birthday party etiquette

[hovely]

Dd now gets asked to various birthday parties, and I'm never sure whether I ought to send a thankyou note afterwards. Likewise if she goes round for 'tea' when it's pre-arranged. What do others do?

We don't send thank you notes for invites to parties, etc. as otherwise we would never get anything else done! I think probably not many people do nowadays - we are scrupulous about writing to thank people for presents but I am always amazed at the number of thank you notes which we DON'T receive after ds's have brought a present to a party.

We do "thank-yous" if she goes to tea somewhere and also for birthday presents received. when she's the guest we just make sure she says "thank you" as we leave, unlike the charming little soul in her class whose party exit line is "give me my party bag then".

Only for presents from relations etc at Xmas/birthday not usually with friends(too many!) and definitely not after tea as we would be sending the same people cards every other week!

DD is just beginning the party scene at 2. When she is the guest I encourgae her (and do it myself too) to thank the child and parent who's party it is. If it is her party then we qwrite thanks yous for all presents recieved - family, friends, everyone. We do this at Christmas too.

I'm afraid I'm a stickler for thank yous ! Am always v pleased when people bother to write them as so few do these days (I sound like my grandma !) but it is important I think. I always send my mum a postcard if she's babysat or anything.

Interesting...we go to a lot of parties and sometimes get a thank-you note for the present, sometimes a generic one (kids opened the gifts and they don't know what's from whom!) and sometimes none at all, which always surprises me. I always write notes to all present senders and givers, family or birthday party friends, for Christmas and for new baby gifts too. May take a week or two but always try to do it. Not when we go to tea tho or when we go to party as would never stop!