to think party bags are the work of the devil?

[bejeezus]

I've stopped doing them....

Even if they cost £1.50 for contents and you have 10, that's blinkin' £15! But its easy to spend more than that. And have more kids at party

They are invariably filled with crap that is disgarded by child onto pile of discarded crap at home

They are pointless, a needless expense, and irritating

Do you do them? What do you put in them? How much does it cost you?

I just added up my party bag costs. I've spent £24 thereabouts (not including the actual cheap bags) which seems a lot but once divided by 35 guests then 68p per bag is not too bad. Perhaps it worked out better because I bought in bulk? So many items were just 10-15p

I do like the animal shelter donation idea...

You just need a little something. Even a slice of cake and a balloon would do.
It's not really about what parents think is it. It's for the children

Bubble wands are 50p in morrisons

asda had them for 50p recently but back upto a £1 and plan to buy some for my nearly 2yr olds party

Last Yr I had some banadana dribbles bibs made very cheap by a new company and free by another and added their business cards as it was promotion for their companies as everyone was/is using those style bibs now so one went in every party bag (10mth-20mth olds) along with an organix flapjack and box raisins and some bday cake.

eastmidlands - I saw the wands for 50p and had them in mind but I couldn't get hold of 35 of them.

Great idea.

yeah I wont need so many max of 10 children and if anything like my little monkey more bubble mixture goes on the floor than anywhere else - (ooohhh de ja vue moment there to an episode of thomas the tank engine where thomas spills all the bubble mixture - ok I am very very sad off to watch some proper tv)

Kinder eggs - sweet and toy all ready wrapped. Friend recently did a sunflower seedling to take home. 3 months later and we have a lovely sunflower in the garden. Total class.

I sew and I made 20 little bags out of pretty gingham fabric, I put in a flump, a mini notepad and a mini pen and the cake for my DD's 5th b'day party. I thought the bags would be a nice gift for all the girls and something that they could re-use. Not one parent commented on the bags, I was gutted :( I am also a hater of plastic tat and most of it goes straight in the bin.

I loathe them too.

All the more since some idiot mum put silly putty in her party bags, which before I knew it had found its way onto my window seat under a cushion and left an indelible pink stain on both . Ok, maybe that was partly my DD's fault - but still! I could happily live my life without any silly putty or other such rubbish in my house.

Then there's the nice but doomed-to-failure stuff, like pretty cheap bracelets, which because they are cheap, are broken by the end of the first day, resulting in floods of tears.

And crayons. And more crayons. And more crayons. I could set up a crayon shop with the crayons we've accumulated over the years. What is the point?

But there isn't a point to it is there. Just a thought that counts

I think you can have more funky/fresh ideas with smaller groups. Dd is going to a pottery party next month (should I be impressed?)
Not sure what will be coming home with her.

I will be looking forward to smaller parties next year onwards but I'm enjoying these and the party bags while dd is still young enough to be delighted with them.

My DD is nearly 4 and is already starting to expect that there will be a party bag/gift when she leaves a party...which I really hate! IMO it's just something else to stress about & spend money on, both of which I could really do without! Thankfully there doesn't seem to be alot of competitive party bags going on round here.

I do think that it is a good way to signal the end of the party. Out come the bags & out go the guests!

DD initially said she wanted her friends to get cupcakes & balloons so that is what her guests will get (she's since mentioned party bags but it's too late)!! Have got cupcake pods & I'm making vanilla cupcakes and each child can decorate their own with sprinkles to take home. Activity plus gift all in one. job done, will cost less than plastic tat & won't clutter up people's houses!

a couple of years ago I was at my godaughters 6th birthday and was horrified to discover that the party bags were in fact Tiffany bags with a small thank you (the padlocks with the children's initial on) a cupcake from Fiona Cairns, a bottle of Breckland Orchard Posh Pop. My thought was OMG.

UANBU - They are full of crap and bad for the environment - such waste. I still do them though but keep stuff to an absolute minimum. The kids are only interested in the sweets anyway.

No party bags here. Ungrateful fuckers should be happy that they've been fed, watered and entertained for a couple of hours.
The OTT ones aren't really for the DC's anyway, just for the parents to show off.

I don't do party bags, just cake wrapped up in a plain napkin.

I was going to do those punchbag balloons which you can get 3 for £1 in either Poundland or Wilkos (can't remember which) but couldn't figure out if you could blow them up manually or if you needed to hire a helium machine.

WhatSuitTitSuit Do you do cake wrapped up in a napkin to take home or do they eat it at the party?

nappy I've done both depending on how the time has gone. Last party I had they got to take away a packet of sweets

Went to a great party the other week. Party Bags had lots of sweets and a toothbrush - which I thought was lovely. Mum was a dentist though !

I remember reading a few years ago of a lady here who's child gave the birthday child a DVD for a present.
The lady was mortified when her child came out with a party bag and discovered that the party bags all contained the same DVD she'd given as a present.

Just finished the party bag giving with my two. Didn't like it as it added unnecessary expense to the event .

Agree it was a way of ending a party.

Towards end they had making jewellery parties/soap - led by a partygiver and they took home what was made. My DS took them out to Quaser etc so party bags not essential.

Oh, those were the days. Enjoy - party giving is soon over.

DS 16 last week - no party but a family trip to curry house- was lovely. Conversations with older DC are wonderful and you feel so proud of your parenting efforts over the years! DD - soon to be 13- to a pizza chain, bowling alley and back for a sleep over.

All nice but a different stage. Enjoy resenting the party bag culture - soon passes

jenniepanda - rotten lot! I do fabric bags for parties and it always makes me smile when I go to other people's houses to see them still in use years later holding hair stuff/ toy cars/ other bits and bobs. It makes it worthwhile.

I like planning party bags more than the actual parties (I find the latter quite nerve wracking due to social anxiety)

When DH worked in a high st store and they were selling off their failed sideline in console games, one woman came and bought about 15 identical Xbox games for party bags!

fuzzpig - there is an interesting assumption in that (i.e. that everyone has an xbox)