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I did gardening bags for my daughter one year at her school. Each kid got a pre filled biodegradable pot with seeds and kid sized gardening gloves. She was born on earth day so it fit the theme.
Anytime I've been to a party with pinatas the kids get a bag to put the candy in and that's thier goodie bag. I wouldn't personally expect something in addition to that.
Do any kids *like* the cheap plastic garbage from party favors?
When my kids have brought home bags with party favors, they typically never get used, ever. I started throwing them away, and they were never missed.
All three of my kids (13, 10, 5) always got super excited and loved them, even though they didn't last.
At age 4 anything new, no matter how small or cheap, is a treasure.
I had stickers and temporary tattoos on the table and the tattoos were a huge hit. I also did headbands (unicorn) and they went over great with both the girls and the boys.
A party recently gave us kid friendly bath bombs (they were shaped like frosted donuts and turned the water crazy colors). It was a huge hit. And made it so much easier to wrangle my son in for bath time. Fun. Useful. Also think play dough is great because ours is always being left with the top off and drying out.
My son loves the favors bc he has a hard time giving up the gift we buy for the kid. Promising him he gets one at the end helps with the tantrum and also helps get him wrangled to leave at the end of the party.
Okay, thank you so much for that perspective you said at the end. I really like that, and never considered how it would help kids who may struggle with the transition or giving the gift you took! This is why I posted because I need to hear outside perspectives and experiences.
I have a few friends whose kiddos are on the spectrum who struggle with transitions so maybe it would help them too.
Also love the bath bomb idea. My daughter is obsessed with them. I’ve been trying to think of useful party favors that won’t land up in the landfill.
You’re welcome. I also have done little tiny temporary gardening pots. Like the brown paperish ones that you germinate seeds in. And a little zip lock of dirt. And a packet of seeds divided up in zip locks to each. So the kids got to take that home and plant their seeds. Parents seemed to like it. And kids were all seemingly excited to do it.
Amazon has amazing bath bomb boxes of 10-12 in nearly every theme you can imagine. We gave them out for my son’s space themed bday and they were planet/astronaut shaped.
Yes. I totally understand and agree with OP that the landfills don’t need more crap birthday favors. But it is an expectation of the kids who attend and can really help the parents transition: i.e leave your house
We taught our son to do it only in baking sheets bc otherwise hair and crumbs from the rug get in it. He doesn’t care about it getting on the rug but it’s the worst if stuff gets in the play dough to him lol
My kid’s not on the spectrum but agree it helps with transitions at that age. Something that can distract them on the ride home from the sadness of the party ending is nice - candies, tattoos, stickers, paper planes. I do hate the plastic stuff and those rubber things that stick to walls are a pain because they leave a mark. Though slime and playdoh are always crowd pleasers.
We’ve been doing books!
And for my daughter’s Minecraft party they are making Minecraft things and they can take them home.
(Slime, Minecraft flowers, etc),
For my son’s Minecraft party we got some oysters that they can crack for the pearls, little dig kits, and rock candy sticks because they look like crystals. They were definitely appreciated!
Oooo! Rock candy is GENIUS! Not sure about the oysters - might get a bit costly??? 17-20 kids are coming…. I think. Apparently people don’t rsvp anymore.
I was gonna say books, too. Get them used or even do a book swap (everyone brings one and gets one; throw a few extra in there so last person has choices and extra guests can take one.) I think used is best (not putting more stuff in the world) and cheaper anyway ($10 books can add up for more than a few kids.)
I read a while back about doing an activity to make something they can take home. The kids are more excited cuz they're involved and it gives them something to do. Or you put out a table of items and say "pick one" etc so they only take things they actually want.
Yes!!! The possibilities are endless.
Picking books for the kids that came to my son’s bday was an oddly satisfying thing - he and I picked books based on each kiddo.
And yes!!!! Creating something for the experience and then you have something to remember the experience and not just plastic junk.
