Party bags for a 3rd birthday

[midnightexpress]

Looking for inspiration for something for birthday bags for ds1's party.

Don't want to buy a load of expensive old cr*p that will get binned or broken in about 5 mins. Nor do I want anything poncetastic.

About 12 guests, ages between about 2 and 4.

Was considering a bulb and a pot, or a bird ball thingy, paint your own blah, something the LOs could do after the party, but not sure if that would be verging on the poncey. What do you think?

I would turf in some cake and/or sweeties too, just in case anyone thinks I'm being precious.

Any suggestions?

I did bulb and pot thing plus a balloon and a piece of cake. It went down really well. Parents really appreciated not having to take away a load of plastic tat!

This year, for dd's 4th birthday, we're painting terracotta pots at the party and I'm giving them all a packet of seeds/bulbs to take away again so they can plant them in their pot.

My two, 3.6 and 2.3 were at a two year old's on Saturday and in the party bag was a pencil (fairy or pirate) and a mini sticker/join-the-dots book, and a little rubber sheep/camel with loads of spikes. There were other stuff too, but these I remember, cos they played all day with them next day.

I like the bulb and pot idea though!

Thanks for your replies. I did thinmk about seeds, but as it's November, I thought they might have to wait so long to plant them that it would be a bit of a disapointment, so maybe a hyacinth or something.

Pencils and books good too.

disappointment

For DD1's last Birthday we made a cookie with name iced on for each guest

you could not have party bags.

I would vote for bulb & pot. You could get a roll of cellophane and wrap each bulb & pot so it's pretty and then not bother with the bags themselves?

Oooh Sazisi I like that idea! Not sure my icing is up to it, but might give it a whirl. And like the idea of wrapping it all up in cellophane.

chasingsquirrels, yes that is a good point too. I don't remember ever getting them when I was a child. They have snuck in, though, haven't they? But I think it might be seen as curmudgeonly not to do anything.

I think I am turning into competitive mum. Argh.

lol, I'm not doing them. it was ds1's 6th a few weeks ago, and the 3rd party he has had (4th, 5th & 6th), for the first time one of the guests asked if we had party bags (not "can I have my party bag", but a really quiet "are there any party bags?") and I just said that we don't do them.
What we do have is a treasure hunt just before the end with a prize for all, his 4th was little foam pellet pop guns that I got on sale for 37p each, 5th was a book (multi-pack from the book people so around £1 a book) and 6th was a pencil set that I got in the xmas sales for 10p each and have had in the cupboard all year!
I like the pot and bulb idea - especially if you decorate the pot as part of the party. although I am sure the children prefer tat.

At dd's party last year, the children decorated biscuits as an activity and then ate them all at tea time! We just bought some small tubes of decorating icing and then had small bowls of sprinkles, mini smarties, choc buttons etc.

if you go down the decorating route - tesco (don't know about the others) sell the old supercook stuff (now dr ocken or similar) really cheap - 19p for the little oranges and lemons and about 10p for hun&thous.

I'm not really planning too much in the way of activities, as most of the guests will probably be a bit small for anything too organised, and there will be a few too many to corrall, and it will get in the way of the mums' gossiping.

But will put the biscuit decorating in reserve for a future occasion once they're a bit bigger.

Some great ideas. Thanks all.

at you liking my idea!
I used those tiny tubes of coloured writing icing - no icing skill required

Went to a 2yr party and the Mum had a pair of socks for the kiddies Bob the Builder, Barbie etc. It went down a storm with children and parents alike.