To ask if this is a good idea re party bags?

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

DD’s 5th birthday is in a couple of weeks. Rather than filling a bag with plastic things from Amazon, I’m thinking of buying a load of books from the Works and each child can take one on the way out (along with a slice of cake of course). As a parent would you think this is a nice idea or a bit twee and show off ‘look at me such a superior educational parent’?

I threw a Harry Potter themed party for one of my kids and the party bags had a copy of the book Quidditch Through The Ages, a chocolate and jelly belly beans in a Bertie Box Every Flavour Beans box. So a book and a couple of sweets. No one complained!

I think it's nice. I have been to a few parties where books have been given out, nicer for the grown up than lots of plastic things which end up being chucked away. I think parents are being quite creative with party bags now, a lot of seeds, flowers, Easter eggs (at Easter). The most popular with my kids though is the sweetie cones.

I do this every year with my children's birthday parties. It probably works out similar price too tbh.
And my children have been to a few parties where they do this too.
A book, some cake and a bag of haribo/sweet cone.
Bish bash bosh, done.

yes we did that at that age

My DD went to a party that did this - it’s the only thing she’s received from a party that has stood the test of time and she still has it. It’s a good idea.

Fine but I never understand the bit of cake thing. Why not give it to the kids at try party to eat as dessert? The amount of times I've had a sticky crumbly mess in the back seat of the car...

If you're forced to read it over and over then doesn't that mean the kid likes it?

My kid got a random book from a series at a party once, but a year or so later he got really into that series and I was trying to track them all down so all good!

The awkwardness of this could be that a book is something I would give as an actual gift to the birthday child (or a football as some above has said they did as a party bag thing).
Just give some sweets (ie a packet of Smarties), the cake and a Hot Wheels car. I've yet to meet a 5 year old who doesn't like a Hot Wheels car 😂

I love books but my ds just didn't. Plastic tat or not, that's what children want, it's meant to be a treat. If children love reading they will more than likely have plenty at home, or parents that buy them anyway.

It's fine if the books are actually fun. If you are personally reading them and enjoying them in the shop before buying them then fine. The book bundles in my experience at least half are awful and go straight to the charity so you wouldn't be saving the world from any tat with a bad book. I would guess you wouldn't have spent more than £1 or £1.50 on the book if you did this so might look cheap if a very small party.

Please don't put cake in a party bag- it always comes home a big mess- and always ends up in the bin. I'm not sure the book would escape alive!

I'm a no on this. My dc wouldn't be impressed and they dont hate books.

Mostly when we've received books we've either got it already or it's one we didn't want.

I personally prefer plastic tat, sweets, a punch balloon goes down well, a bubble wand is excellent for that age.

I've done full sized slinkies but not at 5 as they'd probably tangle it.

how about a mini spy notepad with invisible ink/UV light pen?

Try also pokemon cards or whatever is the popular collectible of that age group.

It would be rare to get a child who is like "books yay!". Just give a sweet bag if you hate tat.

We've done this before, they went down very well. I've also bought models to paint from Hobbycraft before. They often have a little sale on and I find it the same cost as filling a party bag.

We did books in the past, when dd was small, and we also received them too. Always went down well ime.

@ccrenellations yeah but he also likes some quite good books and I'd rather be reading those if I'm going to be made to do it. I'm still not over a horrific Christmas book handed to him by Santa at nursery.

Please accept my apologies for not rtft, but my experiences of 4 dc maybe of some use…. (Albeit a few years ago now, youngest is 23).

One year I did the book party bag, so fed up was I with sourcing interesting plastic tat. One child loudly uttered “a book, who wants a book in a party bag?” I was mortified (as was parent of said child). My eldest then took me aside and gently told me that no child wants a book in something that should be fun. So I went back to tat. Jolly glad those days are over.

Surely it being hit or miss is true of anything in a party bag though - that's the nature of a cheap generic gift for a group of people - the plastic tat just as much as books. That's why a lot of parents don't like the plastic tat -because most of it is used, at most, for 30 seconds on the way home from the party and then just dumped in a cupboard somewhere never too be looked at again. Even something which is a hit for your child is unlikely to have been a hit for every child at the party.

Even if your buckets and spades were a hit for every child who attended your party (if you had more than a couple of kids at the party I'd be willing to bet some had more than enough buckets and spades already), it can only work once, next time someone has a party noone is going to want another bucket and spade. The same isn't true of books.

People have been doing books in party bags for at least 20 years. The problem is - if it's from a cheap set from The Worke etc, readers are likely to already have it, and non-reader won't appreciate it.

We did cartoon socks once. Got a lot of pairs from Poundland. That went down well.

It’s a great idea! I’ve done it myself

Sweet cones and a piece if cake are the norm here. Occasional the big punch balloons that rattle, or in the sweet bag the sticky men that 'climb' down walls, or a squishy, so just one small toy. Books wouldn't go down well here.

I love the idea but my daughter (who does love books, honestly!) is never very impressed. She prefers the bag of tat 🙄

the one exception was when the parent bought a set of books about bums and poo and snot and stuff (non fiction and I think from the works) And all the kids thought it was hilarious! They also got a pack of Haribo or something.

tbh I’d prefer a sweet cone than plastic tat.

I agree, giving a book is a fantastic idea from the point of view of parents and for less plastic waste, but in my experience, five year olds really like getting a bag of little bits of tat. I once worked for a family where mum did books as a party gift and the little boy begged her to do "proper" party bags the following year.

It’s fine but the books aren’t always the best so depending on the book I’d rather them get a party bag. Also most kids would prefer a party bag. I like the bubble wand idea, what about a bubble wand and small bag of haribo?

Ive ordered some pouches and I’m putting in stickers, temp tattoos and some sweets. I feel like they are more likely to get used and less tat.

All the same book? Good idea. Different ones, may be arguments.

Yes I used to do this - but wrap them!

Another vote for books (not sure if they're still around but The Book People used to do decent discounts on sets of popular books).

I'll never get round to planting seeds, we have enough plastic tat and ours always went in the bin a couple of days later. Stuff like water bottles and footballs are useful at least. Or just a bag of sweets which is probably what the kids would choose.