Need Help with a Thank You card?

Question

My son turned 2 on Sunday & had a party. I'm writing out the Thank You cards and wanted some advice on one.
One of my very good friends came in w/ a gift for my son & we are close enough that I could tell her, "he already has that one".
Well, he went to open it and I realized he does NOT have that one (it's the same brand/very similar) and told her, "wait, he doesn't have this one"... then he opened the next gift and I told her, "this is the one he has". It was a Playskool racetrack like the one he already has, the same one I thought my close friend had gotten for him.
I know I totally messed up and shouldn't have said he already had it, I'm aware of that (now). The child's mom heard me & I was very friendly when I told her "that's okay".
So, now that I messed up, here's my ?...
Do I leave the card as a simple thank you (this is to a child in his daycare class)?
Or, do I go on to say (the truth), mommy took me to exchange it for --- that I wanted, etc

Answer 1

Oh, that is a tricky one. Ordinarily, I would leave well enough alone, but since the mom heard you comment that he had the toy already, I don't see the harm in including a brief note telling her what you exchanged it for, how much he loves it, etc. I would also say something along the lines of "you must really know what he likes, to pick a toy that he already has and loves!"

Happy belated birthday to your son - my daughter was three last Saturday, I hope you've recovered from the party better than we have! :)

Answer 2

I agree with ragmama's suggestion of saying something along the lines of you must have good tasted since he already has one of whatever the gift was. Our son will be 3 next month and usually if he gets doubles it is no big deal, bc he does not go to daycare so all the guests are friends with kids, relatives, hubby's close co-workers, etc. And it is no big deal to ask if they have a gift receipt. This is a tricky situation. I would take mama's suggestion I mentioned above and go with something to the affect of emphasizing how glad you and your son were that her and her child attended the party and the gift was very thoughtful. Maybe also sometime soon, invite her child over for a play date, so your son can show them what he exchanged their gift for. Also, some people think this is presumptuous, but what I do with my sons Bday Party invites is include a small list of what toys he has (usually just newer ones that might catch someones eye at Wal-mart or toystore) but I also put in BIG BOLD letters that a gift is NOT necessary, just come and have fun with us. Good Luck and Happy Birthday to your little one1

Answer 3

I really dont see what the big deal is that she heard you say that? I know I wouldnt take offense to it, I would feel bad for getting the same gift that he already had and would offer up a reciept!! Thats why people get the gift reciepts, because there is no way to know. I wouldnt be scared of what she thinks, she probably isnt insulted at all. BUT now that she knows that he already had that gift, it wouldnt hurt to say thank you for the present, we exchanged it for ____. Because if I were to have gotten you that gift, I would know it wouldnt get used because you already had one and I would be more than happy to know he got to pick somehting out that he really wanted and didnt already have. Good luck!!!

Answer 4

I didn't know it was customary to write thank you cards for a child's birthday party. I went to many parties and never received a thank you card for the gifts I gave. Why make it complicated? Everyone knows that when you go to a birthday party you take gifts. The receiver usually thanks the giver at the party. Why go to all the trouble? They are just kids after all.

Answer 5

Please thank her for attending the party, the generous/thoughtful gift and that's it. You should never get into the taking it back, gift exchange thing, didn't work out explanation. That's more information than anyone needs and it's a sure fire way to offend gift givers. A polite thank you note is all they need. And good for you for sending thank you cards!

Answer 6

I'd say "Thank you for the racetrack. You know exactly what I like." and leave it at that. Unless you are keeping the duplicate gift and then you can add "Since I already had one now I can have twice the fun!"

Answer 7

Do a simple thank-you.

A general rule of thumb is to have one sentence express appreciation for the gift, the second to tell how you will use it, and the third to reiterate your gratitude.

In this case, I'd just eliminate that second sentence and say something like, "Thank you so much for the ----. It was very thoughtful of you and we appreciate it very much."

Answer 8

I've had this problem-send a thank you card but add that(because she knows thar he's already got one), as he likes this toy so much he's going to take it to grandma's/auntie's/ whoever's house so that he has one there to play with too.Works every time!!!

Answer 9

hhhmmm.....this is what i would write
Dear ______,
Thank you so much for the Preschool Racetrack for ____. I am so very sorry that he already has it, it wasn't necessary for me to say that. But it was a very thoughtful gift and we appreciate it all the more. Also, I thank you for coming to his party, he had so much fun, he was grinning from ear to ear. Thanks again for your generosity.
With love,
(you) ____ and ____(your son)

Answer 10

__________[Person's name]________

I wanted to personally thank you (and her child if she has one) for helping celebrate ______'s Birthday; And Especially, for the thoughtful gift you gave to ________.

Fortunately, my son did not inherit my "speak before thinking" gene! And he REALLY loves the Playskool Racetrak!

Hope to see you soon!