to not understand why party bags are the done thing......

[mistletoekisses]

So DS1 turns 3 in just over a month. At his request, we are having his nursery friends invited to this one, having just done close family until now.

Before actually hosting a party, I have always been firmly against the whole party bag concept - when I was a child, you got a piece of cake and a balloon and off you went. Am planning to do the same for DS party.

AIBU? Is the party bag thing so mainstream now that it will look realy odd not to do it?

How can anyone work themselves up enough to hate a party bag!? Anything which involves 'party' and 'bag' is good by me. My friend bought a Charlie and Lola book set and cellotaped a Curly Wurly to it - love that. Cuts down on waste and all the children loved it too.

usual suspect - by bin, I meant ... re-deploy

DH gets the Drumstick. I tut a little.

I hide the Haribo ("Yes, DH, I've binned the sweets you haven't eaten" smug look) then might bring a few out when DH is out on a jolly and I'm losing the plot needing to motivate DS a bit.

Sometimes, I almost forget how hypocritical I am

That ^^would have looked better if my strike outs had worked ...

I am a giver - love giving party bags but I am also brilliant substitute for Santa too.......its kind of my thing, love it!

Mind you if we talk about tat, dd's favourite toy for the last month has been some platic tat bugs that came on the front of a beebies mag

Never put sweets in though as have too many precious mother friends who don't eat choc themselves and wouldn't dream of the pfb doing it! (but macdonalds is fine with some )

But have found mulitpacks brilliant - always go for the bookpeople mulitpack of stuff like noddy and itng and split them between the kinders!

I dislake party bags. All I put in mine is cake, balloon and a sticker. Nobody has complained yet and if they do then it's just rude and ungrateful.

I tend to cop out and have parties at places where party bags are provided. Best one was at a zoo where they all got baseball caps and stationery.

For the only party I've ever done at home I had biscuit decorating - digestives with icing tubes and sprinkles - absolutely revolting but the little ones (3s and 4s) loved it. They took their delicious biscuits home for daddy to eat as well as colouring-in that they'd done and some cake, a packet of sweets and a few balloons.

I always got a party bag when I was little (I'm nearly 40) - I think the reaction against them started when people got silly and gave out Barbie dolls and the like. The fashion for elaborate party bags seems to have died out now.

Little kids love party bags. How cool is that? They love something! Yay!

Agree with Yikesascorpiobaby

Where's the joy?

Thought the whole point of hosting a party was to please your guests

I loved receiving party bags when I was a child, all the dc I know love receiving them now, and that includes the plastic tat and the sweets too so yaboosuckswithharibooknobson

why do all children have to get something at a party? its ONE childs birthday they get the presents. a bit of cake yes but all these prizes and stupid things is nonsense. its the birthday child's day.

the worst thing i ever encountered at a child's party was that the candle on the cake had to be relit for every child there to take turns blowing it out. its my sisters in-laws and its what they always do. my dd will only ever blow out the candle on her cake, or "help" with mine/dhs. that was going to far it thought.

"Where's the joy?"

There always used to be enough joy in going to the party, giving the birthday boy/girl a present, taking part in the games and possibly winning one, the birthday tea, singing happy birthday and going home with a piece of cake and a balloon. Birthday parties these days often seem to be so much more extravagant.

I've said this before and I'll say it again.
All you party bag doubters will eventually give in to the party bag. When your child/children get old enough to understand that theirs is the only party without them you will bow down to pester power.

Ultimately it's of benefit to your kids. You don't want them to be made to feel different or for other kids to complain there was no party bag to them in the school yard really?

for all you party bag scroogies take a look at some of these sites that I use, they do adorable party bag/stocking filler stuff - no plastic tat,just eco friendly good quality toys, little gifts, hair bobbles and yummy sweets too!

http:jellyandblancmange.co.uk
http:happygreenearth.co.uk
http:littlecherry.co.uk

oops let's try again!

www.jellyandblancmange.co.uk
www.happygreenearth.co.uk
www.littlecherry.co.uk

Really octopus? I had no idea about helium being so precious. Where do we get it from?

Btw, helium balloons are also bad news if you let them go. They fly high over land but come down over the oceans, where turtles mistake them for jellyfish, eat them and die. Balloon releases are a terrible idea.

flyingboat loved your links- am so so very annoyed as have just bought all the stuff for ds's bags, argh!
Another tip- something else I have just discovered too late today- the Book People have a Horrid Henry party pack with party bags and gifts for ten guests including books, for fifteen pounds! That's £1.50 a bag- excellent!!!
However, I suspect if you don't like party bags, you are not going to think a lot of Horrid Henry either

just don't try and be poncey and eco friendly like I did one year and tie up the party bag gifts in squares of fabric and ribbon that I had in my sewing basket. Can you imagine the chaos as children try to examine the contents. What on earth possessed me?

surely helium comes from the atmosphere and when the balloons go pop it just goes back to where it belongs? (or am I being thick?)

really octopus? thats a cool thing to know :)
so is there a shortage of it?

found cool link thanks Octopus :)

Party bags have been mainstream since the 1970s!!!!

What's the big deal.

I got everything from a pound shop or similar and paid about £2 per bag full of tat that the dc love for 2 seconds.

so, looking at that, it is perhaps silly to squander it.

We always got party bags when I was little - and I am 34 so it's hardly a newfangled thing

Last year I got lots of crafty bits and let the kids make their own take-home souvenis. Plus a piece of cake, of course. That worked for 5/6yos. Not sure about 3yos.

I dislike party bags. My kids love party bags. I dislike them asking for them. Just sound a teeny bit greedy ...