Anonymous wrote:DC's school doesn't allow for any treats or goody bags for kids' birthdays. Parent is welcome to come in and have lunch with their child, or in the lower grades read a book to the class, but no food or trinkets allowed.

They all sing to the birthday child and they get a special hat to wear that day so the kids feel plenty of attention.

I really like this.

Thats the thing every kid will celebrate with a treat if treats are allowed. Even kids who have a birthday in the summer, on weekends, on school breaks or whatever will still pick a day and bring a treat (which they should if thats the standard). This becomes a problem outside of the food issue because then you are taking 15 - 20 min of class time 28x a year. SO when you combine the allergies/sugar issues with the disruption of class time issue I can totally see why its being discouraged. It is a bummer but I can see both sides.

At my child's school, the treat was always handed out at lunch time in the cafeteria. So, no class time lost and any mess was cleaned up along with the usual lunch time clean up.

I'm figuring OP and all the posters so far have elementary aged kids. My kid's in middle school this year and birthday treats are not allowed (and nothing else either, I assume). So, folks, this'll be a moot point pretty soon. Hooray!

To the OP: Stick to your guns. Your child will not be deprived if there is no class-wide treat. Sure, some child might expect it from your kid and ask why his or her mom didn't send in cupcakes. If more parents just said no to sending in treats, kids wouldn't learn to expect it whenever another kid has a birthday looming. I like the idea of sending in fun pencils for everyone--useful, and lasts a lot longer, and the kids can remember the birthday child when they use the pencil.

To the person who posted that schools are "sucking all the fun" out of childhood with no-treat policies, please! There are plenty of other ways to have fun that don't involve being one of 20 to 30 excess sugar snacks each school year. Take the time and energy you'd use to make (or even buy) cupcakes and make your kid a great birthday cake instead, and have it with your family.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so happy our school switched to no treats on birthdays. I grew up in this area, and sending in treats was not a thing in the FCPS elementary schools I attended, so I was surprised when I saw the practice for my kids' classmates.

What school did you attend? That is very, very odd as birthday treats at school are a tradition everywhere.

PP here. I went to Terraset and Sunrise Valley in Reston. No treats on birthdays in school (this was in the 1980s). I don't think there was any policy against it... it just wasn't a "thing." Birthday celebrations occurred outside the school.

I admit it could just be the schools I attended. So other posters, did you attend school in FCPS in the '80s, and were there birthday treats brought in by parents?

Our school banned the birthday treats this year. I'm disappointed. And we would always take any allergies into account when I would bring in treats.

DC's school doesn't allow for any treats or goody bags for kids' birthdays. Parent is welcome to come in and have lunch with their child, or in the lower grades read a book to the class, but no food or trinkets allowed.

They all sing to the birthday child and they get a special hat to wear that day so the kids feel plenty of attention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school says to bring in treats during lunch time in the cafeteria.

Bdays are announced each morning during announcements so if your kid's school does that too it might be a bigger deal than you think.

Why wouldn't you bring treats? You can be treat-free the other 364 days of the year. It's ok to indulge on a birthday, I promise.

No, your kid will celebrate at least 20 birthdays during the year in the classroom.

Thats the thing every kid will celebrate with a treat if treats are allowed. Even kids who have a birthday in the summer, on weekends, on school breaks or whatever will still pick a day and bring a treat (which they should if thats the standard). This becomes a problem outside of the food issue because then you are taking 15 - 20 min of class time 28x a year. SO when you combine the allergies/sugar issues with the disruption of class time issue I can totally see why its being discouraged. It is a bummer but I can see both sides.

Also our school loves celebration parties, for holidays, for festivals, etc. It really gets to be too much, IMO.

I ask DC. Some years they want a treat and we send in a snack. Some years they don't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school says to bring in treats during lunch time in the cafeteria.

Bdays are announced each morning during announcements so if your kid's school does that too it might be a bigger deal than you think.

Why wouldn't you bring treats? You can be treat-free the other 364 days of the year. It's ok to indulge on a birthday, I promise.

No, your kid will celebrate at least 20 birthdays during the year in the classroom.

Thats the thing every kid will celebrate with a treat if treats are allowed. Even kids who have a birthday in the summer, on weekends, on school breaks or whatever will still pick a day and bring a treat (which they should if thats the standard). This becomes a problem outside of the food issue because then you are taking 15 - 20 min of class time 28x a year. SO when you combine the allergies/sugar issues with the disruption of class time issue I can totally see why its being discouraged. It is a bummer but I can see both sides.

Anonymous wrote:Our school just switched to no treats. IT's a bummer the kids can't just have a little something to mark their birthday with their school friends, especially when they are older elementary and either stop having parties or have just a couple friends.

I swear the school is sucking the joy out of childhood (it's not just this rule).

Maybe send in pencils and erasers to be distributed? It can be used at school by the kids, and it is school supplies.

Anonymous wrote:Our school says to bring in treats during lunch time in the cafeteria.

Bdays are announced each morning during announcements so if your kid's school does that too it might be a bigger deal than you think.

Why wouldn't you bring treats? You can be treat-free the other 364 days of the year. It's ok to indulge on a birthday, I promise.

No, your kid will celebrate at least 20 birthdays during the year in the classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not allowed by our school, thankfully. Don't need my kids getting sugar loaded junk for every one of the 20+ birthdays. What about kids with allergies?

We don't want the other kids to miss out on fun traditions over our allergies. We are happy to send in our own treats so the birthday kid can enjoy his/her day. Just please try to remember to give the teacher a heads up a day or so in advance so that we can send in an alternative treat.

PS, the diabetic kids parents feel the same way. They just need the carb counts so they can adjust their meds before lunch.

Anonymous wrote:I am so happy our school switched to no treats on birthdays. I grew up in this area, and sending in treats was not a thing in the FCPS elementary schools I attended, so I was surprised when I saw the practice for my kids' classmates.

What school did you attend? That is very, very odd as birthday treats at school are a tradition everywhere.

I am so happy our school switched to no treats on birthdays. I grew up in this area, and sending in treats was not a thing in the FCPS elementary schools I attended, so I was surprised when I saw the practice for my kids' classmates.

Our school just switched to no treats. IT's a bummer the kids can't just have a little something to mark their birthday with their school friends, especially when they are older elementary and either stop having parties or have just a couple friends.

I swear the school is sucking the joy out of childhood (it's not just this rule).