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?

We just gave out the cake.We'd had the party at a soft play and they had a good meal there.If we had had a party at our house then I would have given them.

@CheshireChat I've been here for years, but those are the three thing I will never understand. Just eat the damn cake already! It's such a nice thing to do with your friends, having it on a plate, rather than mushed up out of a napkin on your own after you carried it home.

I like party bags or favours, I feel a thank you for coming goes a long was given that parents are usually giving up weekends and being so generous with gifts. The past few years though I've been a bit more mean, I gave each child cake and a book one year which the birthday child wrote thank you for coming to be party love from XXX
Also done the same with the big bubble wands with a label on. Plastic crap is pretty pointless, but I always feel the need for a thank you gift

Most parties I’ve been when they kids were younger served the cake after the food. All the adults get a piece too.

Cake is a lovely treat. Tat is totally unnecessary

Kids expect party bags IMHO.

Kids probably also expect clean water supplies without micro plastics

As long as your cake is suitable for known allergies it’s fine.

I am in complete shock! Surely the treat is being invited to the party? Absolutely NO NEED for a party bag on top. They should be phased out.

I have also been known to have individual cupcakes made to take home and then a cake to sing happy birthday etc and then take home to have with family.

A stunt cake basically.

We bought wooden door letters with the initial of each child one year.

I'm sure I still have a drawer full of random door letters for the non appearances 😡

I was overjoyed when we stopped doing party bags.

Party bags aren’t essential . Cake is fine on its own . I have given books in the past when mine were little bit stopped that as well . Waste of money and kids have too much stuff .

Yes do some else your dc might get teased at school?

Or, just a suggestion you could teach your kids to be kind and not bully others?

There’s some victim blaming right there.

Kids are entitled to a party bag it’s a waste of money and ends up in land fill. The more parents take this on board the less wages there’ll be in the world.

If your truly stuck give them a sheet with a water aid donation or similar.

Give them bubbles - 4 pack for £1 in Primark and I can verify they are the best bubbles I have bought! (I use them at work for my patients)
My own DC is 7 and would be delighted with that!

If your truly stuck give them a sheet with a water aid donation or similar.

This is a crap idea.

It’s a kids party, party bags are part of a kids party. If you're going to be a ba humbug about it just don’t throw one. Donate the money you would of spent on a party to water aid and give your kid the paper instead if that’s such a great idea on what to give a child

Last year we gave away the sun catchers from hobby craft plus cake.

This year, I’ve bought some photo frames from the book people - they are Roald Dahl ones (matilda, James and the giant peach, Charlie & the choc factory) and they are in the sale for £1 each (down from £7 I think).

My plan is to give each child a photo frame, some sweets and a piece of cake plus a pencil/rubber that was also about £2 on the book people for 20 pencils so dead cheap.

If the kids don’t like the frames, the parents can just regift them!

The landfill comments puzzle me. Don’t all kids toys end up in landfill.

The bags usually include sweets, they are eaten. Then a bouncy ball, bubbles, maybe a parachute man, a few pencils and a rubber? I have put in lip balms, toy cars, punch balloons, bag charms. I see kids going into school using he bag charms, pencils and rubbers go into pencil case. Bubbles are I assume used. Punch balloons and bouncy balls played with. Etc etc

Surely kids get these all the time. Why are so many people saying about landfill? Do you never buy your kids little treats?

It’s that party bags are usually particularly full of unwanted tat, which gives seconds of interest before ending up in landfill. My kids as they got older ate the sweets but didn’t even bother emptying the bags they were so bored of them. Complete waste. And no possibility of giving to charity as no one wants it. Yes toys often end up in landfill, and most kids these days get far too much, but at least they give more play time and can often be given to charity/ bought second hand.

The Landfill/plastic waste comments annoy me too. I take no notice of MNs harping on about eco/waste/saving the planet when they no doubt are using disposable nappies until 4 years old on each child. They’re in the top 3 of items in landfill.

I think cake is fine tbh, way to many entitled kids out there and if any kid asks for a party bag they are just bloody rude (obviously supported by some of the parents here).

Tesco have small Easter eggs for 75p at the minute. Minimal effort, and DS1 thought it was the best thing ever when he got one at a friends party

When did this party bag thing start? Not a thing when I was a child. No one expected to get a present for going to someone else’s party, you got a slice of cake to take home and that was that.

It’s totally up to you! Out of the thousands of parties I’ve been to with my DC I only remember two without party bags though. At both my DC said loudly “where are the party bags?” which was mortifying! I quite like doing them as they are a polite way of saying “the party’s over now so fuck off home” when you’ve had enough

The last party DS (age 8) went to didn't give out party bags, just cake in napkins. I don't even think the children noticed.