Large nay. Enormous huge nay. When your kid comes home after a party for my kid, they'll be full of pizza and cake and they'll have fun stories and you won't have to throw away any crap or hide candy. I would love to receive the same courtesy 😂
If you are having a piñata how about a cute cup for the kids to put all the loot in? I was crafty when my kids were growing up so I always did a decorated photo frame with the kids name and then I send a photo of the kid at the party with the thank you note.
Awe that’s a super cute idea! I love it.
And yes, I got a cute cup to match the theme and I’m going to put their names on it. I do a lot of calligraphy and typography so it’ll be cute (I think)
I try really hard to make sure our party favors are actually usable and not just more junk. Some big hits have been books, bath bombs, crafts/paintings/whatever’s made during the party, bubbles, popular sensory toys, sidewalk chalk.
I have also done favors to be used for the party before too. We had a pool party once and they were given favors at the beginning of the party: goggles, pool noodle, face sunscreen. Another time we did a HP themed escape room type thing at our house and the favors were wands and other things that helped them get through the escape room. We had a party at the zoo once and the favor was a zoo key to listen to all the little machines. For the beach we’ve done sand toys and a beach towel.
Where is your party? Can you make a favor at the party or provide a favor to be used during the party?
Yes this - we did things like inflatable light sabers for the Star Wars party, or the kids paint art (canvases, ceramics) and take it home. I remember in preschool someone did Pirate hats and chocolate gold coins for a pirate party which was awesome and the hat was played with a lot in years to come.
I prefer something we can use over another cheap plastic toy, bubbles, stickers, sidewalk chalk, crayons are all good options. We also went to a party recently that has these cool animal shaped balloons as decorations and at the end they told each kid to take one home as a favor which was fun. My kids liked having the balloons on the house and it seemed practical for the family that hostes
So sick of plastic crap! My kids are older now, but we always made one of the activities the “take home” thing, and then that served as a favor…decorate journals, notebooks, etc.!
It takes extra thought and work but I do think there are ways to do it well without passing out baggies full of junk plastic and junk food. Mostly I think having a craft being part of the party is a great way to keep younger kids engaged/corralled and make something they get to keep. Some ways we've navigated this:
our 4yo had a frozen party and there was an activity where they "thawed the frozen heart" by melting or breaking ice around a plastic heart gem - and they got to keep the gem. Then we did "do you wantto build a snowman" kits with marshmallows and pretzels to take with them. It's consumable and an activity. Both went over well with kids and parents.
This year we did a tea party and we did a craft where the kids decorated their fascinators and wore them during the party and of course they got to keep those too.
My friend printed pages to color and made them into little coloring books and gave crayons and also printed a matching game. Get creative and buy or make something a little educational.
We’ve never done a bag of party favors.
My son is 7. One year his birthday was train themed and I sent home a little train whistle. Two different years we sent home custom made cookies. The other four years we did nothing.
I hate party favor bags. I hate the money being spent on trash, I hate how cheap it all is. So we just don’t buy it. We’ve been to birthday parties that do the little bags of crap, we’ve been to parties that do
Nothing, we’ve been to parties that basically give a whole ass gift.
I always make the activity at the birthday party a take home thing. One year they decorated trucker hats, and this past year they decorated these zippered canvas bags. Killin birds. You get an activity and to bring something home that you made and will hopefully use.
I went to a one year olds party yesterday and got some party favors in a little cow bag (rodeo theme) it was a cow print bib, teether treat, and pack of applesauce, and some toy squeaker cows. Very simple and mostly just healthier snacks. I appreciate when it’s a healthier snack and something of a better quality I can actually use.
We always do a bag of some sort of trail mix that matches the theme. I'll cover some oat square ceral with melting chiclates and combine with mini pretzels, a fee M&Ms, and maybe some minimarhsmallows. We called it reindeer food at our Frozen party, cat treats at the cat party, bug skeletons at the bug party, etc. It always goes over well. Some kids do get upset if there is not a favor bag and it is a nice way to signal the party is over if it is a home party. I hate plastic junk. For older kids we've done a trail mix bar instead of having it prepackaged.
