Gift etiquette for combined birthday parties

[Anonymous]

My 2nd grader got invited to a classmates birthday party that they are co hosting with another family (not a school friend) mentioned on the invite. Do we take gifts for both kids? Gift for the classmate, card for the other kid?

[Anonymous]

I would buy a gift for the kid I know. I was invited to a simile birthday and the parents had two tables to put gifts for each kid. No one cared whether anyone brought one or two gifts.

[Anonymous]

I brought a gift for the kid I knew and a card with stickers in it for the kid I didn't

[Anonymous]

a gift just for the kid you know.

[Anonymous]

What if the other kid was a sibling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if the other kid was a sibling?

I would get a token gift for sibling.

[Anonymous]

Just for the kid you know.

[Anonymous]

This is helpful...we are throwing a party for my two daughters, whose birthdays are a few days apart. The girls are 4 years apart and have some common friends (family friends), but mostly separate friends. Is there anything I need to say on invitation so people don't feel compelled to bring 2 gifts?

[Anonymous]

Just a gift for the kid you know. If it were a sibling birthday, I would either bring a gift they could share or a token small gift for the sibling. If it is a different family, I would not bring anything for the family you don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is helpful...we are throwing a party for my two daughters, whose birthdays are a few days apart. The girls are 4 years apart and have some common friends (family friends), but mostly separate friends. Is there anything I need to say on invitation so people don't feel compelled to bring 2 gifts?

I don't think I'd write anything about gifts on the invite. The only time you can mention gifts is if you are saying something about No Gifts. Leave it up to the folks attending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is helpful...we are throwing a party for my two daughters, whose birthdays are a few days apart. The girls are 4 years apart and have some common friends (family friends), but mostly separate friends. Is there anything I need to say on invitation so people don't feel compelled to bring 2 gifts?

I don't think I'd write anything about gifts on the invite. The only time you can mention gifts is if you are saying something about No Gifts. Leave it up to the folks attending.

I did over the summer for my two daughters (joint party, 2 years apart in age) and most people just bought two small similar gifts for both kids (i.e. one book for each kid). I didn't mention anything on the invite but I did worry a lot about whether I should as I certainly did not expect people to buy for both kids. Some people bought one gift for them to share (i.e. a board game) which was perfect. Some people only bought for the child who is in their class, which was great as well. I would agree to leave it up to the attendees and they will do what feels comfortable.

If it were different families, I would just buy for the kid I know and leave it at that.