To hate party bags?

[MummyPig24]

Do any parents truly want a bag of plastic tat and sweets? Do the children actually care? I'm thinking of alternatives for the dcs party because I know how much I hate party bags. The plastic toys always break within half an hour. Waste of money no?

I am doing marbles. I have printed off and laminated how to play a game.

I'm sure the parents don't want a bag of tat.
Children, however love them and that's who they're for.

I buy packs of books from The Book People/Redhouse

You can get about 10 books for around a tenner (for DD2's birthday this year I bough a pack of 15 sticker books for £11.99).

Book, piece of cake, a small pack of Haribo or something, job done

Entertainment and excitement is never a waste of money IMO. There are plenty of party leaving/thank you gifts that aren't all plastic tat if you want to give something better.

I love party bags, and so do children. I think yabu.

YANBU

party bags are rubbish.

That said, we did party bags last year , as it was an easy way to do "pudding" after a cafe lunch. Dairy free bags of bisciuts, Haribo and a pack of moshi monster cards each. worked perfectly and way cheaper than cafe cake for 6 kids ( 2 of whom were dairy intolerant). Its plastic tat I dislike more than the sweets.

When I was a child, I used to love the party bag - maybe I was easily pleased? Sometimes it was the highlight of the party and I'd be sad (and ungrateful, brat that I was) if there wasn't one.

As a child of the 80's, party bags used to contain: Cake wrapped in a napkin, a bouncy ball, pot of bubbles, box of smarties, balloon and a lolly

Yabu. When I was little the best part of a party was the party bag!

ooh YABU by the way

Kids love them and they don't have to be full of tat.

In the past we've put books (split packs from book people), colouring books and pencils, little craft kits as well as the obligatory cake and small bar of chocolate.

YABU to just fill them with tat, YANBU to give well thought out party bags.

Blimey, do you give party bags to the parents too?

That's a new one on me

Kids love them and that's all that matters to me.

My DC are older now (10 and nearly 13) but they were delighted by Party Bags and came home clutching them (or more likely diving in on the way home).

If you don't like the plastic crap, why not a little tube/bottle of bubblebath -M&S do Fruity Beauty type packs of 6-8 bottles. Then they can be used that day and it's done with.
(Don't know about boys though)

I hate party bags too. Its always shite plastic crappy toys. We got whistles in our party bags last time, can you think of anything more irritating for a parent than two kids with plastic whistles following you round the house!!
for my daughters party I got a big bag of mini haribo packs and a big bag of cadbury treat size buttons, the kids picked one of each plus a piece of birthday cake and were more than happy :)
yanbu

For my DS's party when he was 3 I did not do party bags and it is still mentioned now by some of the mothers and children. DS is now 8. I was being all "I hate party bags and I won't do them" but didn't realise the long-term implications!

Since then, I have done party bags but I still hate the bloody things.

Sorry, should have said YANBU.

You can't do much about the party bags your kids bring home but with your own kids' parties you have choices -

• don't provide party bags
• provide quality take home e.g. like a book
• do an activity that involves making something like screenprinting a t-shirt or beading so the children have a nice take home gift rather than a bag of tat

Socks - socks are good. I found some women's socks in Tesco for 75p a pair with boxes of popcorn on them, which I gave to my DS2's friends when they came for a DVD/sleepover party (11th birthday). They don't look like women's socks and they were delighted to have them. Similarly, I found socks with tents on for DD's 14th birthday camping in the garden sleepover.

Just to add - I wouldn't normally do party bags at the age of 14, or even 11, but the socks were too good to miss.

Every little helps . . .

hi mummypig, I don't liek party bags so i gave up on the idea when the DC were 6.

Some people think I am "brave", but tbh the kids don't care. We do a fun party, lots of treats, that should be enough, and it is.

I'm not doing them for my DD party at the weekend, she will be 9.
It becomes too expensive, there are 18 kids coming!!
It a swimming pool party and food after.
I just cant afford to buy loads of extra tat.

And i really am not fussed if anyone has am issue with it

They're not for the parents, they're for the kids. They are supposed to contain sweets, and annoying party hooters. Parents aren't meant to like them.

I hate them. They are filled with sugary sweets and bits of plastic tat that get left in the DD's wake and really aggravate me

Disclaimer, when I do party bags I fill them with sugary sweets and bits of plastic tat that get left in the DC's wake, 'cos I know the DCs love that

YABU. Party bags aren't meant to be tasteful and worthwhile, they're a token gesture to make the partygoers less sad about going home. Give a child a bag of small things and they're happy.

the important bit it that kids really like them
also, they are invaluable in terms of signalling "the party's over and you all need to get the fuck out of my house so I can open the wine, there's your bag, off you pop".

Books are good, lucky dips of one 50p to a £1 note books, decent pens, power balls etc are fine.
A piece of cake and a packet of Haribos is best. Cheap and nothing to find a home for

Please no balloons, no one ever blows up, plastic puzzles no one plays with or very cheap pencils that don't sharpen.

Oh and DD2 says absolutely no chocolate birthday cake, she hates it and she doesn't see why SH or Mummy need cake.