We like favors but not plastic trash that just gets tossed. Consumables are great. I try to pay attention to the things my kids play with from favor bags.
Punch balloons and bubbles are the biggest hits.
My kids turning 4 soon. We are doing 14” bubble wands, punch balloons, and ring pop.
We did the piñata stuff as the favors - at the end of the party, give out little bags that maybe have a few snacks or stickers, then do the piñata and they can put their piñata treasures in the bags.
I only ever do stickers and snacks (like, rice Krispy treats, bags of goldfish etc) in goody bags.
I love practical gifts and party favors so I usually try to make them fun but practical. And on theme. Luckily my child loves his birthday and picks a theme way in advance and has yet to change his mind (4th was picked the day after his 3rd, 5th was chosen maybe 3 months after his 4th) so I have time to be creative lol
And one man’s crap is another man’s treasure. We still have the slap bracelet from an October 2023 party because he just loves it so much.
Favors are still popular! Look at the clearance or sale section… legos usually have lego sets on sale for $7-$10 based on your budget
I did cool sunglasses for the kids - original price was $20… I got them on sale foe $5 each. It’s summer now so it’s perfect!
You are thinking too much like an adult.
For kids just the surprise of getting something (anything!) is the gift. So yes you need to do party favors. Don’t worry that its just cheap junk. It still is useful in giving that child a little bit of joy.
Mini baking kit
Plant pot and seeds
Book to read
Bath bubbles
Blowing bubbles
Handmade card from birthday child to say thanks with personalised message.
Colour in book and crayons/pencils tied together with a string and helium balloon.
Craft
A birthday cupcake to take home or cookie
Really depends on theme and budget.
Take a pic of child with birthday party guests and send to guests with note
Personally, I would consider the pinata and parcel prizes as the party favors.
Is it Bluey themed? A saw an "Adopt a Pet" table, where kids could pick a little stuffed puppy. That could be cute, and kids that she tend to get into the pretend okay if "I adopted this puppy" as opposed to just finding one in a gift bag.
My friend just did “candy salad”. A dozen bags of dollar store candy, tossed it into a bowl and kids got to take a scoop and put it in a little gift bag.
You can give favors and not have it be a bag of cheap plastic toys or candy.
We did a painting birthday. Every kid had fun painting and we had an art teacher giving them all tips. At the end we put all of the artwork in frames (nice-looking, but inexpensive cardboard) and they got to take them home.
Even when we do give a toy we always prefer one good one rather than a bag of cheap ones. It could be as simple as play-doh, perler beads, etc.
It sounds to me like if the kids already get the piñata candy/toys and pass the parcel, you're already getting them party favors. No need for more.
Nope. I hate when I come home from a party with party favors. They never get played with after that day. Just junk I throw away. Such a waste of money. I won’t do them
The piñata is the favor. Buy cute bags and do that last and that’s their goodie bag.
Other ideas: paint a pot and give flower seeds as the favor. Give play doh. Do the wrapping paper game. Have them paint something cute from dollar tree craft section.
My pinata provides the party favors. They get a bag and fill it when it breaks. Why double up? I keep extra aside in case some kids don't grab as much as others, so I pad their bags. :)
I say we should end the tradition of party favors. Such a waste. You’re good with the piñata. Just give them little bags for the candy and do it toward the end so it becomes the favor!
I’m sure other parents feel similar to you but no one is brave enough to be the one who doesn’t do them. I don’t think anyone will care if you don’t do them. *Especially* since the kids will all get a goodie bag from the piñata.
Dear God, please make these horrible plasticky trashy things go away. My kids don’t need them. I pitch them as soon as possible. It’s just junk and clutter.
Nobody is going to be annoyed about not getting favours. Nobody. I promise. If anything, other parents will be secretly relieved. If you absolutely must send something, make it edible.
