthday cake around £80.

DD is only 2 - she got her £80 birthday cake and about £150 worth of Peppa Pig plastic galore and books.

She will also be ferried to London when she's old enough to appreciate it.

Meh, DH and I work hard - DS is a high achiever and so well behaved, DD will have her time

Gift is generally about forty euro (unless something they’ve asked about forever that’s big eg bike/ scooter) because they get money from their grannies and aunties that they take to Smyths! Party we try for under a hundred euro but all have been/are allowed one big soft play/bowling party, youngest had his last year.

I don't have a set amount. It just depends on what they want that year or if they're having a party. Last year, dc 1 had an indoor climbing party with 10 friends and we went to pizza hut, and DS2 had a lazer tag party with about 30 kids, so it was probably a good couple of hundred pounds each. This year, they might have one or two friends over or go to the cinema. Again with their presents it depends. I aim to spend around £100 but Will go over or under depending on what they want. Money is not going as far now they're getting older!

My youngest is about to turn 2. She has a big sister and brother and plays a lot with their old toys and wears most of their clothes. I've bought her a wooden playhouse for our garden (£170) but will need to buy paint to paint it and felt for the roof. I've bought decorations for the party already but am planning on getting her a sand and water table, a mud kitchen, a pram set and a doll. The bigger gifts all 3 kids will play with so hopefully we will get a lot of use out of them. I'm making her cake myself and the party will be at home.

Unless you are struggling or in debt she shouldn't be passing judgement and I'd be inclined to tell her to butt out tbh. If you aren't struggling then simply don't share how much you've spent, learn to deflect the questions.

£50 on gifts and in the primary school years approx. £150 on party.

Parties are more 'experience days' from age 1-3 (no friends) and age 13+ (seemingly 'uncool' to have parties) though.

That's a lot for a toddler.
For my DS 2nd birthday he got a plastic sandpit, bucket and spade a ball and some giant chalk for the garden.
I took him to soft play with his nursery friend and brought a caterpillar cake.
Probably spent £70 in total.
Now both my kids are older it costs me a fortune. Designer clothes/trainers/phones.
I miss the days when a colouring book and a chocolate cake would do!

We’re currently at the stage of trampoline type parties which for 15-20 kids is around £300. After an obscene number of presents last year (hadn’t really registered that everyone would bring a present to the party!) we’re cutting down next time and will just do one ‘big’ present and maybe 2/3 little bits, no more than £100

This year £250 softplay party
£80 birthday cake
£350 birthday gifts.

We don't have a set budget. It depends on what they "need" or "want". Some years it's been £100 each. Other years more expensive.

16 year old will be getting a new iPhone as it's due.
10 year old her first iPhone.
Neither have parties but will have a family meal out.

7 year old is having a Lego train set he's desperate for. That's £140 alone.
My toddler is getting a strider bike. With the pedal kit. It's around £260.

Both birthdays are 4 weeks apart so we have booked a joint party. Private hire soft play centre 50 kids. We are looking at around £600 all in.
But for us the private hire was important as they wouldn't cope with it being open to the public

How on earth are people doing parties for 150 quid? I spent 600 on dd2s 4th Birthday party and I tried so hard to do things myself as much as possible. Presents it really depends on what they need and want - it's not always the same and not always equal. My teenager gets a lot less but I spend a LOT more. A lot of the younger girls stuff I get 2nd hand

How do you spend £600 on a kid's party? Not being nasty, genuinely wondering.

The most we spent was about £100, but that was for a bike that she really wanted, and still loves.

Generally it's about £20.

But due to divorce and remarriage, our DDs have 5 sets of great grandparents who spoilt them rotten. So they get a lot of presents from them, plus some from grandparents, plus aunts and an uncle. I don't feel the need to add much to the pile tbh.

Oh I should say they're 4 & 1. So easily pleased with a new jigsaw/board game/toy that makes noise.

Blimey. Some people spend a lot. Ds's £100 when younger. Party at home for a few friends doesn't cost much.

This year:

£100 for the hall + games package
£15 for cake
£10 for paper plates/cups
£10 for party bags (bulk buying)
£10 for food (hotdogs)
£1 for squash
£2 for balloons
£3 for invites

Last year it soft play at the gym was £80, games prizes £20, cake £12, food £30.

I dont have £600 to spend but even if I did I would struggle, if you take out the 'legal fees' then my wedding cost that amount lol.

£600 on a 4th birthday party.

Blimey!
I've managed relatively decent party's so far: home ones, humongous party bags filled with stuff, balloons, banners, bouncy castle borrowed from a friend, chocolate fountain with marshmallows and strawberries and mini doughnuts. Football party with pizza. Jump giants. I barely spent £600 combined and eldest is off at Uni now!

We spent £350 on ds' 5th party and £50 on presents so £400 all in.

It was a party in a little kiddie model village type place, private hire. We didn't mean for it to be so much initially but ended up inviting 19 kids so it soon added up!

It was brilliant, zero regrets. Ds is totally not spoilt overall and has a very modest Christmas by mn standards! So it all balances out.

We’ve always spent a lot on our children’s birthdays, much more than £150. It’s nothing to do with your MIL, she’s not paying. Weird she’d say something and make you feel like you’re spending too much, she should just be happy her grandchild has lovely things.

My children always got between £20 - £100. I'm much more of a Christmas person.

Parties are relevant to the area for costing
A hall hire here can be £30 a hour. So 3-4 hours is £90-120 alone. The church halls are the most expensive. Cheapest is the scout hut.
But they don't allow hire of any sort on certain days as part of their agreement with neighbours. (Such as a Sunday is a blanket no hire). One of my children's parties, our church charged us £45 a hour. In our previous town we only payed £10-15 a hour.

We did a trampoline party last year for one of mine. It was £250 for 12 kids. This year it's already gone up to £380 when I had a quick look.

I'm more of a Christmas person - but this is where the money gets spent on family outings and events rather than presents. Big things like phones, iPads, gaming stuff tends to be for birthdays so I can spread the cost out.