not to buy a return gift?

[pippaNnippa]

DP and I have been together a few years and he has a group of 4 close male friends from school. They are all married and have been for years and have all had children older than my DD (6 months).

I am close friends with the wife of one of his friends and have baby sat for their children many times. My DP is godfather to one of their DD's. Every year since we have been together I have bought gifts for the children of this couple but we have never sent gifts to the children of his other friends.

When DD was born all of his freinds bought gifts for us. We bought one couple (who had a second DD 2 months after us) a gift when we visited the baby for the first time. Yet have never exchanged christmas gifts or given birthday gifts for their first DD. Anyway these parents bought us a gift for our DD for christmas and left it with a neighbour on the 22nd Dec.

I didn't buy the a present due to weather and also the fact that I don't want to get into the whole christmas/ birthday present thing for both their DD's. One of whom's birthday is in a few days time.

Is this OK? I'm fairly new to the whole parenting thing and don't want to offend anyone IFSWIM

YANBU
quite right not to get into the whole presents thing

YANBU but it is a difficult one. If you buy a return present now you will, as you say, start the whole birthday & christmas presents thing for the next x number of years. I speak from experience! If I were you (and with the benefit of hindsight) I would just take a deep breath, thank them for the gift, and leave it at that.

There are a couple of people who I exchange gifts with for their & my DCs and to be honest I'm sure they probably find it as much of a pain as I do as we have all moved on and the children don't see each other any more. Don't start it!!