Aibu to not buy party bags for 8 year olds?

[healthandwealth]

My son is having his 8th birthday party this weekend at a soft play. AIBU to not buy party bags for the kids? I'm a bit over giving/receiving plastic crap for the kids and wonder if the kids will really notice if they don't get party bags? If I do get something it will just be a big wheels car each and a bag of sweets. What age do you think it's acceptable to stop the party bag nonsense?!

As long as you give them something, that's the main thing.

My son’s birthday has been this week and in recent years I’ve bought an annual instead of doing a party bag, along with a packet of sweets. I’ve always managed to find the annuals massively reduced around now!

it doesnt matter if they notice.
you dont hve to buy bags.
give them all a slice of cake, put that in a bag if you want.

I really dislike party bags in the ‘traditional’ sense of a plastic bag filled with cheap plastic tat. I wince inside when my DC receive them as it inevitably all ends up in landfill within a day and I feel really bad about it.

My ‘party bags’ would be recyclable paper bags with a slice of cake, a packet of sweets and a book. You can get bundles of books online pretty cheaply.

@Toomanycats99 Partybag is generally taken to be a bag filled with sweets and cheap plastic toys that don't work or break into shards.

I agree that one decent little gift and piece of birthday cake are actually 'a party bag'. Giving away a balloon is just a way of getting ahead on the post-party tidy-up.

The kids will miss them. They don't really care what's in them ime. But they really love them.

It's hardly that big a deal? You've all the party faff going in anyway. Just keep it cheap.

Party bags give me the rage especially when used for parental one-upmanship!

All the kids want from them are the sweets! So I give them a big packet of sweets or chocolate for around £1 and a piece of cake.

Not really bothered if that puts me at the bottom of the popularity tables.

For my DD's 8th birthday she chose to take 5 friends to the cinema to see the My Little Pony Movie and then on to lunch. We didn't do party bags but they each received a wrapped My Little Pony colouring book. For the last couple of years we have done books of some sort, either colouring or reading rather than bags of tat.

“Parental one upmanship”
“Popularity tables”

wine either you know some very strange people or you are overthinking this subject...

Keep party bags! Kids lobe them. I have done some beautiful ones with stationary, sweets.

I stopped doing them around that age. No one seemed bothered. One less thing to worry about.

My 10 year old loves party bags. The ones I do/they get from parties tend to be a pack of sweets, balloon, pen and cake.

It doesn't have to be a bag full of plastic tat, sweets, a pen/pencil and balloon will do. It's a good way to show that the party is over and it's time to go home.

steff13 isn't that the whole point to take some cake home after all the crap they have eaten? Has been for the almost 40 odd years I've been attending parties?

It's a British thing - they don't do it here in the US. Here we tend to serve pizza then cake and ice cream, then we're done.

Gosh - I think my children look forward to the party bags most at parties.

It's a nice way to say thank you to the kids for coming and bringing presents. Your child will also probably enjoy being in charge of handing them out (mine do).

Your party is also at risk of being judged as...a little lacking without them

My children look forward to the party itself more than the stuff they're going to get as a result of going.

Nothing says "go away now, I've had enough" like a party bag. Keep it cheap but the ritual is guest says thanks for party, you hand over something to get rid of them.

Your idea of a car and pack of sweets sounds lovely.
I agree with the majority that kids do love party bags but that they needn't be complex (or competitive).

My kids have not yet had parties but I am baffled by the idea of party bags. Why do the people attending a party get a gift? It's just odd. I'd love to be the person that doesn't do them but not sure I'm brave enough to face a load of protesting 5 year olds.

I had a party for my 45th last year and did party bags
They went down very well indeed!

Never thought about a book but have been bothered about party bags for a long time. I hate ballons, they’re an environmental diaster, all the plastic, the sweet cones. Thank you for starting this thread, books are a very good idea.

Kids love party bags, despite parents hating them. Yet another joy of being a child!
But a sweetie cone would also go down well

buy a set of books, give one each

I've spent less on the party (traditional at home party with games/party tea - not hiring a small island and inviting anyone we've ever spoken to) but with decent food/cake/food for parents and good quality prizes and party bags (for DD4 the party bag IS the party). Hasn't worked out an awful lot cheaper than the hire a hall invite the whole school extravaganza plus I'll have the clearing up to do

@Thistlebelle yes, I've encountered a few strange people who go OTT but it's not something I remembered till I read this thread

Interesting to see all the differing opinions! You're right everyone who says it doesn't have to be plastic tat. I don't think I'm brave enough to not do them!! So will go with a hot wheels car and a bag of sweets in a paper bag. I've also gone with the 'healthy food' option at the soft play so I'll see how that goes down