To not want to give out bags of tat at birthday party?

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DS is having a party for his 5th birthday next week. 25 kids and I’ve just been adding party bag fillers to my Amazon basket, there is now £100 worth of the usual crap in my basket ready to purchase….surely I can get something better for £4 per kid?

im trying to avoid sweets as 3 of the kids attending are type1 diabetic so thought it would be easier to have non-edible party bag contents.

I used to do a luck dip sack. Buy the pens that you can change the colours on, snap bands or key rings and wrap them all up. On the way out give them a piece of cake and something from the lucky dip..job done and not too much cost.

What I meant was if your kid has already come home with a hairy mclary book from a party then it’s possibly worth a swerve on that pack.

really not spreadsheet material.

*What I meant was if your kid has already come home with a hairy mclary book from a party then it’s possibly worth a swerve on that pack.

really not spreadsheet material.*

Hmm we're all different 👍🏻

I personally wish people would stop doing this type of party bag, they are full of tat that's played with once then clutters your house then goes to landfill. And a waste of money for the parent. I hate them!!

Also hate the crap
Things I have done in the past - a bowl of torches bought in bulk - choose your colour, plus similar bulk buy of lollies. Kids happy with lolly on the way home in the car. Plus sucking is soothing for their dysregulated nervous systems!

We had an animal themed fancy dress party once and I had a wicker hamper full small cuddly puppies by the door on the way out - adopt a puppy, and take a balloon. They were so cute. I think about 2.99 each ..

What this thread has confirmed is that people have completely different views on what constitutes "tat".

Yep

They've probably had packs of ten books from parents/grandparents and then all these parties with books. I reckon there's a good chance they will have the books/not interested in the books.

Because it's a crap present and waste of money.

I hate people buying me books, it is so rude to imagine you know what someone will enjoy and assume they won't have the book, so I wouldn't buy books for anyone else unless I know what they like and what they have. Somethings are fine as duplicates, books aren't.

Oh come on all presents from parties are crap generic shit. That's what kids love.

Seeds?? Kids aren't excited about fucking seeds. The parents probably think they're fab, bit the kids just want sweets and crappy toys.

Just hung them a big bar of chocolate/bag of haribo and a blind bag/car/temporary tattoos/glitter pens and it's sorted.

Well I think they'd prefer your crap to a £1 book from The Works.

Hobby craft for paintable plant pots, money boxes etc normally £2. Wild flower seeds or seasonal similar £1 + a piece of birthday cake.

The works 10 books for £10 is really for younger kids, (at least it is in my store), my five year old wouldn't read any of them now.

I did this too for my lg, seemed to go down really well and avoided all the plastic tat!

Ime most children find receiving a book at a party terribly unexciting.

The one exception we've had to this, that was actually enjoyed and appreciated, was a Where's Wally? book. DC1 spent a good portion of the afternoon on the sofa with it, along with the haribo it came with.

If children are school-age, please remember they'll be bringing home reading-books and library books every week in their school bags 😂. Another book is therefore unlikely to elicit great joy unless it's something special or a bit different. My DC brings home the Hairy Maclairy books from school, for example.

Though it does offer a good learning opportunity to teach young children to be polite and express appropriate gratitude even if they're not thrilled about something, which I suppose is useful for us as parents.

ThTs fair. Although surely you’d want to teach your kids, the generation most feeling the effects of global warming and all that jazz, more about it and how to be ecological? Also just generally showing an interest. The plastic shit is all largely pointless, in our house it sometimes goes straight from party to bin as it’s broken and useless. In one, we were given small bouncy balls (that my 3 year old tried putting in his mouth) and plastic key rings. He doesn’t own any keys at this age 🤣

He goes to a forest school nursery, so maybe the seeds were a bit as

Colouring books

Sorry. Sausage fingers pressed send too prematurely 🥲

I meant to say, it might’ve hit the parents different than most, because most of them send their children to the same nursery. But anyways, it’s clearly down to preference! And that’s obviously ok.

there’s a cool website called ecopartybag.co.uk and you can build your own party bags (not just seeds 😉) for quite cheap!

good chatting with you and hearing ideas anyway. Have a nice rest of your weekend x

Although surely you’d want to teach your kids, the generation most feeling the effects of global warming and all that jazz, more about it and how to be ecological? Also just generally showing an interest.

Well yes, but we do this stuff at home (and kids do it at school) to the extent that we can stand. 'Homework' for parents via a party bag is not cool imo 😂.

Where did the tradition start of the party person having to give the guests a gift bag as they left?

Surely their attendance to the party would be enough?

Friend just gave out books at her DD 4th birthday was lovely

£1 worth of 2ps for the arcades haha!

I'd also go with a book! Wrap them up and have them in a basket or whatever er for a child to take on the way out! That's my plan, anyway!

I’m 48 and remember party bags when I was a kid. Usually cake, sweeties and a balloon.

Please no more seeds - we don’t have a garden! And have roamed our local area for hours unsuccessfully trying to find suitable spaces to throw seed bombs.

Kids love tat. Just don’t go overboard. Temp tattoos, hair clips etc

Lol! My kids are both grown up and I’m so glad this is behind me. Lost track of the tat that we’ve received and given out during the early years. Believe me you’ll look back one day and realise it was all tat! 😂