To not do party bags?

[SkaLaLand]

And just hand out cake wrapped in napkins? Party Saturday and totally forgot about sodding party bags. They are a waste of time and money anyway. Would you panic buy something or not?

I've had to do this today. Spent £7 in Poundland and bought the bags, animals erasers, shark highlighter pens, glow bracelets and bubbles, topped this off with two multi packs of Haribo and that's 10 bags done with a couple of spares. Right pain in the arse, I agree, but I do think you should do them. Having said all of that, DS went to a party recently and the mum (different culture and fairly new here) clearly wasn't aware of party bags and there were none. Kids didn't notice at all, and I was quite relieved at having no more tat. They just went home with cake!

@Oblomov20 not sure paying for 13 kids to attend a themed party and unintentionally forgetting party bags makes me a miser but thanks.

Kids are Y2 age.

I just do not think I'm going to have the time (or if I'm honest, the funds at the last minute) to do the traditional party bag thing.

I'll look into some of the other suggestions but it may just have to be cake! 😕

I would do something. I always give out books, Amazon would probably be able to deliver a load by then

I bought books from Poundland for DS last party, wrapped them up so kids got what they were given with a cupcake each. Went down well 👍

YANBU. Honestly they will forget about it the moment they are picked up.
I repeat YANBU!!

The kids at that age are all about the party bags.

I've a DC with a March birthday. Always given Easter eggs as medium ones generally on offer. Kids always loved them!

Have an adult hold a big tub of sweets at the door and the DC take a handful each in their way out.

I think you need to do something, I doubt they'll all forget.

YANBU. But every child at the party will think YABVVVU.

This is one of those situations where adults think one thing and children, particularly young children see it another.

I think if you're prioritizing what children would want, it's a no brainer

I hate party bags! As a child we were given a party bag with those plastic paddle and ball things and my baby sister almost choked to death on the ball. I hid the paddle ball thing from my mum since I knew she wouldn't have tiny balls in the house and it ended up with a seriously ill baby.

Lots of schoolaged children have younger /baby siblings and most parents don't take that into account.

This has happened to my own children aswell when my son got a bouncy ball in a party bag and dropped it on the way home- it bounced into the road where he promptly chased after it- near death experience due to party bags number 2.

I would go for seeds from now on. I don't know a child who doesn't enjoy growing things.
Or seed bombs where you throw them outside (no parental involvement is a must for some children) and over the next few weeks you see your flowers grow.
But i wouldn't buy any in a panic if i forgot. Kids don't need party bags and it is becoming more common for people to opt out of this ridiculous tradition

I’d do something like a tube of smarties, that together with cake is a treat & no plastic!

Don't do party bags. Why the heck should a child coming to a party go home with a gift. It's better to never start.

All the people suggesting books or seeds - whilst the parents may think its a fab idea, from experience the children won't. All your kid wants at the end of a party is a bag full of e-numbers and some brightly colored crap. Doesn't necessarily have to be plastic crap, any crap will do. Stickers, notebooks, masks, crayons, etc. Oh and dishing out the bags is the best way of telling people to get lost!

I'd do party bags with a bag of Haribo, cake and balloon. Good enough.

I hate party bags, and don't do them, but if you feel you have to, I think sticker books are good. Kids love them, no plastic, and you can get them for £1 or so.

But the fact that kids "expect" them, as someone said, doesn't mean you have to do them.

Just grab a multipack of little Haribo bags or other sweets and put in a bowl for kids to help themselves to at the end, as well as cake.

Buy a box of haribo sweets, they can choose a packet of the box to go with their cake. Cake however is enough, especially if you child gives it out with a 'thank you for coming to my party'.

OP completely agree that party bags are the devil's work, but kids that age really love something in addition to cake to take home.

Luckily - you are in EASTER EGG season 🙌🙌🙌 how about a £1.50'egg each ? I've done that (10 years ago) and it was a success.

In fact thinking about it at my daughters, I didn't even hand out cake- it was cut up and given out as pudding. I didn't do bags (the party had cost enough and there was only 8 of them).

Asda a £1 for a medium Easter egg - winner!

We did land of faraway tree books you can buy10 on amazon for good price... guests loved them for year2

The book people do great super cheap book collections including such fabulously child appealing titles as “you wouldn’t want to live without toilets/ bacteria/ the internet” etc etc. Or a full set of horrible histories books. I’ve done these type books for years instead of party bags and they are really popular with the kids as well as the parents. Book (as gory or lavatorial as possible for the 8-10s I find) plus small tube of sweets and they are v happy.

Why don’t people just eat the cake at parties? I’m not British so never understood this.