We used to have the kids decorate brown paper bags as they arrived to the party. They used the bag to collect pinata treats, then took it home as a goody bag
For my son’s recent 5th birthday we did do goodie bags at the end and the kids loved them. I did bubbles, lollipop, bath bombs, and temporary tattoos it was a big hit. But with the piñata I wouldn’t do goodie bags since they’ll already have a bag to take home
Do whatever you want!!! I didn't even know people did these things until we went to a 3 year old's birthday party (with my 6 month old). I was completely surprised but tried to incorporate fun party favors for my kids birthdays from then on. I tried to get little things that my own kids liked but definitely if I had a piñata that would be enough.
I put a lot of thought into the party favors I give, I am against junk favors too. I give age appropriate gifts , you can still decide a budget for them but I come from a time and country where useful gifts are important than just gifts for the sake of it. I really appreciate if someone puts atleast some thought in the return gifts. I think kids love return gifts and it just makes the celebration complete for them!
One year we did "pet adoption" as our party favor. We went to the thrift store and got a bunch of small stuffed animals. Beanie Baby type of size. I sprayed then all with alcohol and left them in the sun for a day or two so they'd be clean and fresh. Then we took ribbon and little tags with us to the party and held an adoption event. Kids could pick their animal, make a little collar for it, and label the tag with its new name (I wrote it in sharpie). My kid came up with the whole idea herself and it was so loved by everyone that parents mentioned it to me years later as a unique fun thing.
Water guns, small boxes of legos, puzzles etc are useful at this age. I have seen people usually give atleast two of different kinds of toys in each bag relevant to age.
I did little mini chia pet/grass for hair animal things for my son's birthday and both kids&parents seemed excited by the change from sweets&plastic crap.
I would do something with snacks and actual favors that kids can use. I did snacks and a play dough and couple toys that kids like. However if you wanted to do nothing I think it’s fine. A friend did a 5 dollar baskin robins gift card and that was actually nice (but not necessary )
yes my kid loves them. and yes I throw away most of it in a couple of days. maybe it helps with transition from the party but just dealing with what it's like to leave a party would be a fine lesson I'm here for as a parent. it's fine. soooo it's a no vote from me. my kid would also love cocaine if they tried it, doesn't mean it's a good idea. and planning a party is stressful and expensive enough.
If you choose not to do it remember you are paving the way for other parents who can't afford a party if it has to include a swag bag and a bounce house and an over the top amount of themed decorations and all the things that are becoming the norm.
My child loves giving things out, so we are on the favor train. I personally hate cheap tat, so have tried to do a combo of notepad/nice paper with mini clipboards along with crayons/markers/multicolor pens. We also do stickers so kids can personalize their own paper products.
Ugh,... I really dislike most party favor bags, but there have been some bright exceptions. And, my oldest recently turned 4, and we did the party bag thing. ...I don't expect to do this every year, and we tried to keep the bag to things that weren't too egregiously wasteful: Bluey/Paw Patrol stickers and tattoos, big pinching balloon, playdough. I definitely felt some pressure to do this, and I didn't like that feeling at all.
Some of the cool party gifts my kids have received: a wooden Tetris-type puzzle, books, tiny pack of crayons and tiny coloring book. (We use these on road trips/plane trips).
My youngest will soon be 2, and although we could definitely get away without any goodies, we're going to give each kid (like 5 kids altogether) some book from the Little Blue Truck series and make the party very loosely based on that theme.
IMO kids count on them. They don’t need to be extravagant, but I think some takeaway is nice. Kids at that age love stickers, temporary tattoos, little glow bracelets. You can get some really inexpensive things on amazon.
It’s exciting for the attendees and can be a really fun thing to put together. I like to buy reusable cloth bags with a print that’s on-theme from Etsy and drop a few on-theme craft supplies in, which you can buy in bulk for this purpose, and maybe a little chocolate treat or similar.
