What to spend on 4 year old party gift

[IAmAnIdiot123]

Hey Everyone!

What is the right about to spend on a birthday pressie for a 4 year old? My son has been invited to a party at the weekend and I have no idea what to get!

Usually by this point I would just start chucking money at the problem (sorry dp 🤣) but I think it would probably look odd spending £15/£20 on a child I have never met. I also don't want to open up the obligation for the party girls mum to think she needs to spend the same when my sons rolls around!

Any gift ideas for 4 year old girl would be greatly appreciated also! My son has only just turned 3 so not sure if they still into bluey etc by that age!

My go to for kids I don't know very well is sticker books. You don't know how many toys they'll get from other kids/how much space they have at home for them - so I always go for something practical and easy to store.

For a 4yo girl I'd go with Disney princess/encanto probs!

£10

Honestly I'd stick £10 in a card and job done. Nobody needs a bundle of £10-15 gifts and I think it's better for kids to get cash and they can buy something they want

£10 or less

Small Lego set can never really be wrong. You can usually get one for £8-£10 in a supermarket - sometimes one that is supposed to be a lot more.

£5 - £10. Craft stuff would be my choice, (crayons, colouring book, fuzzy felt etc).

I tend to go £8-10 for kids that aren't particularly good friends with my ds (whole class parties etc).

I generally get art and crafts stuff like a foils kit, stickers, make your own type set.

(as a parent I like mine getting gifts they can use rather than clutter my house!)

Mine both still love bluey - ages nearly 4 and 7!

My general rule for children’s presents is:
Family: 60 pound max
Friends Kids: 30 pound max
School Friends: 25 pound max

I went to a party recently and I got a unicorn pop it bag from Amazon for £5. I have messaged parents asking what their child is into.. usually they say crafts, cars, anything girly. Which is always handy!

I usually spend up to £10. Go for some kind of craft set.

£10

£10

MN is not a good place to ask this.

Upon our first birthday invitation I spent £8 , as per MN consensus. Then we get there and it’s a huge venue with a bouncy castle and a candy floss & popcorn kart. I’m still burning from the embarrassment of miscalculating so badly.

Second birthday invitation I spent £13 on a puzzle - much more appropriate.

Then I host my 4yo birthday and literally everyone brought huge bags with 2-3 things in, honestly most people must have spent £15-20 minimum. I felt uneasy about such expensive presents.

TL;DR Spend £12-15.

School kids parties, we do a collection on the WhatsApp group and everyone sticks a fiver in and the kid gets a voucher to spend on whatever they want. Everyone's a winner.

wow that’s a large amount!

It depends on the school.

At my DC's school £5-£10 was totally normal.
We went to my niece's party and all her presents were about £25 each.

Is it a private school or in a very naice area with affluent families?

I spend around £6-£8 quid. Can't really afford much more.

I get one of those Orchard games or the tablets you can draw on with a stylus have gone down very well recently.

Kids we don't really know my max budget would be £10.

I like to get that offer of 10 books for a £10 in The Works then I have a supply of books for various parties.

So would then give the kid a book and maybe a small Lego or playdoh set something like that.

I spend £7.50 because I do the Argos 2 toys for £15 thing. I normally get jigsaws or craft/creative stuff.

£5- £10. Remember that whatever you spend, you could be multiplying by up to 30 times a year once the whole-class party invites start.

My daughter just turned 3 (so I appreciate not 4!) but she got a lot of sticker/activity books from guests at her party so I can second PPs that these are always a winner. Also things like nice hair clips (Mimi & Lula have a 20% off sale). Another particular favourite gift was a playdoh ice cream factory with sparkly playdoh!

Thank you everyone!! Some great ideas, think I'm going to get some craft bits and will stick to a tenner.

It's a friend from DS childminder, he will absolutely want to give a present and not cash as he really likes watching me wrapping it up 🤣

Appreciate all the replies! Thank you again!

£5-£10 and I live in a "naice" area where DD got a jumper from Next and a book on Amelia Earhart for her birthday from other parents. Honestly, the best things DD has had are the book. "Aliens love underpants", some sort of kit for making something (key-rings etc), and a handheld Spirograph.

This is the best idea I've ever heard!

That would be the absolute max though! The average would be a tenner for school friends. Most toy shops do a 10 and under aisle so that’s my first stop 😂😂