4yo Party Bags

[CorpusCallosum]

I have lost my actual mind trying to sort party bags for a 4yo. What do you do that doesn't end up costing a fortune or filling people's lives with tat or sugar?

I'm a proper adult woman, this shouldn't be so hard 🫣

We did pirate-themed scratch art and stickers, plus a small net of chocolate coins (pirate-themed party!) and a slice of birthday cake

Curious caterpillar has a unisex filled bag option for £2 a head, I think that's the winner today. Thank you @Rosesandteacups

I'm looking again and thinking of giving away a bubble pack as a balloon weight. Would you just think this was a bit shit even if the kids liked it?

I mean they're 4, who won't want a balloon and bubbles right? They'll have forgotten about it all by the next day anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️

Books, the works do 10 for £10, wrap them up pop on a stick saying thanks for coming to my party. No plastic tat, no sugar and parents are happy

Don't bother with any of the tat of party bags.

This year I've brought bubble swords. The £1 wands. Bill buy from entertainer. Worked out at 0.75p each

Sainsburys were doing mini pots of playdoh I think it was 12 in a pack (i got two packs for 15 quid) and they had shape cutters so put in two pots plus a cutter. Then a mini fidget/popper toy, some stickers and a tube of Smarties.

Things DD has come home with recently and remembered: tattoos (split a multipack), glow stars (ditto), one of those rainbow crayons with the colours you take out and put back in, packet of seeds, chocolate coin. Somehow the single chocolate coin was judged more impressive than multiple sweeties!

The bubbles, stickers, yo-yos, etc were quickly discarded and forgotten about.

Oh I wouldn’t get that number of things at £1 - no way! One or two at the most, and then some choc buttons and a lolly, and, say, a 50p bubble pack, a pencil/eraser from a multipack or similar! A balloon on a string (use the balloons as decoration and then give them all away to the children as they leave).

For the actual party bags, eBay always have bundles of cheap paper bags.

I’ve honestly never done party bags for more than £10-20 for about ten kids, or £20-30 for 20. One or two at the most nice non-tat things, padded out with some eatables and balloons/bubbles is always better than loads.

One year for a party for all girls I got a bulk buy of flower hair bands from eBay and just stuck them with a cupcake; another we did bubble wands for £1 each from Tiger plus a balloon as pp mentioned.

Really, don’t give too much - one or two things is much nicer than loads.

I put in a bag of chocolate buttons, a crappy plastic toy from B&M, and a ball of homemade playdough sprayed with edible glitter. And a piece of cake. Filled it up nicely

I’m currently sorting out party bags 6 year olds. They are getting- a slice of cake, a mini sweet cone (I’m doing these myself- much much cheaper), a fidget popper keyring (bulk from Amazon), a mini lollipop, a mini notebook (bulk from Partyrama), an emoji eraser (bulk Amazon) and a pencil where the lead is stacked (bulk eBay). 36 party bags, costing no more than £40. Not in to masses of plastic tat and not going more boy/girl options.

The other thing of course is that the costs of little bits of toys are going up. What you could get in Tiger for 50p or £1 three or five years ago is much less than today. But I think just doing fewer but nicer little things is the way forward.

For example - I’m currently doing party bags for my DD’s 10th birthday for ten girls. I’ve got ten eraser sets from Rex London for £1 each, plus ten hair clips for 50p each, and these will each go with a mini pack of sweets (20p) and a slice of birthday cake. The bags — I bought a job lot of 50 paper bags from eBay a few years ago and I have enough left, but they worked out at pennies each. And for a previous party I bought a bunch of glitter pencils which ended up at 10p each, and I have some left. So the whole party bag will be about £2 per child but none of it is tat.

For age 4 I would just get some paper bags from eBay, a box of chalks each @£1 from RL, a mini pack of choc buttons or sweets from a multipack, and a 50p tube of bubbles. And a balloon on a string. Again about £2 each. That would be more than enough!

Cheaper? A blown up punch balloon each (cheap from eBay) and a cupcake in a bag/box. You can get a larger toy like a big bubble wand, cheap football or ball each, or a soft toy, and just some cake. They often like one bigger thing rather than a party bag full of plastic things! They will get plenty of different party bags over the years so you don’t have to be like everyone else.

We’ve been to a few parties without them, which is great. So much plastic that that is in landfill within weeks, usually within days.

I bought books instead of party bags, 79p from home bargains

Things I don't like In party bags

Bubbles in winter- just make my carpet funny. Think these are great for summer birthdays where they can be used outside.

Bouncy balls- I have a 2 year old who still try's to put things in his mouth so I don't like them and put them in the bin before my daughter sees them

Lollipops- too dangerous - also go in the bin.

Dog hates balloons as well 😂