Dating: When do you give gifts?

My friend Paul is apprehensive about giving women gifts. He has only been seeing someone a few months. She has a birthday coming up but he believes giving gifts too early is a mistake. In the past, giving gifts backfired on him. He thinks that it conveys a message that you’re trying to buy affection.

I have noticed that men don’t pursue women through gifts and it is probably best when you are unsure where you stand. If you know the feelings are mutual, I think it is sweet to buy gifts for one another.

How do you know when you have reached the gift buying stage in dating? When you are just starting to date, what is the difference between buying someone dinner and buying them a gift?