Thoughtful gesture

Innovative return gift ideas for children's parties

Jyotika Parmar, a young mother and resident of Dubai has come up with an innovative idea of making useful return gift packets for children attending birthday parties.

Demanding, as it may seem, planning a birthday party for tiny tots with young kids as guests is a pleasant experience for parents. It is also exhausting, especially for young mothers, to look into ways to entertain and make their little guests happy.

Jyotika's ideas ease the pressure on parents who have to look for return gifts amid other preparations for the celebration. She started working on this concept after going through an ordeal at her daughter's birthday bash.

"Every mother feels her child's birthday party should be an exceptional one. Besides all the fun and games, a good set of return gifts leaves a nice impression on the child. Children are sensitive; they don't like to get things that are of no use to them. It is the responsibility of the elders to ensure that the gift is a memorable one.

"If not memorable, at least, give them something good. Don't just give anything that comes first to mind. Give them something small but something they will like," she adds. She hopes to help parents get more value for money as well as provide better gifts for kids.

For her return gifts, Jyotika normally packs branded items and kids' accessories suitable for different age groups. She also accepts orders at her shop Kidstop on Level 2 at Lamcy Plaza.

Jyotika feels most malls conducting birthday parties in their play area often give away things as return gifts that are of no use to most children. Since they are usually included in the overall package, parents have no option but to accept them.

These items end up lying in some corner of the homes. She also plans to approach play areas of malls with the idea of supplying useful packages at reasonable prices.