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Original poster

What do you like in a party bag?

116 replies

TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 10:07

I'm doing a birthday party for DS for the first time this year and I wondered what to put into party bags. When we go to parties, we end up with a bag of things DS often doesn't use or play with and it inevitably ends up in the bin or plastic toys out into his toy box never to be seen again, or little colouring boxes and crayons again which rarely get used as lovely as they are.

I went to a party last year and they just gave a sweet cone and a plant pot with some seeds for children to grow a flower themselves which I thought was fab.

I'm thinking of doing a paper bag of pick and mix sweeties with a cupcake, but wondered if that's a bit naff and if I should add something else?

What do you like to see in party bags and what gets used/appreciated by your DCs?

OP posts:
Original poster
TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 10:54

WhereAreTheChocButtons · 12/03/2023 10:42

Ive done sweetcones for years.
I always make 10 extra for siblings.
And if they dont show up or whatever then we bring home and we can eat them its no problem
Also cheap to do.
I done some in January. 50 cones, costco for the sweets, spent £23 plus £3 ebay for 'thank you for coming to my party stickers'
So approx the 50p each

Plus a slice of cake

That's a bargain! I think I might get some paper sweetie bags so we can do it pick and mix style rather than cones but I think it'll work out the same kind of price. I'll get myself to Costco.

OP posts:
Original poster
TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 10:55

bussteward · 12/03/2023 10:43

Cake in a napkin because it’s traditional, and it always gets eaten in our house – the napkin has to be prised off DD who will try to suck off the very last crumb of icing. Notepad and pencil has gone down well with 3/4 year olds who all like to “write”. Little wooden make-your-own keychain, or seeds, or similar activity-based thing that kills some rainy day time and only contributes 1 piece of tat to a household. I prefer one good thing to a bag full of crap, however tempting the “cat unicorn doughnut pencil eraser” I’ve just seen on a party bag filler site is…

I laughed out loud at DD with the napkin! 😂😂

OP posts:
Original poster
TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 10:56

IWD23 · 12/03/2023 10:46

Depends on age. Young enough for picture books, then 10 for £10 from the works shop, then a small bag of haribo. We did little thank you stickers and put them inside the front cover. Dear X, thanks for coming to my party. Hope you had fun! From, Y.

Also, if you're looking for activities for the party, don't decorate your cupcakes, just add some icing to the top and put out plates of sprinkles, sweeties etc and the kids can do their own for an activity.

The cake idea is brilliant!

OP posts:
MrsSkylerWhite · 12/03/2023 10:56

Cake, some colouring pencils, a reusable straw.

Original poster
TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 10:56

IHateLegDay · 12/03/2023 10:49

For DD's 5th birthday, she had a superhero party. Each bag had a foam superhero mask, a superhero puzzle book, small pack of crayons, superhero temporary tattoos, stickers, snap bands and a small pack of haribo and a Freddo. Everything was bought in bulk on Amazon and I got loads of people saying how much the kids loved the bags xx

Oh I love the idea of a foam superhero mask! My DS has asked for a superhero birthday cake so that sounds perfect. I'm off to hunt on Amazon now!

OP posts:
gogohmm · 12/03/2023 10:57

Book, sweets, crayons, colouring book (used to keep them in my bag to amuse dc in restaurants and traveling), bubble mixture, little book of pop up dolls was best ever, dd was still playing with them years later

ChicoryDip · 12/03/2023 11:26

superhero mask, a superhero puzzle book, small pack of crayons, superhero temporary tattoos, stickers, snap bands

I think this is the problem - along with key rings, kaleidoscopes, mini notebooks etc. They get looked at for a few minutes in the car on the way home and in our house they then get forgotten, put in a kitchen junk drawer and eventually get thrown out.

Don't get me wrong, I did it for DC when I thought it was the done thing - looking back I wish I'd stuck to sweets and cake rather than contributing to the endless pile of plastic.

Retrievemysanity · 12/03/2023 11:28

Hate party bags! For DD1 her birthday usually falls before Easter so I gave out Easter eggs. For DD2 she’s a November birthday so I give out advent calendars. Everyone seemed happy with that.

LittleMy77 · 12/03/2023 11:29

Top tip ( if you can be arsed to keep them and you do Halloween) I keep the plastic tat and offer it to trick or treaters as an alternative to sweets

Jules912 · 12/03/2023 11:31

I like sweets as they get eaten and then they're gone, but DC seem to like the plastic tat. Last party of DD's I got a huge bag of sweets ( think love hearts, lollies, Parma violets etc) and some haribo and stuck a few in each bag. We're still on whole class parties so there weren't many left over, but those there were got used at Halloween.

