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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

Party Bags at 3 year old party .. necessary?

30 replies

twiglett · 16/01/2004 21:24

message withdrawn

OP posts:
sykes · 16/01/2004 21:28

No, they're not - and am sure the children are happy with a balloon and a lovely party. Yours sounds great. But if you do it do it really cheaply - they don't have to cost hardly anything. And I really think my dds don't even register they've got one.

LIZS · 16/01/2004 21:31

I tend to think yes but keep it really simple - a balloon, small toy, stickers or novelty and piece of cake, perhaps.

MancMum · 16/01/2004 21:31

Sorry to confirm but I would say they are! I have been amazed at how much is expected from kids parties ... was not like this in my day when you were grateful to leave with a battered piece of cake!

My DS has been to about 6 parties for school friends this year and has come home with at least a party bag, toy balloon from entertainer and a piece of cake - I would say average contents of party bag costs about 2-3 quid and what really amazed me was how much people spent on his birthday presents when we had his party.. I thought the usual price for that age wuold be about a fiver - but his pressies were loads more than that - still feel guilty when I see the kids in the playground and feel I should give them a cheque to make up the difference!!

I bought some cheap book from the book people for my party bags and got some bits from a pound shop - but still muttered about the expense.. I would understand if we lived somewhere posh but w don't.

Can we start a Ban party bags campaign??

babster · 16/01/2004 21:43

Yes! I hate party bags - apart from the fun size choc, the rest is just plastic cr*p which I end up chucking out as it either breaks or doesn't get played with. And I don't believe you should have to give presents to the partygoers - it smacks too much of 'what's in it for me?' A balloon and/or cake is plenty IMO!

babster · 16/01/2004 21:44

Sorry - I meant Yes, let's start a Ban the Party Bags campaign, not Yes they're necessary...

Stargazer · 16/01/2004 21:46

I hate party bags and agree that we should stop doing them. When I have a party for my DD I think I'll keep it to a balloon and piece of cake.

iota · 16/01/2004 21:48

the trouble is kids expect them - well mine do and have been known to ask loudly (at a Christmas party when he'd received a nice expensive present) oh the shame of it

Oakmaiden · 16/01/2004 22:49

I don't do them at all. I give them a slice of cake and a balloon and say bye. I have had children ask where their bags are, but I just say "There aren't any". Parties are so expensive anyway, and I have entertained and fed these children - I see no need to spend more money filling their dustbins with plastic rubbish.

But maybe I am just mean....

JulieF · 16/01/2004 23:57

The concept of party bags was novel to me too when dd first started going to parties. For her 2nd birthday her party bag consisted of a piece of cake, a mini box of raisons and a fun size pack of buttons. Balloons were blown up at the party and those who wanted to took one home.

I would also spend about £5 on a present for any party she went to. At her party some spent £2-3 some about £10 but I was grateful for anything she got.

SoupDragon · 17/01/2004 09:08

I love doing party bags! I try not to put too many sweets in them (usually chocolate and none of thos horrible gummy things). I always put something noisey in them, a cheap book from the book people (they do great bumper sets of books) and stuff from Ikea - eg their felt pens are great value at 30p.

You can do them vey cheaply, particularly for 3 year olds. Ballon, cheap book, bag of buttons and one of those noisey blowy trumpet things (30 for £1 in Poundland!).

Hulababy · 17/01/2004 09:12

What about just a cheap pack of crayons and a little mini notepad - vey cheap from Wilkinsons, and a balloon. Nice and simple and at 3 years old I doubt the children will really know what to expect anyway so shouldn't be needed all the sweets, etc.

misdee · 17/01/2004 09:17

my ss's went to a party last week. loads of sweets in there which we tried to spread over a few days, a colouring book and crayons, which dd1 is still busy colouring in today.

