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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Kids Goodie bags

43 replies

RadoxRita · 30/08/2023 14:42

AIBU to think most children’s party goodie bags are full of plastic crap that’s never played with and terrible for the environment?

I’d love to have other ideas for my kids parties this year. Any ideas MN?

OP posts:
roseopose · 30/08/2023 14:48

Packet of flower or veg seeds?

Stompythedinosaur · 30/08/2023 14:56

I think that an adult's idea of what is crap is generally different than a child's.

I think there are definitely more environmentally friendly choices that can be made when choosing items for party bags, but most kids love them in my experience.

I think that often the "worthy" alternatives e.g. a book are intended to impress the parents not please the dc.

yogasaurus · 30/08/2023 14:56

Yeah agree with PP, don’t love getting a book. They love the plastic crap and sweets

Iaspo · 30/08/2023 14:57

Not always a popular option but maybe just sweets and a couple of balloons?

FloweryName · 30/08/2023 15:00

YABU, lots of parents have moved away from the fun of plastic tat and do books or a lucky dip or the children do a craft or plant a sunflower to take home. All good, but I love a good party bag.

TheWayTheLightFalls · 30/08/2023 15:04

There are a zillion ways to do this and you will never please everyone. You could do a sweet cone (usually very little waste and plastic but heavy on sugar and you need to cater for vegans / religious issues around gelatine). A book, but then you get moaning about reading levels and duplicates. Plastic (break/env unfriendly). Seeds/wooden pencils (too worthy/boring). And so on.

I tend to do a small Lego polybag (you can get them for £2 each with enough time and sleuthing), and a little pack of Haribo or mini biscuits. Works for us.

TheWayTheLightFalls · 30/08/2023 15:05

I have to say, the classic “plastic shit that breaks within five minutes” really doesn’t impress me. Anything is better.

inloveandmarried · 30/08/2023 15:06

I used to try for environmentally aware party bags.

Home made biscuits and sweets if you have the time.

Small wooden toy or bracelet.

Mini origami book.

Simple friendship bracelet making kit which can be photocopied instructions and two colours of embroidery silk.

I'd put them in a brown paper sandwich carrier bag and attach name tags with string.

DailyMailHater · 30/08/2023 15:07

The Works 10 books for 10 pound (if they still do it). so I used to wrap a book and attach a bubble wand (pound shop) and a slice of cake - done
(obvs only works for really little ones up to about 5 or 6)

hairyunicorn · 30/08/2023 15:08

Bath Bombs, really easy to make and kids love them.

evtheria · 30/08/2023 15:08

Depends how old they are.. anything towards end of primary and you risk it being a total waste of money/going in the bin anyway, so might as well keep it as a cone of sweets.

My child had a small forest-school party, aged 5. We did stuff similar to the following:

  • Poundland do a box of blocky 'rainbow' crayons, ie one crayon comes out in different colours. I split it and packed one each into bags with a blank card mask for the kids to colour in.
  • Packet of seeds is good, though consider watercress which will be easy for nearly everyone to grow at home.
  • Temporary tattoos or stickers, themed for party
  • A 'special' stone, because the Wiccan shop in our area sells a mixed pouch of them for cheap.
Greenpeasnwham · 30/08/2023 15:12

Just don’t do them? We’ve stopped, along with most of my kids friends. Sometime the party has something they can take home from an activity, sometimes not. The kids really don’t notice because it’s now not expected.

florisse · 30/08/2023 15:16

I often get brown paper bags from the Works and share out a bumper craft pack across the bags. So everyone gets a glitter glue, Pom poms, feathers, washi tape etc and can decorate their bags as an activity. Worked for boys and girls.

EhrlicheFrau · 30/08/2023 15:18

Iaspo · 30/08/2023 14:57

Not always a popular option but maybe just sweets and a couple of balloons?

Balloons are not a good idea either - many of them end up in landfill, or worse in the mouth or round the neck of wildlife. 😥

Sugarcoatt · 30/08/2023 15:19

I hate party bags, they’re a huge waste and the contents are frequently dangerous. I don’t know how many times I’ve removed a bouncy ball or a hard lollipop from a party bag and binned it before my 5yo sees it. The plastic tat ends up in the bin before the end of the day.

If I absolutely had to use plastic, I’d do a Lego minifigure which at least would be decent quality and hopefully get played with for a long time. Or maybe paper crafts, a cardboard mask, a wooden yo-yo or small toy, a biscuit baking kit, etc.

Peony654 · 30/08/2023 15:26

Yep totally agree, wish they'd lose popularity. It's a bizarre concept isn't it - as an adult you wouldn't expect a gift at the end of a party. Just give a piece of cake to take home. And children should learn to enjoy the experience for what it is.

Original poster
RadoxRita · 30/08/2023 15:29

Thank you all for your thoughts, ideas and comments! Much appreciated.

OP posts:
ArthnoldManacatsaman · 30/08/2023 15:33

My two are late teens now so those kind of parties haven’t happened for a while, however I did a good few years with no party bags. I got so tired of trying to be imaginative, failing and finishing up buying the same multipacks of bouncy balls and yo-yos. I remembered when I used to go to parties at that age we just used to get a piece of cake in a napkin so I started doing that. Nobody complained (to my face anyway!) and there was no decline in reciprocal invitations so I assume nobody really minded!

Ughhelp · 30/08/2023 15:33

One bigger item that will last for each child, for the theme of the party.

PerspiringElizabeth · 30/08/2023 15:36

YABU, we’ve been to masses of kids parties over 8 years and rarely get any tat rubbish party bags. So it’s not been a thing for ages in my experience.

These threads come up all the time so there will be masses of ideas if you search, but here are some good favours we’ve given/received:

snowglobe style drink cup filled with sweets
lego glasses (can build Lego onto them, avail on Amazon)
Book and sweets
Seeds (never get round to planting them and if I do they die, so again, waste)

PerspiringElizabeth · 30/08/2023 15:40

Also if you’re annoyed by the crap party bags then guarantee most of the other parents are too - so no one is going to complain if you forego them.

Hufflepods · 30/08/2023 15:40

Agree. If party bags are needed at all I think they should only be consumables. But you see it on here all the time, people are obsessed with having to include tat. Yes even things like cheap books might not be plastic but are still tat!!

SandyBoffFace · 30/08/2023 15:47

A mug or water bottle filled with sweets/ chocolate bars

A book

A hula hoop

Water pistol

Large bubble wand