Can we ask for books as birthday gifts

[Anonymous]

Planning a birthday party for 8 year DS. We'll probably invite about 10 friends. Is there a way to word the invite so that he just receives books for gifts? We already have enough stuff and he loves reading.
Or should we just put 'no gifts please' on the invite?

[Anonymous]

No. Say nothing and if a parent asks suggest books. Buy your kids less stuff.

[Jkirsh64]

Do a book exchange in lieu of gifts. Ask each guest to bring a gently used book to exchange with the group (and you should provide a few extra books).

[Anonymous]

Sorry, no good/appropriate way to do this other than mentioning his love of books if specifically asked for gift ideas. While I get that books seem a relatively modest/budget friendly ask compared to what many will otherwise spend, referencing any kind of specific gift request on the invite is super tacky. Moreover selecting books for that age bracket unless you know the kid extremely well can be tough since there’s a wide range in reading levels/interests, plus it’s safe to assume a voracious reader will already have read a lot of the more popular series for that demographic.

[Anonymous]

Jkirsh64 wrote:Do a book exchange in lieu of gifts. Ask each guest to bring a gently used book to exchange with the group (and you should provide a few extra books).

I've been to a party like this. It was okay, though "no gifts please" is more popular in our crowd.

[Anonymous]

Jkirsh64 wrote:Do a book exchange in lieu of gifts. Ask each guest to bring a gently used book to exchange with the group (and you should provide a few extra books).

No don’t.

[Anonymous]

Your kid doesn’t need anything. No gifts please is sufficient.

[Anonymous]

We would bring an Amazon gift card so you can buy your own books. There is a wide variety in reading levels and interests. Books are too hard to pick out as presents.

[Anonymous]

You can only suggest a particular gift if directly asked what your child likes or wants.

[Anonymous]

Keep track of who gave what and if there is anything you can regift, stick it in your gift stash. Then use on buying books the money you would’ve spent buying another kid a gift. But you can’t ask people for books unless someone specifically asks you what your kid wants.

[Anonymous]

It's inappropriate to mention gifts AT ALL on invitations. So if people ask what your son likes or wants, THEN you can say "He could use some new books, but of course the best gift would just be your presence".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep track of who gave what and if there is anything you can regift, stick it in your gift stash. Then use on buying books the money you would’ve spent buying another kid a gift. But you can’t ask people for books unless someone specifically asks you what your kid wants.

Great idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keep track of who gave what and if there is anything you can regift, stick it in your gift stash. Then use on buying books the money you would’ve spent buying another kid a gift. But you can’t ask people for books unless someone specifically asks you what your kid wants.

Great idea.

How is asking for books rude, but not this? If you don't want the gifts I give you, then ask for no gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Planning a birthday party for 8 year DS. We'll probably invite about 10 friends. Is there a way to word the invite so that he just receives books for gifts? We already have enough stuff and he loves reading.
Or should we just put 'no gifts please' on the invite?

I reach out to the parents to ask about gift ideas if my child doesn't have any. I like it when I get specific gift ideas so that I can get the child something that they like. If a parent asks maybe you can tell them a series that your child is interested in and suggest that they get the first book of the series?

[Anonymous]

You could have a book themed party. Then if any guests want to bring a gift, they’ll guess that your son likes books.