Party bags

[Axalotl]

I HATE them. You spend a fortune on a party and it just adds to the budget. Worthless plastic rubbish that breaks quickly and sweets that the kids don't need.

Both my kids have birthdays this month.

Help me feel less awful about party bags! Any solution for making them less awful?

I started buying packs of books from The Works - like Horrible Histories, My Little Pony etc after a few years of plastic tat party bags. Paired with a pack of Haribo it always went over well!

Just don't do them.

Don't do them or don't give "plastic rubbish".
Simples....as the meerkat says.

Or -
Piece of the cake/a cupcake
Packet of Smarties
One small toy like a Hot Wheels Car.
Also.... don't spend a fortune on a party. Have 5 friends at home with a few games and nibbles to eat.

Books are a lovely, wholesome idea but the kids don’t really like them.

How old are the kids?

sweets always go down well.

we have a party on Saturday and I’ve just bought a load of small selection boxes instead of party bags. I think the kids will enjoy them more than the plastic bits that are usually in these bags. (It’s a pity that they come with plastic trays).
They’re 3 for €6 in Ireland at the moment.

YABU to do rubbish party bags then complain about them. YANBU to hate plastic tat. The bags are only as good as what you put in them. Set a budget and do a nice party favour or favours in a recyclable paper bag instead. Colouring books, stickers, no sweets, die cast cars are all good choices. We went to a party where you got a plant instead of a bag. Another gave seeds. Another did cookie mix in a glass jar. You're in control of this.

I got them all a little teddy on a key chain as an alternative to a party bag one year. The girls loved them and most of them ended up attached to their school backpacks.

DD has come home with little chocolates with her initial as the main thing and then a few mini smarties or something to make the pouch look colourful.

And a couple of times with a bag of mixed sweets (I liked that a little less to be fair because I don't like her having lots of sweets but it was better than plastic tat and she loved it!).

One party did the book thing in reception and the kids were happy with it.

Bubble wands might work depending on the age of the kids? Although they're plastic, it's not like a pile of plastic tat and small kids love bubbles!

Similarly if the kids are young, sticker sheets are always popular!

Paper bag decorated by birthday child, notebook (bought a multi pack of brightly coloured ones), couple of fancy pencils/pens, rubber, sweets, cake. Job done, minimal plastic waste.

Don't do them. Just send them home with a piece of cake.

Kids will be thrilled with cake; parents will be thrilled there are no sweets or plastic tat

We went to a party and my son got to paint a pottery money box to bring home, it was a great idea and we will do something similar. In my opinion they eat enough sweets etc at the party and don’t need more plastic crap

I don’t do them. Make sweet cones and give out cake

when we received bags most of the crap goes in the bin

How old are the kids?

I've tried to get relatively cheap things, but things the kids actually liked or could play with at the end of the party, over the years.

e.g. those little polystyrene planes you put together when the children were little, or bottle of prime as older kids, that sort of thing. I think I only did the bag with plastic stuff in once and regretted it :)