What do you put in a party bag?

[IDontDrinkTea]

My daughter turns three soon, and has been asking for a birthday party for months after going to a few friends parties. Because of covid, this will be her first party she’s had herself.

My question is, what do you put in party bags these days? I normally try and be quite conscientious in terms of not buying single use plastic, but all the stuff I remember getting in party bags from when I was a child was plastic tat. There’s also the cost issue, there’s about 16 children coming and I don’t want to spend a fortune.

Please can you tell me what you’ve put in party bags please, preferably not costing the Earth and even better, not full of plastic that’ll be binned as soon as the children get home

You can buy Pre filled ones on ebay for £2 and they are great.

We get them every year, in different themes.

Has bag which is actually a paper box, in theme of choice, with bubbles, stickers, colouring book, crayons, mini toy

For that age I would put in crayons stickers
Sweets maybe some hand bands or something

The problem is that the plastic stuff is cheap.

Successes I’ve had in the party bag arena are those snakes that move about and frogs. Both plastic.

www.bakerross.co.uk/jointed-wiggly-snakes?gclid=CjwKCAiAx8KQBhAGEiwAD3EiP7lO1J2Et0RgUdb4_eItGfZcdiT3CgSXQLaoHmriMtM6G24NEYwjVxoClEUQAvD_BwE

www.amazon.co.uk/Unique-Party-84785-Plastic-Fillers/dp/B00R4XSON6/ref=asc_df_B00R4XSON6/?hvlocphy=1006965&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=309920231706&hvpone&hvlocint&th=1&hvpos&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-682750863516&hvrand=13867217292280693383

Non plastic ideas
A small book
A small cuddly
A wooden toy Eg yo-yo
Just sweets

DDs favourite party bag ever had: hair bobbles, jelly beans, bubbles, tattoos, polystyrene flying dinosaur and a piece of cake.

Most party bags we get these days are just sweet cones, cheap, simple and popular.

Unfortunately it's the plastic tat that they love! There are more eco options around, rather than lots of little things, one or two slightly bigger items that have more use/life could be good. There are lots of little wooden bracelets, toys and things online. Try Baker Ross or similar for ideas.

Bouncy ball
Sweets
Mini pad and pen
Bubbles
Mini book
Stickers
Key ring
Bracelet
Make your own bracelet kit (£1 shop)
Bath bomb

Always put in lots of sweets, a bit of cake, stationery. Might have bubbles, bouncy balls, cheap fidget toys, fake tattoos, bath bombs, bracelets.

I did 10 books for £10 from The Works one year and wrapped them up, they each got one of those and a small packet of chocolate buttons. I’d feel judged for giving lots of plastic toys or chewy sweets but I bet the kids would love it!

A multipack of books split up, pack of sweets, some bubbles and a whoopee cushion. And some cake.

Story or colouring book

These eco party bags look really nice and are free of plastic tat.

I’ve never bought plastic tat for party bags. When ds was 5 I did a bag with a wooden vehicle from Wilko, a yoyo bear and a piece of cake. Other birthdays I’ve given things like a notepad and pencil, a bath bomb, some sheets of origami paper and some instructions… As they got older I started to get the odd complaint from kids expecting sweets but no one ever complained about the lack of plastic tat. If they did I would lecture them about single use plastics 🙂

Piece of party cake. Thank you note for coming to my party. You honestly don't need anything else.

Little set of crayons and colouring sheet/small booklet. Bouncy ball. If you must.

When DS was older and his parties were themed, then we put themed items in which were received well, eg pouches of NASA space ice-cream (foul but the children loved it), or a little fossil. If you fill a bag with tat, it's binned by the end of the day.

DS2 just turned 4. His party was dinosaur themed so I put a Lanka Kade wooden dinosaur and a dinosaur themed notebook and pencil in each bag. Cost about £3 per bag but there were only 6 children. When DS1 had a whole class party at that age I did the 10 books for £10.

Slightly random one but juggling silks are lots of fun. Three per bag you can buy a large pack on amazon.

It's all books with my kids. Both what I give, and what they get back when they attend parties. Nobody round us actually gives party bags. Plus a little bag of haribo and cake, normally.

One time my daughter was given a mug with a sachet of hot chocolate and some marshmallows in it, which I thought was clever.

Another time my son got given an inflatable light sabre.

Party bags can be quite expensive and obviously it is just tat they'll throw away. Mug, or light sabre, or a book (from a pack) are much cheaper. Couple of quid, maybe.

Books from the works costs about £1 per child and a little bag of Haribo.

A packet of seeds is a lovely idea

You don't have to do a party bag or anything like that. If you want to give something I'd go for a book. If you absolutely must have party bags then cake, sweets, tattoos or stickers and maybe some hair bobbles or something they can use.

I wouldn't do the plastic tat.

Just sweets.

Since covid, it has just been sweet cones at the parties I’ve been at.

I’ve done lovingly created party bags with little things from flying tiger in, and then I got wise and got a multipack of books and split them up with a packet of sweets.

Please. Don't put bouncy balls in the bags! We have so many from party bags that are never used and/or roll under furniture, never to be seen again!

Never ever ever put whistles! When DS was 8 I included and gave bags out just before parents arrived. Omg the noise of 15 whistles being blown by excited kids simultaneously in an enclosed space!

The supermarket sell multipacks of little things to put in them eg note pads, bubbles, pencils etc - in the party section where they sell the party bags. Paper bags are a good alternative to plastic if you can find the white ones sold to put sandwiches in they are perfect.

Alternatively go to a cheap book shop and buy a 99p book each plus some haribo