Original poster
TokenGinger · 12/03/2023 11:33

Easter eggs and advent calendars are amazing ideas!

Love the idea of keeping all of the plastic tat for Halloween too!

Thank you all for so many amazing ideas. So I think I am going to go for, a paper party bag, with a foam superhero mask, a cupcake and either a pick and mix stand so they can make their own, or a small bag of haribo to save the hassle.

I just saw a big bag of bouncy balls which DS would be thrilled with receiving at a party but not sure if it's in the same category of plastic tat for more other families so I might leave that and just stick to a basic bag.

OP posts:
reluctantbrit · 12/03/2023 11:55

Read or eat in my view. Everything else ended up in the bin very fast.

We did books, wrapped in tissue paper and put small haribo bags on them.

Drink tumblers with packed sweets, not loose ones. The three tumblers DD got from parties were in use for years.

Proper set of crayons, not the tiny ones.

Needmorelego · 12/03/2023 12:20

I always say this on every party bag thread....
Tube of Smarties
Piece of cake
Hot Wheels Car

Over the years there has been a random party bag toy that was much loved and kept for ages before finally meeting it's end (RIP Mr Squishy 😕). At least with a Hot Wheels car it can be sold at a car boot sale in 10 years time.

LuckyThatMyBreastsAreSmallAndHumble · 12/03/2023 12:41

Riverlee · 12/03/2023 10:15

I used to put a book and sweets (and birthday cake) in the party bag. Unfortunately Book People doesn’t exist anymore, but you used to get ten books for £10. (There may be other companies doing this today).

This

skyeisthelimit · 12/03/2023 12:53

DD's birthday can be near Easter, so one year I just gave them all a £1 Easter Egg, another year they had a book and some Haribo mini bags.

The following year I did nothing, no party bag at all, and several mums thanked me and then did the same.

If you have a pick n mix stand, then make sure you police it, as one party I was at did similar and the first few kids cleared the lot. The following year the mum put out ready made paper bags full of sweets.

camperjam · 12/03/2023 12:58

I hate the sweet cones.
Winners for me are things like stickers, Bath bombs, lip balms, keyring, erasers, pens and a small pack of haribo

reluctantbrit · 12/03/2023 15:46

camperjam · 12/03/2023 12:58

I hate the sweet cones.
Winners for me are things like stickers, Bath bombs, lip balms, keyring, erasers, pens and a small pack of haribo

I said the same years ago. Then we cleared out DD's room and came across a whole breeding factory (it looked like it) of novelty pens and erasers from party bags or school disco/fair wins.

drpet49 · 12/03/2023 15:46

Hopingforno2in2023 · 12/03/2023 10:12

Edible stuff, anything else goes in the bin eventually. When toddler age books were good too.

Yes this. Chocolate is better than sweets.

escapingthecity · 12/03/2023 15:54

Not too many sweets, if any. I dread a party bag full of sweets as we try not to let DC have too much sugar. Bubbles and little play dough pots have gone down well with us.

NameChange30 · 12/03/2023 15:59

MisgenderedSwan · 12/03/2023 10:12

One year I got a load of reusable colour change cups with lids and straws from amazon, think it was about £15 for 10. Then I asked a local lady who had a cricut to do the first initial of all the party guests which I then stuck to the cups. I gave them to the guests at the start of the party so everyone had their own cup, no sharing drinks, lids meant fewer spills and then at the end they took them away with a slice of cake wrapped in a napkin. Everyone was happy and lots of them have told me they still use the cups!

Genius!

BettyOBarley · 12/03/2023 16:00

My kids are honestly happy as Larry with a piece of cake and a sweet cone!

We've had the seeds before, parents love them but kids are not interested!

Plastic tat never gets looked at again, except slap bands. My kids seem to like those and punch balloons.

Definitely no whistles or those horrible sticky creatures that leave greasy marks after being flung at the wall or ceiling! 🤣

soundsystem · 12/03/2023 16:01

Sweets! Mine are mostly interested in the sweets. Ooh or one party they got a path bomb which was very well received!

BettyOBarley · 12/03/2023 16:02

I did read a good tip online saying collect all the plastic party bag tat into a box and bring it out on a rainy day - it does keep them amused for a while!

Polarbearyfairy · 12/03/2023 16:03

Books for smaller kids (card factory or £1 shops will have them cheap) and sweet cones for older kids.

Unfortunately they do really love a bag of plastic shite that never gets touched tho!

Mamapearce420 · 12/03/2023 16:04

My little boys is next month and we have got mini playdoh pots bubbles,dinosaur stamps,kinder bar,mini haribo,stickers,mini colouring book and pencils ,a pop it bracelet and a mini stretchy man. His friends are 2-4