What is the going-rate for gifts for school friends parties?

[fernie19]

My DSS has a party in a month's time with a school friend, a few of them are being taken bowling and to the arcade by the parents. What is the average spend/any ideas for a gift for 7 year old boy?

When I ask DSS what his friend likes I get the usual "well I dunno". I guess football, lego etc but any ideas would be great!

I have a younger boy and I have just spent £30 a head on party activities food and drink for kids and parents and I think average gift was 10-15 value.
I think any activity you take kids to is 10-20, out for lunch would be similar, so try to base it on cost per head of doing what you'd normally do (obviously don't stretch yourself for budget of a very expensive party if you wouldn't usually spend that)

Around a fiver, up to £7/8 on the rare occasion

I set a budget of £10 including card. Will sometimes spend more on a particularly close friend.

About £10 for gift, plus card and wrapping. More like £20 for close friends.

Generally £8-10. There’s very little these days you can get for a fiver.

Generally I buy things with an RRP of £15-20, but usually spend £6-12.

Used to be £5
Now crept up to £10 with COL crisis
I will occasionally spend £15 if I see something really cool and I like the kid a lot.

Around £10. £15-20 if they’re close friends.

Totally besides the point of this thread but I wish we all got more comfortable NOT giving gifts or a small cash token like £5. The kids love opening it all but it’s just absolute junk (with the exception of one or two) that clutters the house and ends up in landfill.

For me it depends what they are doing. A party at our local softplay is £16 per head. I usually try to spend around the cost per head. I have 2 that generally both get invited and I buy present from each child.

I try to keep it under £10 (although often get stock up in the sales so RRP might be higher) and buy 50p cards in Tesco. For a close friend I might go up to £20.

I don't factor in the cost of the party, and I wouldn't expect anyone to do that if they came to my child's party. I'm buying a present for the child, not trying to reimburse the parents 🤷‍♀️

Max £10. But I often get stuff in the sales and stock up when I see it. I think the cost of the party is irrelevant. Bizarre to suggest spending more on a gift just because the venue/activity is more expensive likewise spending less if it wasn’t!

I'd say around 10-15, it was 5-10 when DS was small, 10 years ago.

I strongly disagree with those matching it to the spend. Would mean richer kids getting better gifts surely! They are celebrating and have chosen to invite your child to share a fun activity. Your child is celebrating and taking them a gift they will enjoy. The costs shouldn’t be linked. You’re not paying for your child to attend!

Similar to others, I used to aim for under £10. Inflation has pushed that up to around £10 or a bit more for a close friend/small party situation. I bulk buy in sales and either get cards from card factory or have the kids make them.

God I don’t consider the cost to the host at all. Either when a guest or a host.

My kids are 7 & 9 and both been to a few parties in the last couple of weeks. I don’t keep tabs and just let them get whatever they think their friend would like, but wouldn’t spend over £30. And that’s for the older end of the scale. Have put £10 in a card before for non-best friends.

I usually spend about £10-12. Recently had a 7th birthday party for DS and I think most gifts he got were probably around the £10 mark, several parents put a fiver in a card instead which he was very happy with!

You should be able to get something for under £10. A bit more for a very close friend.
I used to buy the Argos 2 for £15 and saved the extra gift for another party. I have a stock of cards from Card Factory (they have a deal for 10 cards ) and always have some wrapping paper.

Whatever you are comfortable spending and can afford, surely?

Be that £5, £12 or more.

🤷

Based on what my DD has been given (she’s 8 so we have had a few years of parties) there is a range of approaches to present giving. At one end it’s regift of any old item that your own child didn’t use, regardless of suitability of gift… up to about £10 spent thoughtfully. One memorable hand made gift. I don’t think she’s had anything that would have cost over £10.

I would budget up to £10 and if I have no idea what the child would like, I tend to think £10 note in a card is better than something they might not even use.

I have a limit of £5 gift card - my child gets invited to every child's party which is lovely they are so popular and well thought off but it becomes horrendously expensive and difficult to think of a gift they don't already have

I buy clothing on Vinted with the tags on.

i spend about £10-12 and that includes the postage.

i look at the child when I see them and compare them to my ds to work out what clothing size they most likely are and buy on Vinted.

My ds has had a party every year and I would say the average spend on him is £15

£20

My little one recently had a party and people spent between £5 - £12

I would have been happy with them spending £5, I think that's plenty.

I usually buy things in the sales so spend £5-7 on a £10-£15 gift and have a multipack of birthday cards, but money is very tight, id love to spend more

I try spend as little as possible as they get so many invites to parties. Since nursery I've had a stock of toys in my loft that I buy from big sales like the B&M sale before Xmas at 3 for £20. Most things are really good gifts that I don't think would just get shoved aside like art sets, jewelry kits, slime sets, hot wheels car tracks, avengers sets and dinosaur nerf type sets. So RRP is around £12-17 but I've paid much less.

For best friends I tend to give them a home printed voucher in their card that says your getting a trip to X place (trampoline park/theme park/ice skating/soft play/food place child loves) with my child. I see it as a win for me because it allows me to take my child to a place he wants to go to with his friend 😊