I like these goodie bag ideas for kids. I know they're meant to be a thank you but I also think they work as brilliant compensation for the party coming to end. Here, you can take some of the festivities home with you. The party's not over till you (or your mother) have eaten the leftover slice of cake and the balloon has popped.
What goes into a party bag is obviously up to the parents and there are some interesting variations on content. Do the children just get a balloon to take home? Or do you order personalised cotton party bags and fill them with lego sets? Do you include healthy snacks as well as sweets? And if you're handed a party bag on your way out, do you do a quick recce of the contents before handing it over to your little one?
I'd love to hear your thoughts? Do people go overboard? Or is it lovely to see parents go to so much effort to make the children enjoy their day? What are the craziest or best things you've found in your child's goodie bags?
My two are now teenagers but when they were younger I used to get sets of books that matched the party theme from the Book People to put into party bags as well as a few sweets etc. The books worked out to be about £1 each and lasted longer than the plastic bits and pieces I used to buy. Slice of cake too was included of course!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of tying in the books to the party theme. Have put together a Paddington Bear invite for Little Bean's 1st birthday (3 weeks away!) so will be on the lookout for little Paddington books. Thanks so much for your ideas! x
DeleteIt's my thirdlings 1st birthday soon and I've got a few little egg shakers and maracas to pop into bags for the guests along with some baby teething biscuits - I firmly resisted party bags when the older two were little but now find myself a complete convert! I do try to avoid plasticy bits in the bags (because I can't stand it when my kids get those sorts of toys which are lost or broken in minutes) and like mintcustard above find the Book People to be a brilliant place to get nicer, longer lasting gifts.
ReplyDeleteQuality vs quantity then. Will check out the Book People for ideas, thanks for sharing :) And happy birthday to your third! Little Bean's first birthday is in a few weeks time too.
DeleteWe haven't had a birthday yet as my daughter is only 8 months but I live the idea of doing something lovely for her little 'friends' when she turns one. We won't be having a party worthy on inviting MTV round but I love the personalised bag or little toy idea :))) x want something I can keep and look back at when she's grown up and totally embarrass her with xx
ReplyDeleteHa! Your poor child. What do you have up your sleeve!? I can't imagine not celebrating Little Bean's first birthday even though she won't obviously remember it. It's a milestone (and any excuse for a party for the grownups! ;)
DeleteI had to make party bags for my 2yo's birthday party and I was at a loss! Poor mites ended up with tattoos, water balloons and vials of bubble stuff that I'm pretty sure were intended for a hen do. Bet all the parents were cursing my name when they got home but to them I say 'At least I didn't put in the party poppers'.
ReplyDeleteHa - love it!
DeleteThats hilarious. We are having a party for my son in October and we've hired a place that does the party bags for us but now you've got me thinking I could do some for the parents too. I wonder what I could put in them - obviously flying saucers and bubbles would be a good thing
ReplyDeleteLovely idea for the parents to get one too. I suggest cake!
DeleteWith Noah's party on Sunday, and all the bags ready to be assembled I am really enjoying all the feedback! Have had some negative party bag experiences where party food was high sugar and party bag was high sugar and I am left with an exhausted sugar crazed 3 year old for the rest of the afternoon! I vote for a balance...
ReplyDeleteThis years circus theme includes lollies, stickers, little crayon sets and red noses
A circus theme! What a great idea. And red noses will make for some fun photo opportunities.
DeleteI try to only put one sweet in because some parents object and the cake is in there too anyway.
ReplyDeleteI usually opt for:
* A reasonable quality gender specific toy (little
purse/hairbrush/lipgloss for girls, boys I find more difficult)
* Either a packet of pencil crayons/felt tips or a couple of gel pens
* Bubbles
* Mini colouring book
* Something noisy to piss the parents off! (ie. whistle)
I also make sure there are enough helium balloons that each child can take one of those too.
My biggest mistake was over-inviting... For my daughters 5th birthday we had 36 children under 5!!! AAAAAGGGHHHH! (See why they call me CRAZY!)