I don't want to do party bags

OP just to add to your load, the primary kids here all take sweets and or cake for their classmates to take home after school!!!

No. It's just good manners to give a token of some sort.

I didn't do party bags for either of my two children.
Some of their friends parents didn't either.
It's absolute rubbish to say you have to, or your child will be ostracized if you don't.
Interestingly after the first party when I told the expectant little darlings standing at the door that they could take a balloon but there was nothing else...quite a few parents were pleased and followed suit.
It's not compulsory...

If you type in ‘party bag fillers’ on Amazon you get a load of tat for about £12. Add some party bags and a few sweets and you can bring the whole lot in for under £20.

But why?? I mean in every other country you sit down and actually eat the cake together. Instead of these paper napkins thing. Like why isn't sharing the cake together a thing? It's so natural to blow out the candles, cut up cake and eat it. I just can not get this. Us it because you don't want to use plates/spoons ? Ikea sells plastic reusable ones.

I'll come to your party 😁

I never add cake to the party bag as it gets eaten, but if there’s leftover then wrap it up and add it.

Top tip: I assume you’ll be new to an area, a great way to make new friends is get a few bottles of wine in for the parents who are forced to stay (I assume you have a young child?)

Some kids actually ask for them. My nephew is 11 and still does! if your partner is so into it then he should take the onus to do them. We done them in various forms over the years but we tend to have family parties rather we than with school friends.

You don't have to do them, don't give in to peer pressure or pester power.

If you don't do them, make sure the parents know. Say you are concerned about plastic tat, or supporting particular places because of the way they apparently treat their staff. Or make a charity donation instead and so children even at that age can become aware of those who are much less fortunate than themselves.

As a fellow expat in the UK, I have read that too (on Mumsnet), but so far every single party we've been too the cake was eaten at the party. Kids are 2 and 4.
Maybe it's regional, but I was relieved! Not sure what I'm supposed to do with 1 slice of cake in a paper napkin after the party...

You also do have to provide a lot of "party food" though, which I don't really get. Cold Pizza, soggy sandwiches and cucumber sticks at 3pm isn't my idea of kids fun, but hey...

I stopped doing party bags as I hated all the tat
What I did do was put a piece of birthday cake in a bag for each child to take home.

Buy cheap cotton bags and felt tip pens and let them make their own party bags. Keeps ‘em quiet and still for a few minutes.

Do activities where they make something to take home in said party bag eg bracelets with letter beads so they can do their names, Lego mini figures, scratch art, bloody bastard loom bands.

Theme it if you can, makes it slightly less tedious. I once sent a dozen lads at a football party home with footballs after I found them on offer at Sports Direct (that was a fun trip back to the car). Do not, however, also include referee whistles like what I did, if you actually like the other parents.

If you do a piñata put the winnings in the party bag. Nowt like watching kids smashing the fuck out of a butterfly or donkey for 12p worth of sweets.

Stockpile all the shite your child brings home from other parties and do a lucky dip. Add some random vegetables for your own amusement.

What a load of insufferable bollocks.
If you were so concerned with landfill I assume you told the guests not to bring any gifts? No, thought not.
Hypocrisy at its finest.

It's a small price to pay to ensure that every kid has fucked off within 5 mins of the stated end time of the party.

This.

Amazon sell kits with the bags and allmyhembits to put in them I think I got a pack of 12 sets for about £17/18 so less than £2 per child
I also always do happy birthday and feed kids the cake there and then as it saves buying puddings/ cakes/‘desert etc and nobody wants a cake with all the icing surgically attached to the napkin which colour has then run into and melted the icing!! I buy a tray of cupcakes -‘stick numbered candle in it, sing happy birthday then dish them out -
another easy hack no chopping up of cake or wrapping it up!

Eek I love party bags! I'm from a country that don't do them but have lived in the uk most of my adult life. They were such a delightful little surprise at the end of a party. 😁 I loved finding out what DC got, and I loved filling them with cool stuff. The kids' faces when they opened them were always priceless. I didn't go all out with plastic stuff but I put fun things in there. The latest ones I did were little fleecy gaming blankets and the kids loved them. 🥹 Very little effort too haha.

Just get husband to organise them.
From my experience all kids attending parties in UK will expect a party bag full of plastic tat and UPF sweeties. Facts.

Ikr! Mad isn't it??

Party bag should be piece of cake, a few sweets and something small even a balloon is enough
don’t overthink it

I really liked doing the party bags, I must be weird 🙈😂

It doesn’t need to cost loads.

Children now in their thirties. Never did party bags, but did play party games and made sure every child won something nice. Party bags going home had cake in them. So even in the 90's, some of us recognised acres of plastic tat were not great.

When my daughter was about 5 she used to try to leave parties early and I eventually realised it was because she couldn't wait for the party bag.

Kids live for this stuff. I also hate them.

If you want to minimise plastic crap there are loads of options. I really like potion kits and they are definitely the best party bags we have ever received (expensive tho). Also if you buy them on sale at Hobbycraft those paint your own moneyboxes / picture frames etc make for a really decent gift and are cheap.

I also collect all the abandoned party bag tat we receive and use it to stuff my kids party bags sometimes. I have 2 primary age kids who go to a lot of parties. At least there's some recycling this way. Kids have no idea.

Yes still party bag!

Body sprays
bath bombs
lip balm
friendship bracelet etc

I’ve done combos of:

Easter eggs
Books
Bath bombs
Pens
Stickers
Bubbles

And then of course the piece of cake. That fills half the bag!

And - yes I remember the red fish!