to think Barbie dolls in party bag is a bit OTT?

[Babyblade]

My 6yr old DD went to a party today and came home with a proper 12" Barbie as her party bag gift.

Is this over the top?

It's my DD party tomorrow and the girls are getting a small craft kit and chocolate figure each, total cost per girl less than £1.50. Barbie dolls cost AT LEAST £10 each - for 12 girls, that's an absolute fortune!

AIBU or just stingy?

To make matters "worse" the DC who hosted the party today is also invited tomorrow.

I did a party where each little girl got a my little pony, and another where they had a barbie each, another with tutus and fairy wings... if you invite less children and shop online you can get these things relatively cheaply - the Barbies were $5 each, for fancy princess ones, bought on ebay in bulk. I do tend to go overboard on partybags, but there is no harm in it, I think it is nicer to give real toys than cheap plastic crap and tattoos, candy etc.

"It's not really about how much they got them for, it's that they want people to think they've gone one better than the normal pocket money toys people usually put in."

How do you even know this? Why assume the worst of people all the time? Nice attitude.

I wouldn't like it because I wouldn't spend as much as that on the birthday child. I think you just have to accept that they wanted to do it. There is no need to compete - I filled mine mostly with the birthday cake.

I put Zhu-Zhu hamsters in DD2's party bags this year. They were reduced to £1.99 each and the kids all loved them.

Home Bargains had basic Barbies for £2.49 just after Christmas maybe she stocked up then.

I'd be grateful my DS had been to such a lovely party and had been treated to such a lovely time.

I certainly hope you're not all conveying this 'oh it's all a competition' attitude to your DC, because that could come across as quite rude.

If I had the money to do a fantabulous party with amazing party bags, then I would. It's a nice, kind thing to do. Your children have been treated to a lovely time, and by the sounds of lots of stories; amazing party bags. Be grateful! It isn't a competition or 'snidey', it's people being NICE to your children!

"my children will never let me throw away anything that has been brought home from a party bag, even if it's broken! "

But surely they sleep? Or is it just me whose children have, in general, quite short term memories? :o

I agree.. most children are no where near that level so I think your seeing issues where this none.

ds1 is being investigated for dyslexia. hes 7. he gets he read numbers backwards most of the time like 54 is 45 and gets his, s q b d g z the wrong way.. but I've heard this is normal till the age of 7 it also includes other things swell. like sounding smarter.. further ahead when you speak to him.. he just can't do it on paper.. he also had no interest in books and had speech delay.

I think you should just chill when he reaches school and is a fair bit older then have a look into it if your still worried

wrong thread... sorry. ek

I do think/hope that when people choose to be generous and give an 'ott' gift they are just trying to be nice and generous, not trying to get one up on other people or waiting to judge others' presents as not matching up.

I'd just enjoy and appreciate the gift and the thought behind it, and your party bags also sound lovely as there is a genuine nice thought behind them too.

Everyone's just trying to be nice giving presents out, surely?

My friends daughter was invited to a party where the party bag had an ipod in it!

sunshine I agree; when I do party bags and try to find something a bit different to put in it, I'm actually trying to be nice! I'm certainly not trying to outdo anyone, or put anyone to shame, or be a snob.

Based on what I've read here, I certainly hope my DS doesn't make friends who have mothers who constantly read into things so much It would make for very trying school years!

I would have loved a barbie in a party bag when I was little.

I pod !

Arw that's really sweet, my dd would have been made up with a Barbie in her party bag. I only ever put slice of b'day cake and little bags of haribo in my part bags.

I much prefer the plastic tat! Dd was given a barbie type doll at the last party she went to, I assumed it was a pound land/poundstretcher type thing so probably didn't cost too much cash wise. But it came in a giant box. So it seemed like a huge present to dd and her brother who didn't go to the party. I would have preferred cake and a balloon and for them to receive 'big' presents for their own birthdays, it seems so OTT. The doll is now sitting ignored, so will be probably charity shopped in a few weeks much like if she had got a plastic frog or ring.

I don't get this attitude. She may well have spent £10 per doll. So what? It's her money and her choice, she was clearly trying to do smething nice.

OP's DD has ended up with a lovely present....what's the problem?

Why does she have to be a savvy shopper and have got them all for £3 or have paid full price and be a show off?

tbh £3 each for a barbie doll with nothing else in the bag isnt that bad. By the time you have bought the obligatory balloons, beads, plastic bits of tat, it must add up to nearly that.

I always find it slightly embarrassing when the party bag is clearly more value than the gift I gave. Parties and bags vary greatly where I live, and I will not be pressured into spending more than I can.

Our parties are at a well known burger outlet with a free soft play, so food costs around £5 a head including two drinks each. I offer to buy any parents staying a drink. I do the party bags for £1 and make a cake. I spend max £5 on gifts but buy stuff in sales etc so always have a stock. If anyone thinks badly of me then that is their problem.

You can definitely get barbies under £3 (i got dd one) and that makes a good party bag IMO. It is getting more and more common to replace party bags with a gift, I am doing this at ds's party (£1.50 each).

Your craft stuff and choc also makes a good party bag.

Nothing to worry about at all!

I agree it is a worry though if the gift for the birthday child cost less than the party bag. Can be a bit embarrassing.

The party circuit round here has party bag value at around 4 quid. One friend bunged lego kits in her kids as she had bought them really cheaply after Christmas and it was much less hassle than traipsing round organising / finding - stickers/ haribo/ novetly pencils etc.

Other folk buy the bookpeople kits of 10 books for X amount and each kid gets a book.

I like crappy sweeties as much as the next person (in fact probably more so) but I was totally horrified the last time I did party pick up at what had been put in the party bags - there were at least 3-4 small packs of haribo, 2-3 lollies, some rolls of love hearts and fizzers and then a handful of individual wrapped chews oh AND a piece of cake.

I'm afraid I was mean and allowed each child (I was doing a group pick up to help friends out) have one thing on the bus home whilst I looked after the bags which I then handed on to the respective parents.

Could have bought them in the £1 shop. Just before christmas there was loads of barbie crap, including the dolls.

I agree it seems like a very expensive gift for a party bag, even if bought on sale. I am sure it was well meant though. I know several parents who have done 'Build a Bear' parties and they cost a fortune because each child goes home with a teddy. It is lovely, but can be a bit embarrassing if the party bag gift was more expensive than the present you bought for the birthday child.