opening gifts?

Will your LO be opening gifts at their party? We are having a party next Saturday and expect about 15 people. I don't know if we should open gifts. I feel like Andrew will get bored and I just want him to have fun and not be forced to do anything.

we didn't open presents with others around. DD2 didn't open any although she did play with some boxes. DD1 opened them.

We also didn't open DD1s presents at her party this year.

Same as pp. I didnt even bother wrapping our gifts to the Babes. And everyone that brought a gift, put it in a bag so they could just reach in. He'll be so distracted by everyone and everything going on you won't be able to get him to focus enough to open gifts.

Happy Birthday!

We always try, but if the baby gets too irritated or distracted we pass them out to the other children to open for her and we always try and include guest kids, too.

My 3 year old's party this year (Jan), he zoned out about half way into opening gifts and walked off. He's Autistic and most everyone knows that. So we let the youngest kid open a present for him and then went up by age until they were all opened. We even let the kids play with them in front of him so he understood how to play with them. As long as the kids who open them understand they are for the birthday child, it works out great.

Have fun!

We didn't have much of an itinerary for DD1's 1st bday. I think we set a present in front of her and helped her open it (she would very carefully tear off one little piece at a time and hand it to me) but she didn't open all of them.

DD2's party was a combo party with DD1's 5th bday, and the focus was more on big sister. DD2 opened one, maybe, but big sister and friends helped open the others.

Happy birthday to Andrew!

We has Selah open family presents in the morning before her nap and party. She actually got into ripping the paper off and taking the tissue paper out of the gift bags. And then we had her open gifts during her party, but there were only like four gifts (mostly books), so it went quickly. She did fine. I think it's mostly up to the temperament of the kid. If I go to a party, I really enjoy watching the birthday child open the gift we brought... maybe because that is the only way I know for they got the gift. So, I feel it is courtesy to do the same for others, but I like the idea that other kids there can open the gifts for the baby/child too. :)

We just had a family party, basically, and we did open presents. Cassandra didnt open them excpet for pulling paper on the first one - we opened them for her.

I guess this is horrible, but I go by: if you open in front of people and thank them right then, then you dont have to write a thank you note (at least if it's family), but if you wait til later, a thank-you note is required. Personally, I barely have time to breathe, and I was NOT interested in writing thank you notes (is there a paperbag smiley?).

We tried presents at Brayden's 2nd party (with friends) and that didnt go so well, so we didnt open presents at 3 or 4 either. I think we probably will when he turns 5. I think kids will mostly be old enough by then.

Star

I have never been to a party where the birthday kid didn't open their presents. I do feel like when people come to the party, they want to see them open the gifts they brought and see what all else they got. I know I like to see what the kids get. I also feel like kids need to learn that they each get their own party, so not opening gifts just to not have problems with the other kids, doesn't really help them learn that each kid gets their own special day with their own special party.

Shaylynn helped open her gifts, I helped her get the paper started and she tugged on it, and she liked to see what was in the sacks. I helped a lot, but everyone enjoyed seeing what gifts she got. And then we did cake after because I knew after cake she would need a bath so we did that last.