Are books a good enough return gift for toddler's party?

[mumtosp]

Hi all,

For DS's 1st birthday party, I had given an age approproate book to every child who attended... loads of parents appreciated the gesture. Now I am getting ready for DS's 3rd birthday party and just wanted to get some opinions on whether this would still be a good idea? Either that or maybe age appropriate colouring books or puzzles...

In the last 3 years, DS has come back with loads of plastic bits and bobs from parties he has attended and the stuff only lasts for a few days before it is either broken or lost.... hence I am not so keen on going down the same route. There will also be a piece of cake going home with the book. Is that enough? Or will kids prefer loads of smaller stuff? I am trying to get books based on each child's liking...

TIA :)

Great at that age and parents will be a lot happier than if you give them a bag of tat

I would struggle to get an appropriate book for each (I suppose it depends on how many and how well you know them) and would just get multipacks of age appropriate books from book people and wrap them separately then do a lucky dip on the way out

FeelingSmurfy lucky dip sounds like a great idea :)

Will also look into Book People... don't know why I didn't think of them earlier! Thanks :)

Parents definitely prefer this around here. After all it can be easily re-gifted if they already have a copy. You sound as if you are putting a lot of thought into it.

Plenty give bags of tat too and my DC love it, but it mainly means there is a sweets frenzy on the way home and it's discarded at the front door. Then in the recycling a few days later. I normally re-gift all the mini pirate jigsaws, fairy colouring books and spinning tops to the school tombola, otherwise we'd have stacks of them.

I did books last year and then cake in the party bag for dd's 5th birthday. I got a 10 pack of Paddington from the book people.

Another party I went to did a lucky dip of presents and one of my friends doesn't do anything except cake.

I think it's fine.

The works is another idea they have 5 for £5 type offers on kids books

Books is great. All the plastic tat gets siphoned off for when I have to make up party cup donations for the school fayre.

Also good are pencils/felt tips (you always need more) and bubble mixture (gets used and then thrown away without guilt)>

Thanks all :)