To think you don't need lots in a party bag?

[Yahyahs22]

So when I was a kid it was a couple cheapy 'toys' and a slice of the birthday cake. Now I've been told you need toys, sweets, party hats, bubbles and you have to cater for both boys and girls?? Someone even suggested a GIFT CARD in each party bag. Surely that's not the norm?? I'm doing my son's first big party so if anyone has been to one recently (ages 3-5) could you tell me what kind of things was in the bags?

Pencil, bubbles and slice of cake.
Personally I'm one of 'those' parents who does 10 for £10 books from the works and they have a book instead of a party bag

Fuck that. I hate party bags. I give sweets and a piece of cake. I'm not giving out cheap plastic crap for the sake of it.

I’m doing cake, mini hardbo bag and a Hobbycraft paint your own figure/item. Thought other was better than ‘tat’

I just bought them a Toblerone each, or a £1 bag of Haribo, or a £1 bag of chocolate buttons. I couldn’t be arsed faffing about with plastic tat that’s just going to end up in landfill.

Sweets and cake. Who wants plastic tat, not me

Jeez there's always one has to sneak in a gender throwaway

Cake, coloured pencils and maybe a book.
Certainly never a balloon to blow up.

@Yahyahs22
Glad you've had some good advice and suggestions on here

Please remember you can do the party bags how you want to do them. It's not a competition at all nor is there any rule

Ignore what other people do, some parents are richer than others and let them "have at it" if they want to do expensive gift bags.

The party bag is to put a bit of birthday cake in and if you want to add a few other bits in as well that's great but not essential

Don't spend more than a pound per child that was always my budget and most of my friends and Infact mostly I bought bulk and it was about 50p extras jn the bag. My 3 DCs had so many parties and believe me that was the norm.

Ie I bought a couple £2 bags of wrapped sweets like lollies and chews, or mini hairbo bags & main milky ways and shared them out (so £5 total of little party packs of two different types of sweets mini choc bars did for 20 party bags!!!)

Occasionally I did something like a £1 book with a lolly in it too (£2 for 20 in a pack).

Any of that fills out the bag once you've put in a serviette wrapped slice of birthday cake

No one needs expensive stuff in there and ain't nobody need to do gift cards!! (Sheesh! )

They've attended a party 🎈 the party bag is just a way to send home slice of birthday cake afterwards. Don't go overboard as trust us not wealthy^ parents won't thank you for upping the anti on party bag contents nor so we "love it" when other parents go overboard!!!

What we do appreciate is our child being invited to your child's birthday party. And if at all you got a photo of all the kids together then please WhatsApp that to us!! Or offer too (you can put a note in the bag saying please WhatsApp me on xxxx xxxxxxx and I'll send you a photo of all of them together from party)

Amazon is your friend. Just search for kids party bag fillers ! Recently had my daughters 4th birthday party, her first big party with a few friends from nursery and family.

Oh one year I put in a whispa bar (4 for £1 so 25pm each bar) and just their slice of cake . That went down well for 7 year olds!

We did a snap band, bubbles and a bag of sweets for my sons birthday.
a gift card in each bag?! That’s ridiculous!!

One. You don't NEED a party bag but they are a brilliant way of moving hyped up children to wanting to leave a party!
Two. A cake. A toy (like a spinning top, bouncy ball, yoyo). Absolutely fine! Plastic and waste are obviously not the done thing so keep it really basic and don't worry!

I refused to give plastic rubbish in party bags - a piece of cake and a unusual pen or pencil did the trick for years. Appreciated by boys and girls.

We tend to get things linked to the party theme. So if a sports party, a ball and bubbles and cake. Or a book and cake. I have also bought ( made) sweet cones and the giant bubble wands.

If you want to make the book thing extra fun wrap them and let them take a lucky dip.

but a book and a slice of cake is plenty as it is.

You could also get a pack of character socks from primark and split them to one pair for child. Practical for the parents too!

I just booked my son’s 4th birthday party and I’m not doing party bags - the venue is a themed soft-play like place, they’ll get party food for lunch and eat the cake during the party.

I’m not British so never understood the point of party bags aside from cake. Like we need more junk food and landfill garbage.

A book (10 for £10 at the works), bubbles, sticker and birthday cake.

I’ve just done party bags for tomorrow (3rd birthday). Paw patrol chocolate lolly, paw patrol tattoos, a couple of animal stampers and one of those pens that you press to get a different colour. And a cupcake for each child. Hopefully that’s ok, I have no idea!

We buy a book to put in, and pop our own popcorn + birthday cake. I think that’s more than enough.

i Wish party bags wouldn’t be a thing anymore. Such a waste of money and tat, and a valuable life lesson to enjoy the party experience not the stuff! a slice of cake to take home is plenty in my opinion

I love making party bags! I do go ott but because I enjoy it. Not because of the competitive element. I don't put cake in it as it's gets squished. Do a small cake. And cupcakes. Tattoos, stickers, flashing glowy rings. Sweets. Chocolate coins. Lollipops 🐱. I never got invited to any parties when I was younger so maybe I'm reliving my childhood. But I just love making them up. But I don't do boys or girls stereotype crap 🤷

@Kentlassie can I come lol 😂

Party bags are a good way of saying, “home time now, byeeee.” They don’t need to have much other than the cake; no one remembers.
I think many kids tend to like a bit of tat, whether we do or not, though.

I put some seed bombs in, got good feedback from parents