Do I risk social death for my ds by not doing party bags?

[MadameDefarge]

Seriously, it is his first birthday a his new school. Ds is nine. I have booked bowling alley, and will feel them in groovy Amercian diner style cafe there, but I am losing the will to live over the party bag thing.

Now woolworths has gone, it will be impossible to do them in any cheap way...

So AIBU in thinking the little sods can live without them, given the very expensive treat they are already getting, or will I ruin his reputation in his new school?

pmsl at feel not feed

i say do a bag, but put a slice of cake in it, and then some cheap sweets

DD is to young for all this bollocks yet but I will be firmly driling it into her asap that this household does not provide party bags. Utter waste of time and money and no one remembers them anyway. They are just for show and I'm not doing it. So ner

or does the alley have a games arcade - you could give all a £1 to spend in machines -ours does this

indeed Eyeballs, it is decided the 'feel' in the diner and cake are treats enough.

My DS and DD would rather a big bar of dairy milk - I know as I asked them when that is what they got when they went to a party a while ago.

It was yummy, they shared my lovely kids!

'Tis a very posh and upmarket bowling place....no underage gambling that i know of...

What about something like this or this?

And a packet of sweets such as, um, Skittles?

Probably counts as plastic shite but at least it's relevant plastic shite.

OOOOhhh. So cute! But no, I am determined now.

Well our bowling alley is over priced and the staff are uppity but heck, at least tehy doproper parties that come with skittle shaped drinks bottles for the kiddiwinks

What about Poundstretcher or Morrisons, they do great party bag things, or Card Factory.

Sorry, MD, I skim-read the second half of the thread where you firmly decided against the bags.

Anyway, YANBU. My DCs are too little for party bags yet but I adored them as a kid (I was a very shy child and they were pretty much the only reason I went to parties ).

Ladies, many, many thanks for your helpful suggestions, but please stop trying to tempt me from the path of virtue!

my dc6 didnt get a party bag from a party last year

she was a bit

i did explain that the treat was going to a party,playing games etc, and not to EXPECT a bag but guess its something children get used to - whether right or wrong

It will be cake in a bag. So they get the bag. Or is that being even meaner?

you cant give a bag, with nothing in it

so if you dont want to do bags then a bit of wrapped cake and a mini choc bar/haribo will be fine

haven't done them now for 5 yrs, very liberating - really feel that as providing party or entertainment and food that is quite enought

how old was your dc when you stopped?

dd1 was 4 , dd2 not born at time so has lived a deprived life of no party bags

you meany

fancy NEVER giving party bags

i can understand after a while you want to stop, but to never give .......

Just took my 12yo son to a birthday party (coincidentally) and spent the whole journey snorting and giggling over my mental image of standing all the kids in a line in the diner and squeezing them in turn. Not sure why I am so tickled but I am.

She has decided NOT TO BAG and I, for one, am with her!

I shall be frisking them for concealed sweeties....

Think piece of cake sounds fine! Just a thought re your concerns about DS bonding with new schoolfriends...might it be fun to take a couple of 'Bowling Team' photos, get some reprints, and distribute them afterwards? Nice for the children as a souvenir of a great party, and parents would like to see the photo too. Perhaps send it with a note thanking child for coming to the party and for any present they might bring?
Would cost less than party bags and last longer!

in my defence blondes.. I do fab parties to sort of compensate, last birthday dd was 4 , we had a teddy bear party complete with personalised treasure hunts, make a bear and outfits for them and games , so dd2 and friends all got a teddy to take home ....so not really mean ....