The 'fiver' and other kids' birthday party trends
There's a good chance your child will be invited to a “fiver” birthday party this year.
Or a 50-50 party. Or a no-gifts party.
All are seemingly growing in popularity. If Facebook groups and mom blogs are to be believed, the days when you simply purchased a gift of the giver's choosing and gave it to the birthday girl or boy are fading fast.
The fiver party, according to Babyology, an Australian parenting website, is "simply a birthday party where all the little guests bring a $5 note to go towards a big ticket present that the parents have bought and which the child really wants."
Lyss Stern, CEO of Divamoms.com, a mom-centered advice site, and a mother of three, told GMA she’s also been to many fiver parties with her sons. “I think it's a great idea," she said. “There are anywhere from 18 to 25 kids in a class, and most people invite the entire class. If everyone chips in $5, it will add up to get one present the birthday child really wants.”
Stern said the idea is "awesome" for the birthday child. "Also the parents of the kids going to the birthday party all feel good about this."
If your child doesn't end up getting invited to a fiver party, they may getting invited to a 50-50 party.
At a 50-50 birthday party the host suggests a cash gift. Half of the money goes to the birthday kid to purchase one larger gift for themselves and the other half goes to a charity of the child's choosing.
This is what dad blogger and radio host Buzz Bishop did for his kids' parties.
"When we send out the invites, we include a note suggesting people just bring a card with cash," Bishop told "Good Morning America." "We explain the 'big' gift our son wants -- usually a video game or LEGO -- and we talk about the charity they want to support."
Other parents take the 50 out of the 50-50 and request no gifts at all.
In lieu of birthday presents for her two children, mom Katrina Hennigan of New York asked guests to donate to their charity of choice.
"We have so many toys, not a large space and a big family that gives us more gifts than we can use," Hennigan told "GMA." "The other thing is, I wanted to focus more on fundraising, donating and giving with the kids. They get a lot of gifts and that's not what we're celebrating."
When Hennigan hosted a birthday party for her then-5-year-old son, guests who made charitable donations informed Hennigan and her family by including the information in birthday cards. If gifts were brought to the party anyway, they were donated to the Ronald McDonald House, she said.
Stern from Divamoms.com said donating gifts to a charitable organization is a trend she's seeing too and one she plans to adopt.
"My five-year-old daughter was invited to one of her closest friend’s birthday parties recently. The mom sent out an email asking for a new book from each child in lieu of gifts this birthday. Her daughter is going to take the books, wrap them and drop them off to a children’s charity. I would love to do something similar for my daughter next year."
(Editor's note: This story was originally published on February 27, 2019.)
