Would you/your child be happy with a cupcake but no party bag?

[CookieCrumbles23]

4th birthday party, I was thinking of just giving a Christmas themed cupcake at the end in a little box. I’ve always done party bags and I know the kids look forward to them (although parents do not lol), but I’m trying to make things simpler.

Have you been to a party where this is done? Did it go down well? I’m ordering from a local cake maker and her cupcakes are delicious. My boy will have his own cupcake to blow out a candle and the kids will leave with theirs.

DD is 4, the first few party bags were treated with reverence but now I can see her and her little friends rummage through the bags on the walk home to get the inevitable edible item and shove the rest back in the bag, never to see the light of day again.

I risked the wrath of both small children and harassed parents alike by getting small biscuit kits for her 4th birthday party, with a chocolate lolly for instant gratification, and got a decent amount of positive feedback, so a cupcake/edible consumable sounds a great idea.

i agree with PP’s do not make it Christmas themed for a birthday, we were always at pains to separate my oldest child’s birthday, in December, from Christmas but other people not so much. It was all oh here’s a joint Birthday / Christmas present in Christmas wrapping paper as well. It’s hard enough waiting for your birthday nearly all year ( bitter experience as a child my birthday is end of November) without people airbrushing it out in favour of Christmas. My younger child’s birthday is in the summer and it was planned that way because of Christmas overshadowing my oldest ones birthday. My nephew’s birthday is just after Christmas and he get’s the same lack of thought.

One of my Dcs and their friends spent days before a party recently wondering what would be in the party bag ( lots of attention for birthday child who was giving hints!) Then I think even more time after the party comparing and swapping. It’s like Christmas stockings but with friends: they love them. Can’t say I do … but it depends if you want to know what the mums think or the Dc!

I think it's a geat idea. There is a cupcake vending machine where I live. The are in a cute little box. I think the kids will love it.

Will they be having the cupcake and a slice of birthday cake? Honestly my kids would have been disappointed with no party bag at that age. Doesn't need to be plastic tat, a book, crayons and some haribo.

As a parent avoiding the plastic junk would be amazing (because it instantly becomes previous plastic junk...) but the kids would be a bit disappointed (but in trouble if they showed it)

I also agree that "fancy" cupcakes would be lost on the kids, mine are quite as happy with the little Lidl fairy cakes on the way out of school as they are with fancier ones.

Something less single use plastic like a book, pens, single sheet of stickers, single toy car might balance the desires of both parents and kids...

Please avoid the evil plastic tin whistles. Was very glad when DD dropped one from a party on the way home from school (yep shouldn't have been in school but was in pocket) so I could bin it with a clear conscience (dropped very close to a dog poo making it easy to get agreement).

DD went to a party last year and the party bag was just a plain white paper bag with a beautiful cupcake and a sheet of stickers, DD was made up and I was happy to have no plastic rubbish - thankfully it seems to be the trend to keep it simple

Also op it doesn’t have to be plastic tat.

You can buy multipacks of pencils with fun toppers or mini sticker sheets, mini crayon packs etc.

We often sent them home with a slice of birthday cake in lieu of a party bag - as did the majority of their classmates. Didn’t get any complaints or unhappy children.

We did the white bags which our DC’s decorated with the name of the guest.

We've done sweetie cones several times. Cupcakes can be a bit annoying as they're messy and need to be eaten quickly but sweets last forever and can be carried around easily.

Hate cake to bring home. It just gets squished and crumbs everywhere.
Why not give them a helium ballon instead?

I agree with this. If they're mildly disappointed, so what. They'll soon get over it. It doesn't mean kids don't get what they want 99% of the time, but another kid's birthday party is not all about them.

Kids love a party bag. I love them too, you can fill them with non plastic tat. Getting them out towards the end of the party is a sign that the party is over! Everyone then promptly leaves with distracted kids not wanting to play longer as they're too engrossed with the bag :-)

We always did craft parties. Crown or treasure chest with sticky back jewels. Party bag to decorate with crayons and stickers. Their craft and left over stuff went in the bag with a chocolate lollipop and mini bag of haribo- "prize" from pin the tail on the donkey/nose on the clown, and the disco dancing (knacker 'em out before tea) competition.

3 DC here - youngest is 9. I don't think we ever gave out party bags - maybe once. Though sometimes we handed out a lollipop or packet of crisps as they left. Along with any art/crafts they made at the party.

I don't know if party guests were disappointed or not - my DC never requested that we prepared party bags for their friends, so I assume they were OK with it.

Other parents probably thought I was mean/stingy, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest. The parties cost an absolute fortune already without the extra expense and effort of putting bags of tat together for it to be binned at home.

Thats a lovely idea

At my granddaughters birthday party the children were given a cupcake to take home and instead of a party bag my daughter put together a mixture of sweets in a bag tied with pretty ribbon. That seemed to be well liked.

At my granddaughters birthday party the children were given a cupcake to take home and instead of a party bag my daughter put together a mixture of sweets in a bag tied with pretty ribbon. That seemed to be well liked.

We've often done one gift and a slice of cake in a cake box. Try to find something the kids would like - last year was a Pokemon party and each kid got a bathbomb wrapped like a pokeball, and a slice of cake.

One of my DCs went to a winter party for a DC aged 4 or maybe 5 and got a sachet of hot chocolate mix plus mini marshmallows in the party bag.

Another December party featured a little tree ornament craft session and each kid brought their ornament home - two of mine attended and brought home pipe cleaner snowflakes that were decorated with glitter glue. We made a few more for the tree that year.

I guarantee the 4 year olds won't care how nice the cupcakes are. They love tat though.

Book, colouring book or similar is a great option.

I think a cupcake sounds nice but speaking as someone with a December birthday please please don't do Christmas themed cupcakes, let the day be about your child's birthday.

Personally I do a cupcake and one of those grown your own xmas tree pots they have in Sainsbury at the moment - think they are £2 each

I wouldn't care but I think little kids might be disappointed especially because they often aren't really interested in the cake