playdate (god i hate that word!) question

[nailpolish]

if you are asked round to a friend of your childs house for a playdate, should you arrange another one at your house? how soon should you do this?

it is all expected??

help!

I would normally return the favour. It's up to you how soon afterwards, but I would say anything up to 3 weeks after would be ok. Personally I wouldn't leave it over a month

I usually reciprocate the next week or the one after. DD is in a little possy of 3 so i always have to invite both and it's an unwritten rule that we all kind of take turns.
(Though i do most as i live close by and don't work)

If I ask someone over, its because I want to not to get asked back!
So I dont expect to be asked back, or ask them back iyswim.
Everyone welcome here!! :)

there are 2 mothers who take their little girls to the same playgroup as i take dd1 - the 3 girls play together at the playgroup, but obv. the other 2 girls are very close as their mums are (although the other 2 girls are really sweet and dont ever leave my dd out)

the mothers are also very nice and im really pleased one of them has asked me round for an afternoon. i presume the other mother and her little girl will be there too. i think they get together most days.

anyway, im just glad we are going to theirs first. they seem really well off and ill bet their dd has hundreds of toys whereas my dd hardly has any

Well, assuming it all went well, yes I try and do a return match within a few weeks. Most mums I know are fairly laid back thankfully, and neither they nor I expect another within a tight timescale as we're all so busy.

I recently realised that we 'owed' a couple and as it was half term, we took dd out for the day with two very special friends; but that was just a one off treat. Usually, we just do tea after school.

The difficulty comes when your child is not that enamoured with the host and doesn't really want to socialise with them again but the other kid does. That one takes the tact of a united nations summit to work out, cos I've been there!

Agree 'playdate' is the most awful word but it's creeping in to general use

the girls are only 3 and a half btw

Oh nailpolish don't fret about your dd's toys! As you say, they've asked you first;they must want to see you. The children will have fun at yours together, because it's always fun for them to visit new friends.