Birthday gifts for new boyfriends

When you’ve been dating for a very short time, you can’t (and shouldn’t want to) go buying him the expensive watch that he’s had his eye’s on. What you should do is get him something small, inexpensive, and thoughtful. 

Find out his favourite childhood sweet or chocolate bar (“candy” for our American readers), and give him a blast of nostalgia. A friend of mine was given a giant tub of jelly cherries in the early days of his relationship – it turned into a tradition, and now he gets a tub every year!

I know, this sounds like the worst idea you’ve ever heard. But hear me out. When I lived alone, my kitchen cupboards and drawers contained the absolute bare essentials. It’s not that I didn’t want a spatula. It’s not that I wasn’t aware how much easier a spatula would make my life. But not once did I ever think – “I’ll go buy a spatula this weekend”. If he’s the same, and you’ve been drinking your morning tea from a tumbler when you stay over, a little kitchen item could make for a funny and useful early relationship gift.

Books make great casual gifts. They can be thoughtful and personal without being too sentimental or extravagant. And most importantly, a book doesn’t require a big financial commitment on your part!

If you know a particular book he’s been wanting to read, or if you know what type of book he’s into and can pick something you think he’d enjoy, then look no further – you’ve found the perfect ‘new boyfriend’ birthday gift.

A homemade cake is an excellent gift for a new boyfriend- it’s thoughtful without being too personal. If you’re a skilled baker, great – feel free to show off. But if not, that can be even better. He isn’t going to judge you for presenting him with a poorly decorated monstrosity; he’ll just think it’s sweet (pun intended) that you tried, and you can laugh together at the outcome. So don’t worry about presentation. Have fun with it!

If you think it’s too soon to buy him a physical gift, or if you feel like you don’t know him well enough to choose something he’d like or need, take him out for dinner instead.

While an increasing number of women insist on paying their half for the cost of dates nowadays, in the early stages of dating, we men are still very much accustomed to fronting the bill for dinner/drinks etc. So if you want a non-committal way of saying happy birthday and doing something nice for him without buying a gift, take him out for dinner and pay for it. He’ll appreciate it.

Remember, this doesn’t need to be fancy. If you both like pizza and beer, then take him out for pizza and beer!

Tickets can make an excellent alternative to giving him a physical gift. With tickets you’re essentially just saying that you like hanging out with him, and creating an opportunity for that to happen.

If it’s the early days of a relationship, you probably don’t want to go booking something too far in the future – your retaionship might be over well before that time even comes. However, if there’s an event that you think he would enjoy, which is happening soon, and it’s relatively local, a couple of tickets could make a great birthday gift for a new boyfriend. 

Get online and see what’s happening in your local area. Look for music nights, comedy nights, fun classes, or activities that you can both enjoy.

One of the most budget-friendly gifts you could possibly think of, and a great way to say happy birthday when it’s too soon in the relationship for actual gift buying. Invite him over for dinner/drinks/games – you’re probably going to do this at some point anyway (if you haven’t already), so why not turn it into a way to avoid having to think of a birthday present!

It doesn’t even need to be just you cooking for him: do something you can make together and have fun with, like homemade pizzas, and have some drinks while you cook them (if drinks are your thing). Afterwards, play some board games, or watch some Netflix and erm … chill.

You’ll find some great “fakeaway” recipe ideas at MOB Kitchen.