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’?

Love books > party bags. You can still create a "fuck off bag" by popping the book and a bit of cake in the bag, even a bubble wand like you've said. If any child is disappointed perhaps it's a good time for parents to explain the party is the fun thing, and expecting a bag of shitty tat is grabby and rude.

I’d personally rather have a party bag for my child than another book to add to the collection. Just adds to the excitement of a party imo

A lot of people have the same idea so we ended up with a lot of duplicates.
In the past, we've done water bottles with the child's initial (from B&M) filled with sweets and a soft toy dog with a home made "adoption certificate" and chocolate bones (dog themed party).
Both seemed to go down well

What a great idea!
Mr Man books are popular with 5 yr olds ( aimed at 5 to 7s but enjoyed by younger kids too ) Sets work out at under £1 per book.

We did books and I had bought those cube cupcakes so very easy to give out. I think I also bought some premade sweet cones. All v easy and no plastic tat in sight.

Do you even know you've been to a party if you don't leave with a punch balloon and tiny yoyo?!

It's fine, but my experience is that it looks virtuous to parents but is less enjoyable for dc.

Go for it...but the kids will be disappointed! Mine always is when it's a book, even though he loves to read.

Just buy the brown paper bags in home bargains (the type you can put a packed lunch in).

Then you still get the advantage of a bag to make a quick exit/not fight over who gets what.

Or home bargains do good sticker books for 59p. We've used those before. Or the little sticker mosaic things.

Surely at age 5 it is a book that parents will read to kids. 5 year olds in reception can't really read anyway

Surely no 5 year old is excited by a pot of bubbles? Especially those rubbish tiny bottles. They get one in every party bag.

Everyone I know does this - I’ve been doing this since my kids were 3.

Like I said i've yet to meet a small child who isn't excited by bubbles. Are the little pots a bit crap, sure, but they still enjoy them. As for getting one in every party bag, isn't that the point of the thread? It's clear that there are a lot of parents who give out seeds, books, sweets or just a piece of cake, rather than a party bag of plastic, and that includes the pots of bubbles.

It's nice, lots of parties my two have been to have done this. But kids will ask (hopefully in private) where's the party bag and that's including my children who are big readers - some of the book sets people give out aren't great or they've already got.

Kids love a bag of tat. I'd do paper bag with cake, sweet or chocolate thing and something like Lego mini figure or those blind bag toys in whatever theme is popular - which at least get kept a bit longer and played with.

Mini bottles are usable but those teeny thin star wand ones are not!

Great idea!
My daughter had a handful of friends to her 7th party last year so did book and bubbles and they loved it!

My daughter has just been to a party today and got a book in the party bag, she was delighted.
She also got a small paint your own ceramic animal. Excellent party bag.

Yes I have a book from a charity shop to each kid. A fun one!

My kid would be thinking where is my bag of shit that I love so much.. where is my whistle that I love annoying my mum with..

I think it’s a nice idea. My only hesitation is that when we’ve received books instead of party bags in the past, the books have been a bit crap and we’ve not ended up keeping them. So I’d just make sure that the books are half decent (and I’d add a little bag of chocolates or sweets to soften the blow of no party bags full of tat!).

We’ve been to a few who’ve done this and she’s either got it or wouldn’t read it - DD might be the only child who loathes Mr Men. But it’s generally a good idea and we’ve regifted unwanted books.

The last party we were at they did one of those sweet cones with a few different sweets in, a far cry from the very complicated stuff filled bags of the start of term last year. And you’ll never please anyone. Two kids I know hate haribo. Some people don’t have gardens. Some parents don’t like bubbles. Even with cake we’ve got various allergies of friends to consider.

Go with your idea, sounds good.

I do sweet cones. Cost about 50p a child if you go to home bargains. Because you’re choosing your own sweets you can make them vegan/ vegetarian/ gluten free. I used icing bags and ribbon last time I did them as they didn’t have any sweet cone bags. Also get my dc helping put the sweets in which they think is marvellous fun 😁

It's been done to death and the kids are always unenthused.

Why not scrap the party bag altogether? The kids will still be unenthused, but it will mean less expense/waste.

The best party bag gift we've had lately contained a decent quality magnifying glass and a spy pen. Both still played with.

At that age my son would have preferred tat like stickers or slime or a small squishy. The books were never good ones, often terrible so never looked at again.

But tbh if you throw in a slice of cake they will be perfectly happy. And if you don't do seeds and a plant pot or anything that makes a chore for the parents, they will be happy too.

Yes, please no homework for parents. I don't want to make a peg doll, thank you!