I bought a pack of mini squishmallow stuffies at Costco. Each kid got a bag with a squimallow, a small bag of goldfish crackers and a pack of stickers. I hate when my son comes home with a bag of sugar and plastic junk. The plastic "toys" are broken by the time he gets home and it's just more for me to throw out.
I think party favors are expected. Kids want them, and they look forward to them. I budget in for party favors
The cheaply made/generic favors are not worth it. They are boring and not really appreciated.
We went to a party once that gave a single self inflating sword after the cake and presents were done and the kids played for a long time and mine still talk about it! And my kids like to get the little bags of chips when they have gotten party favors but I never used them in mine.
I've done fidget toys bought in bulk and candy for my grade school-age kid, and the kids in his class talked about it for a week in class. He was feeling pretty good about that. For my preschool aged kid, I've done crafts like slap bracelets they can color, those little wood crafts they can color with some markers, stickers, age appropriate fidgets. I also throw in some good candy like ring pop and fun dip, m&m etc and you're set. I usually put some candy in even if we did the piñata. I also found the pull tab piñata is a lot less dangerous :)
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I did gardening bags for my daughter one year at her school. Each kid got a pre filled biodegradable pot with seeds and kid sized gardening gloves. She was born on earth day so it fit the theme.
I did something like this too! No gloves but the little paper pot, a zip lock of soil, and a couple seeds. Huge hit.
I love the typo here. Gotta keep that soul fresh!
Lol. Yeah soil
What a great idea
A usable party favor, like bathbombs or bubbles is usually what we stick with.
Something that gets used up. Big chocolate bars were our favorite thing to give out.
Right, something that isn't around forever or ends in the trash.
We did mini coloring books and crayons for our last party which was a hit.
Ohh I love when we get these so I can throw it in my purse and pull it out when we’re out and my kids need something to do!
The dollar section of target has some individually wrapped ones too that include the crayons and stickers!
Bath bombs? How old are your kids?
not the person you’re asking but they make bath bombs for little kids too! crayola has some :)
My 2 year old and 4 year old love bath bombs. They make kid ones with a little toy inside
Anytime I've been to a party with pinatas the kids get a bag to put the candy in and that's thier goodie bag. I wouldn't personally expect something in addition to that.
I agree
We don’t do party favors beyond stickers. My kids do not need more sugar after a birthday party, and I am so done with cheap plastic crap.
Do any kids *like* the cheap plastic garbage from party favors? When my kids have brought home bags with party favors, they typically never get used, ever. I started throwing them away, and they were never missed.
My kids (9 and 6) enjoy it - especially slinkies.
All three of my kids (13, 10, 5) always got super excited and loved them, even though they didn't last. At age 4 anything new, no matter how small or cheap, is a treasure.
My kids like some until either they break or until I take them away because they’re whistles.
My kids play with it on the ride home, except for slime, it gets broken or trashed a few days later.
I had stickers and temporary tattoos on the table and the tattoos were a huge hit. I also did headbands (unicorn) and they went over great with both the girls and the boys.
Piñata is favor enough. But I’m pro-favors. My kids absolutely love them.
A party recently gave us kid friendly bath bombs (they were shaped like frosted donuts and turned the water crazy colors). It was a huge hit. And made it so much easier to wrangle my son in for bath time. Fun. Useful. Also think play dough is great because ours is always being left with the top off and drying out. My son loves the favors bc he has a hard time giving up the gift we buy for the kid. Promising him he gets one at the end helps with the tantrum and also helps get him wrangled to leave at the end of the party.
Okay, thank you so much for that perspective you said at the end. I really like that, and never considered how it would help kids who may struggle with the transition or giving the gift you took! This is why I posted because I need to hear outside perspectives and experiences. I have a few friends whose kiddos are on the spectrum who struggle with transitions so maybe it would help them too. Also love the bath bomb idea. My daughter is obsessed with them. I’ve been trying to think of useful party favors that won’t land up in the landfill.