WideWebWitch · 17/01/2004 09:28

125 quid! I'm shocked at that tbh. You could compromise and hand out fun sized Mars bars or something and a piece of cake. It's what I usually do, but I'm a bit mean about party bags really - I don't see why I should thank kids for coming when the party costs a lot in time and effort! Aware that I'm usually alone in this view though. Blimey, just read other posts before I posted and I'm not alone! Yes, let's start a ban party bags campaign...

Carla · 17/01/2004 09:29

Hate them, but think they're necessary. Like Iota, I have suffered the embarrassment of a 4 year old asking loudly for them. I don't even think it was out of greed, it's just in her little mind party = party bags at the end.

WideWebWitch · 17/01/2004 09:30

I spend five quid on presents too, seems about right at most parties ds has attended.

zebra · 17/01/2004 11:47

£5 for presents was the MNet consensus on a previous thread... but I reckon most of DS's party gifts were more like £2-£3... are my friends cheap or what??

NGPY · 17/01/2004 13:29

Do you mean £5 per child or £5 in total? The latter I hope!

WideWebWitch · 17/01/2004 13:31

I mean five quid for a present for the birthday child, i.e. the one whose party we're attending.

zebra · 17/01/2004 13:32

Mmmm... Perhaps my error! I meant £5 for presents to the birthday child; I think I spent more like £10-£12 for all the party bag items at DS's 4yo party, but we had maybe... 18 children?, which is fairly many.

NGPY · 17/01/2004 13:48

I was confused, I thought you meant the value of what you were putting in the party bags! Yes £5 seems about right for the birthday boy/girl.

elliott · 17/01/2004 21:36

I have a question - when were party bags invented? I had no idea about them until about a year ago (ds1 is only 2, btw!) I am a bit of a mean stick and I think they are just part of the whole overblown consumerist too-much-stuff-no-one-needs thing. As for whether or not they are 'necessary', well surely its your party and you can do as you please? just as long as you don't mind disappointing some people....

Slinky · 17/01/2004 22:13

I've done party bags in the past - mainly some cake, couple of funsize choc. bars, stickers etc. I'm really lucky as locally we have a Factory Shopping Village which has a toy shop and has masses of stuff especially for party bags, ie mini pencils/pens, drawing books and games etc - usually priced around 30p.

Must admit this year, DD1 took a couple of friends rollerskating and a meal, DS1 took a couple of friends to the cinema then a meal. Didn't bother with party bags - just gave them a bar of Dairy Milk each

DD2 had an organised party at Brewsters (very successful NOT - she hated Brewster Bear and cried, then her hair caught fire from the candles ).

Linnet · 17/01/2004 22:14

I think that party bags are part and parcel of a party.

When dd has her birthday party, and she's only had 2 so far, we go to a play area place in town that do the party bags as part of the package. They consist of piece of birthday cake, notepad, pencil, stickers, and sweets. Sometimes they get a little ornament thing, which dh sneaks into the bin after a few weeks but usually they are quite good. And since they are included in the price per head it saves me the hassle of having to worry about them.

You don't have to spend a fortune on party bags. any party bags that dd has brought home from other parties at peoples houses etc are usually full of the same things.

But if you don't want to do them don't. 3-4 year olds would be happy with a piece of cake and a balloon.

marialuisa · 18/01/2004 14:58

Twiglett, if you have a Wacky Warehouse near you they'll do the whole lot (bags, food etc.) for £4.99 a head. We realised that this would be a lot cheaper for us (as well as less work ) than the church hall route.

I'm 25 and we definitely had party bags in my day. Don't think they were a new fangled invention then.

Jimjams · 18/01/2004 19:20

oh heck I've just remembered them. We had party bags ready to give out at ds2's birthday tea yesterday. But my friend's dd got into our medicine cabinet (she's 7, autistic) and ate day nurse ("poisonous. not nice" as she said) so she had to go to hospital and I totally forgot the party bags until I saw this thread. No-one noticed.

Friend's dd is fine btw.