I hate PARTY BAGS...

[noonar]

...and i know that loads of you do too. so why does everyone give them? would you judge your host if they didnt give one?? what could i do instead- any ideas?

dd will be 5 by the way, and i just cant bring myself to spend £1.50 a head on plastic shite and sugar in a bag.

Give them a book from the Book People and a piece of cake - should do (though I was 'guilted' into doing the party bag thing for the DCs' parties recently).

probably wouldn't work out much cheaper, but a balloon apiece (helium if poss) generally goes down a storm.

i get carried away with party bags, end up with loads of sweets and lollies and plastic crap.

go to the £shop and buy all the kids one of their plastic chracter cups with the lid and straw (do you know what i mean??)

Agree with dislike of plastic tat and randon sweets, but i do like doing party bags with nice bits that are themed to the party. DD's friends went home with little notebooks, a piece of cake, a choccy bar and bracelets which were in between the wrappings in the pass the parcel, plus the wands and crowns they'd made at the party. And a balloon which was part of of the decorations.

i do like the balloon idea! also the book idea. do they have a website? how much for a picture book? it's not so much the cost, as the prinicple, tbh.

dd once went to a party where instead of party bags they each received a tiny flower fairy tin (about the size of a lip balm) with some bits of sequin inside

all were past themselves with pleasure

the book people

and they have got books for £1

You can get 10 packs for £10, which works out at a pound a book. Good value, IMO.

ooh and also once time she got a magnifying glass - a proper sized one - in a brown paper bag

fantastic fun

wow , more good ideas. thanks!

My problem is the differing age/sex of the children. So DS's 6th party next month. I could get a 10 pack of Horrid Henry's for £10 but then what about his two 2you cousins, the 4 yo girl etc.

TheBookPeople.co.uk

Great packs of books at great prices.

I often do character pencils and a little notebook, a balloon and a MilkyWay or little Kinder bar. For girls I have done a hair bobbin/slide.

I actually like doing them. And I know children love getting them.

at our school, when fathe christmas visits, all the children get a book and this is where PA gets the books from.

we're going to give out footballs (£13 something for 12 from baker ross). No sugar & encourages exercise.

thanks for the bookpeople link. will defo take a clsoer look.

nearly said that 'there're mostly going to be girls coming' how very sexist! the ball idea is fab.

I agree - party bags are normally full of stuff that ends up in the bin, a complete waste of money and time. However, there is an expectation to have a party bag of some description. We have done the helium balloon and a treat size bag of Buttons and it went down great. It also made the tea table look great - each child had a balloon on their chair. My only advice is to try and discourage the kids from running around with them as they end up in a tangled mess - or on the ceiling in the church hall! I really like the book idea, maybe you could incorporate this into a lucky dip, or a hide and seek game? I have heard a mum declare she wasn't going to do party bags - a breath of fresh air really! She just gave out a bag of buttons.

noonar, I agree entirely. My dd's 6th birthday party is coming up in a few weeks and I have decided not to do party bags. She is having a bowling party which is costing me enough without spending another couple of quid each on plastic tat and sweets. They will get a piece of cake and some sort of small gift which is in with the price per head.
I will be the first one of my daughter's 'crowd' not to provide party bags and am actually quite looking forward to the reaction of the children / mums when they realise there are none! Will I be judged? Who cares??

Part of DD's bags were glow sticks and glow bracelets - went down very well. But the packaging says suitable from age 6, though I think they're OK for younger really.

Coloured feathers (get a packet from a craft shop) go down well.

ds's are only having a family party this year so may do something other then party bags.

Any ideas what we can send into school other then sweets??? the kids in his class are like vultures, we went to a party before christmas and there was a pinata, there was a stand up fight over the sweets inside and one little girl got trampled.DS1 was gutted he didnt get anything out of it.

One girl at DD's school's mum (are you following this?) made fairy cakes to take in to school - went down a treat with the kids. I guess it's not much different to sweets, but is somehow nicer. We didn't send anything in to school.

I just bought big pack of play doh from woolies - they are celebrating 50 years so the pack has 50 small tubs in it for a fiver - going to put these in party bags for ds's 6th birthday this summer - hate plastic crap and sweets!

But they like plastic shite and sugar in a bag. Go with the flow