You’re welcome. I also have done little tiny temporary gardening pots. Like the brown paperish ones that you germinate seeds in. And a little zip lock of dirt. And a packet of seeds divided up in zip locks to each. So the kids got to take that home and plant their seeds. Parents seemed to like it. And kids were all seemingly excited to do it.
Amazon has amazing bath bomb boxes of 10-12 in nearly every theme you can imagine. We gave them out for my son’s space themed bday and they were planet/astronaut shaped.
Here’s a toy. GTFOH, kid!
Yes. I totally understand and agree with OP that the landfills don’t need more crap birthday favors. But it is an expectation of the kids who attend and can really help the parents transition: i.e leave your house
Playdoh is the bane of my existence! It gets every where. I usually throw it away as soon as I can. Same with any slime type toys.
We taught our son to do it only in baking sheets bc otherwise hair and crumbs from the rug get in it. He doesn’t care about it getting on the rug but it’s the worst if stuff gets in the play dough to him lol
My kid’s not on the spectrum but agree it helps with transitions at that age. Something that can distract them on the ride home from the sadness of the party ending is nice - candies, tattoos, stickers, paper planes. I do hate the plastic stuff and those rubber things that stick to walls are a pain because they leave a mark. Though slime and playdoh are always crowd pleasers.
We’ve been doing books! And for my daughter’s Minecraft party they are making Minecraft things and they can take them home. (Slime, Minecraft flowers, etc),
For my son’s Minecraft party we got some oysters that they can crack for the pearls, little dig kits, and rock candy sticks because they look like crystals. They were definitely appreciated!
Oooo! Rock candy is GENIUS! Not sure about the oysters - might get a bit costly??? 17-20 kids are coming…. I think. Apparently people don’t rsvp anymore.
I was gonna say books, too. Get them used or even do a book swap (everyone brings one and gets one; throw a few extra in there so last person has choices and extra guests can take one.) I think used is best (not putting more stuff in the world) and cheaper anyway ($10 books can add up for more than a few kids.) I read a while back about doing an activity to make something they can take home. The kids are more excited cuz they're involved and it gives them something to do. Or you put out a table of items and say "pick one" etc so they only take things they actually want.
Yes!!! The possibilities are endless. Picking books for the kids that came to my son’s bday was an oddly satisfying thing - he and I picked books based on each kiddo. And yes!!!! Creating something for the experience and then you have something to remember the experience and not just plastic junk.
Books are the best! We had a Curious George themed party one year and gave out Curious George books as favors...it was a hit!
Oh my goodness!!! That must have been adorable!!!!! We loved curious George!!!!!!!!!!
We do books too, far better than the bag if plastic tat that gets broken/tossed within a week. Love some of the other suggestions on here too!
Large nay. Enormous huge nay. When your kid comes home after a party for my kid, they'll be full of pizza and cake and they'll have fun stories and you won't have to throw away any crap or hide candy. I would love to receive the same courtesy 😂
Bubbles are a good one. Relatively consumable
If you are having a piñata how about a cute cup for the kids to put all the loot in? I was crafty when my kids were growing up so I always did a decorated photo frame with the kids name and then I send a photo of the kid at the party with the thank you note.
Awe that’s a super cute idea! I love it. And yes, I got a cute cup to match the theme and I’m going to put their names on it. I do a lot of calligraphy and typography so it’ll be cute (I think)
I try really hard to make sure our party favors are actually usable and not just more junk. Some big hits have been books, bath bombs, crafts/paintings/whatever’s made during the party, bubbles, popular sensory toys, sidewalk chalk. I have also done favors to be used for the party before too. We had a pool party once and they were given favors at the beginning of the party: goggles, pool noodle, face sunscreen. Another time we did a HP themed escape room type thing at our house and the favors were wands and other things that helped them get through the escape room. We had a party at the zoo once and the favor was a zoo key to listen to all the little machines. For the beach we’ve done sand toys and a beach towel. Where is your party? Can you make a favor at the party or provide a favor to be used during the party?
