How much to spend on a kids' birthday party gift
Kids' party gifts run on a different set of rules to family gifts, and the main one is a low, fairly firm ceiling. The calculator below is already set to a child's party gift, capped at thirty dollars regardless of the other settings.
Recommended range
$20 to $30 is a comfortable range
Kids' party gifts are capped deliberately. Around $20 to $30 for a birthday party gift is well established etiquette in Australia, and going meaningfully over it can create an awkward expectation for other parents at the next party. This is one of the few gifting situations where less genuinely is more.
Ranges are a social norm, not a rule. The right amount is the one that does not strain you.
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Questions
Why is the party gift range capped?
Around twenty to thirty dollars is well established etiquette for a children's party gift in Australia. Going meaningfully over it can create an awkward expectation for other parents at the next party, so the calculator holds the line even if your other settings suggest more.
What if it's a close friend's child, not just an acquaintance?
The cap still applies. Closeness moves you toward the top of the range rather than lifting the cap itself.