To beg you not to buy cheap rubbish from Temu for party bags?

[Nescafeneeded]

They’re toxic and horrible, end up in the bin, total waste and the parts are a danger around toddler siblings.

Just don't buy from Temu full stop.

It's all just shit stuff which nobody needs and is just landfill waiting to happen.

We've been to parties where the kids took a book home too, they've been a Works 10 for £10 job and generally pretty crap (you can get some really good books in these deals/ at the Works but for some reason the ones we've had at parties have been the kind where the story is nonsensical and not particularly engaging).

We've never had seeds but seen it recommended many times too - it just makes me think 'ah you're one of those mums' - probably lovely and well meaning but a bit too earnest and thinking the children will be delighted with a packet of seeds. And you know what, in other circumstances my daughter might be, but she goes to a party excited for sweets and tat, and would probably just be bemused by seeds in that context! It's also a bit presumptuous that all the other parents are going to have the time, space, energy, equipment etc to be planting seeds with their kids that week- most likely they'll be bunged in a drawer somewhere, forgotten about and thrown away like so much plastic tat.

We went to a little boy's pirate party last year, and everyone got some 'treasure' (chocolate coins) to take away, that was great. If you don't want to do the tat (and I remain convinced there's a place for it!) then do sweets or cake and a balloon, or nothing. Books and seeds etc just come off a bit worthy to me.

Agree.

It ends up in the bin at our home after a week.

DC brings it home and then forgets about it and doesn’t notice it when it’s gone.

Don't turn your nose up at seeds. My little boy was given a bagful of plastic tat but he traded it for five little beans. I must admit I rolled my eyes at them but he was convinced they were valuable.

Anyway he planted them and they grew into a truly giant beanstalk, winding its way into the clouds. He slowly climbed to the top, where he found - a huge Temu warehouse!

Inside was acres on end of plastic tat and shoddy goods of every description, all of which he laboriously lowered into our garden by winch, so we could take it to landfill.

What brand did you buy from AliExpress.

No, not all products from online market places will be fake or dangerous, but some will and you can't tell from the photos.

You only need to look online for Temu vs reality to see just how much and how broad the ‘fake’ stuff is pushed. The photo they show on the site is NOT what you will receive, more often than not. And there’s no way to tell, it’s a total gamble.

Annoyingly, this is becoming more frequent on Amazon as well now.

If you’re ‘lucky’ you’ll just get something that’s badly made, in miniature, or even just a photo of the thing you ordered! If you’re unlucky, you get something made with toxic materials that is dangerous.

Personally, I prefer not to gamble with to my families health if I can avoid it.

Here are some examples:

@Nescafeneeded

Choc buttons - not suitable for those with dairy allergies.

Re you being super practical, FYI my children dont have keys but they used to put those keyrings on their school bags. All the kids at school did this.

I think you are fine to have your own opinions but just don't judge others. Your concerns about waste / tat / poor practice by these companies are all legit, but it is spoiled by your self righteousness.

Keeppley.
An actual mainstream brand sold in Asia.

In this case it's not Temu but the party bag tradition that's the problem. Plastic tat is plastic tat regardless of source, and in fact the plastic tat you buy here in the UK will have been made in the same factory in China; the UK seller could have bought it directly but may well have bought it on Temu.
the answer is not to buy plastic tat

@itsallsohard the thing is....one persons "tat" is another persons "perfectly ordinary toy".
I remember reading on a thread that someone just threw all the party bag stuff straight in the bin because it was "clutter and crap" (or words to that effect). But this apparently included some Lego Polybags - the small sets that come in paper (previously plastic) bags which sell for around £4.
To me that's just a toy. Not "tat". But to some Mumsnetters it's apparently all just "landfill".

maybe just don’t buy from TEMU at all. See article below citing fakes, dangerous products, and likely forced labour. There are reasons why it’s so cheap. Only you can decide if you want to be a consumer who supports their practices by buying from them.

www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-is-temu-and-is-it-safe-to-buy-from-a7BUb4k5fBFH

Haha exactly or vegan plastic free flavour free sweet free shitty chocolates

The naivety of people thinking that their branded clothes are NOT made in China or somewhere with mass production and people
working around the clock as well and likes to shame people buying from Shein or Temu amazes me. It all comes from the same place ! China, Pakistan, Indonesia. Read the labels.

There's a difference between buying clothes that have been made in China while following safety rules that make them fit for sale in the UK and Europe, and buying clothes that have been made in China that don't follow those rules and aren't fit for sale in the UK and Europe.

Though if had the money, I'd only buy clothes actually made in my country, but second hand is pretty much all I can afford as I refuse to buy cheap fast fashion.

Ooh, that reminds me, my Temu is out for delivery, looking forward to opening all the tat :)

I give each child a sweetie cone and a piece of cake/mini cupcake/baby colin the caterpillar.
a couple of years ago i gave each girl a mini Squishmallow in an egg that i got from The Works as i knew they were all mad about them.

This is a great idea!

Hard agree - don't know any child that would be happy with seeds or a book!!

I always did a sweetie cone.

This

I know people IRL who are very much “Make Britain Great Again” but very unwilling to actually back this up by paying the higher cost for a similar product UK made

What is it with Mumsnet and fetishizing hating anything considered "good" for children?

It's like the thread about what to serve at a 3yo party with 1yos present, where posters were shitting on the idea of cut up fruit.

Well, my 2yo son had a fruit buffet at his birthday and they demolished it before enjoying a slice of cake.

It's just a bit grim and pathetic in equal measure to crap all over people suggesting non-plastic tat.

My kids would have loved a book, seeds and a sweet cone. Plus a piece of plastic crap!

It's not that deep - l have never done plastic tat - only ever sweet cones which kids love.
And yes fruit and veggie sticks were available too.
But call me pathetic if it makes you feel better.

Not being unreasonable at all. Temu just seems to be intent on destroying the planet by selling tat people don’t need but can’t help buying because it’s cheap.

I think what some people don’t understand is that 2 identical-looking items can be made in the same production lines in the same factory, but one can be made by responsible workers with materials which have been tested for safety and durability, and the item itself can be inspected for safety, while the other is made from cheap materials by a load of kids and not fault-tested at all.

Not everything made in China is crap. The factories can be required to use certain materials and to do appropriate safety testing by the company ordering the goods - obviously, the factory will charge more for this, and the company will pass that cost on to the consumer. There are also copyright laws which must be adhered to. The same factory can then produce similar products but use cheap (or dangerous) materials, use kids to work the machines, and skip the testing; they can then sell this cheaply to companies who couldn’t care less.

If you buy something in the UK (or in Europe generally) in a shop, you can be fairly confident that it’s made of decent materials, has been safety tested etc. because the law in the UK states that this should be the case, and shops can be fined for not following the law. They can also be fined for stealing someone else’s design.

If you buy something online, you don’t have that guarantee; the product could kill you (or your child) and the seller wouldn’t be held to account.

Hence the price difference.

Your blanket statement is not very informative. If you want to out another retailer feel free to cite sources. My own research has led to TEMU coming off my own acceptable list of retailers. SHEIN does not appear to be quite as bad but I personally would not buy from them.