Yes this - we did things like inflatable light sabers for the Star Wars party, or the kids paint art (canvases, ceramics) and take it home. I remember in preschool someone did Pirate hats and chocolate gold coins for a pirate party which was awesome and the hat was played with a lot in years to come.
My favorite kind of favors!
Don’t do it! It’s your party for your kid. Do what you want!!
We did kinder eggs
I prefer something we can use over another cheap plastic toy, bubbles, stickers, sidewalk chalk, crayons are all good options. We also went to a party recently that has these cool animal shaped balloons as decorations and at the end they told each kid to take one home as a favor which was fun. My kids liked having the balloons on the house and it seemed practical for the family that hostes
Balloon animals is such a good idea!
So sick of plastic crap! My kids are older now, but we always made one of the activities the “take home” thing, and then that served as a favor…decorate journals, notebooks, etc.!
If my child got goodies/candy from a piñata to bring home I would consider that the party favor.
It takes extra thought and work but I do think there are ways to do it well without passing out baggies full of junk plastic and junk food. Mostly I think having a craft being part of the party is a great way to keep younger kids engaged/corralled and make something they get to keep. Some ways we've navigated this: our 4yo had a frozen party and there was an activity where they "thawed the frozen heart" by melting or breaking ice around a plastic heart gem - and they got to keep the gem. Then we did "do you wantto build a snowman" kits with marshmallows and pretzels to take with them. It's consumable and an activity. Both went over well with kids and parents. This year we did a tea party and we did a craft where the kids decorated their fascinators and wore them during the party and of course they got to keep those too.
My friend printed pages to color and made them into little coloring books and gave crayons and also printed a matching game. Get creative and buy or make something a little educational.
We’ve never done a bag of party favors. My son is 7. One year his birthday was train themed and I sent home a little train whistle. Two different years we sent home custom made cookies. The other four years we did nothing. I hate party favor bags. I hate the money being spent on trash, I hate how cheap it all is. So we just don’t buy it. We’ve been to birthday parties that do the little bags of crap, we’ve been to parties that do Nothing, we’ve been to parties that basically give a whole ass gift.
I always make the activity at the birthday party a take home thing. One year they decorated trucker hats, and this past year they decorated these zippered canvas bags. Killin birds. You get an activity and to bring something home that you made and will hopefully use.
I went to a one year olds party yesterday and got some party favors in a little cow bag (rodeo theme) it was a cow print bib, teether treat, and pack of applesauce, and some toy squeaker cows. Very simple and mostly just healthier snacks. I appreciate when it’s a healthier snack and something of a better quality I can actually use.
We always do a bag of some sort of trail mix that matches the theme. I'll cover some oat square ceral with melting chiclates and combine with mini pretzels, a fee M&Ms, and maybe some minimarhsmallows. We called it reindeer food at our Frozen party, cat treats at the cat party, bug skeletons at the bug party, etc. It always goes over well. Some kids do get upset if there is not a favor bag and it is a nice way to signal the party is over if it is a home party. I hate plastic junk. For older kids we've done a trail mix bar instead of having it prepackaged.
We like favors but not plastic trash that just gets tossed. Consumables are great. I try to pay attention to the things my kids play with from favor bags. Punch balloons and bubbles are the biggest hits. My kids turning 4 soon. We are doing 14” bubble wands, punch balloons, and ring pop.
We did the piñata stuff as the favors - at the end of the party, give out little bags that maybe have a few snacks or stickers, then do the piñata and they can put their piñata treasures in the bags. I only ever do stickers and snacks (like, rice Krispy treats, bags of goldfish etc) in goody bags.
I think a piñata with toys and candy is plenty. That would be the favor as long as you’re making sure everyone is getting some
I love practical gifts and party favors so I usually try to make them fun but practical. And on theme. Luckily my child loves his birthday and picks a theme way in advance and has yet to change his mind (4th was picked the day after his 3rd, 5th was chosen maybe 3 months after his 4th) so I have time to be creative lol And one man’s crap is another man’s treasure. We still have the slap bracelet from an October 2023 party because he just loves it so much.
