If you've got kids you know how expensive birthdays parties can be, especially when they hit school going age. You could easily spend a tenner every few weeks on birthday presents for other children and in some cases, more with multiple children.

As a mum of four, I struggle to keep up with the invites at certain times of the year and on a couple of occasions, I've been financially stressed trying to keep up with the demand. Just last summer, we had five birthday parties between two of my children's friends in just one week.

That's why I am loving this new trend. Fiver parties are changing everything and it's making parents like myself feel less stressed about giving. 

Parents are now asking for children to bring along a fiver when attending their friends' birthday parties rather than fork out on expensive gifts. Some may think it is cheeky to ask for money but there are so many things to love about it and here's why.

Not only does it make things more inclusive, by asking guests to contribute €5 to one big-ticket item the birthday child can get something that the child really want whether it be a dolls house, scooter or maybe even a bike. 

It is a great way of teaching kids to save for something they really want and it can help prevent children receiving cheap plastic toy gifts that they have no interest in because let's face it, they get a couple each year.

Most unwanted gifts end up in the trash within a week or two so it is helping the environment. It also helps prevent unnecessary packaging and wrapping paper from ending up at landfill so its a win-win for everyone.

Of course, some parents might struggle to ask others directly for cash while other parents feel it is not compulsory to bring a gift if a child is invited to a birthday party.

And of course, some may feel it is taking away the magic of birthday parties and the gift of giving because some children really enjoy the magic of choosing the perfect friends for their friend. 

So providing everyone agrees, I think it is a brilliant idea. we have two birthdays coming up in March and I'm going to try it out. We are on a little eco journey of our own trying to eliminate waste so this may just be the perfect way to get the kids involved.

What do you think of the fiver birthday party trend, do you do it? Let us know in the comments. 

Kellie Kearney is a Dublin mammy of kids aged 2, 3, 4 and 8 (and she is expecting baby #5 in May). A self-confessed procrastinator and picker-upper of things, Kellie would never turn down a  coffee or a doughnut and she loves to travel and share every day true to life moments on Instagram of her expanding family. Follow her daily adventures on Instagram.