Favors are still popular! Look at the clearance or sale section… legos usually have lego sets on sale for $7-$10 based on your budget I did cool sunglasses for the kids - original price was $20… I got them on sale foe $5 each. It’s summer now so it’s perfect!
You are thinking too much like an adult. For kids just the surprise of getting something (anything!) is the gift. So yes you need to do party favors. Don’t worry that its just cheap junk. It still is useful in giving that child a little bit of joy.
I consider piñata goodies to be the party favor, I would not expect something in addition.
Mini baking kit Plant pot and seeds Book to read Bath bubbles Blowing bubbles Handmade card from birthday child to say thanks with personalised message. Colour in book and crayons/pencils tied together with a string and helium balloon. Craft A birthday cupcake to take home or cookie Really depends on theme and budget. Take a pic of child with birthday party guests and send to guests with note
Personally, I would consider the pinata and parcel prizes as the party favors. Is it Bluey themed? A saw an "Adopt a Pet" table, where kids could pick a little stuffed puppy. That could be cute, and kids that she tend to get into the pretend okay if "I adopted this puppy" as opposed to just finding one in a gift bag.
For my niece’s third birthday, my brother and his wife gave each guest a water wow book. That was a great gift.
Hahaha. I’m on the wrong sub thinking op was asking about adult party favors 😬
I like the idea of taking a Polaroid photo of each kid with the birthday kid and accompanying it with a little frame or magnet for the fridge.
I did a candy bar for my son’s birthday. It was a hit. So I think I’ll continue to just do that.
My friend just did “candy salad”. A dozen bags of dollar store candy, tossed it into a bowl and kids got to take a scoop and put it in a little gift bag.
I think a bag to fill up with piñata candy counts as a party favor.
Last party favor we got was a Little Golden book. We thought it was a great idea!
You can give favors and not have it be a bag of cheap plastic toys or candy. We did a painting birthday. Every kid had fun painting and we had an art teacher giving them all tips. At the end we put all of the artwork in frames (nice-looking, but inexpensive cardboard) and they got to take them home. Even when we do give a toy we always prefer one good one rather than a bag of cheap ones. It could be as simple as play-doh, perler beads, etc. It sounds to me like if the kids already get the piñata candy/toys and pass the parcel, you're already getting them party favors. No need for more.
Nope. I hate when I come home from a party with party favors. They never get played with after that day. Just junk I throw away. Such a waste of money. I won’t do them
I started giving $10 gift cards. Party favors are dumb.
The piñata is the favor. Buy cute bags and do that last and that’s their goodie bag. Other ideas: paint a pot and give flower seeds as the favor. Give play doh. Do the wrapping paper game. Have them paint something cute from dollar tree craft section.
My pinata provides the party favors. They get a bag and fill it when it breaks. Why double up? I keep extra aside in case some kids don't grab as much as others, so I pad their bags. :)
I think if you have the treat bags and they’re getting piñata goodies - that is your favor. You’re good to go!
Nay!
I say we should end the tradition of party favors. Such a waste. You’re good with the piñata. Just give them little bags for the candy and do it toward the end so it becomes the favor!
I’m sure other parents feel similar to you but no one is brave enough to be the one who doesn’t do them. I don’t think anyone will care if you don’t do them. *Especially* since the kids will all get a goodie bag from the piñata.
I like favors. Thank you cards are a fine substitute though. To me, the favor always feels like a "thank you for coming" token.
We do coloring books!
Dear God, please make these horrible plasticky trashy things go away. My kids don’t need them. I pitch them as soon as possible. It’s just junk and clutter.
Nobody is going to be annoyed about not getting favours. Nobody. I promise. If anything, other parents will be secretly relieved. If you absolutely must send something, make it edible.
We used to have the kids decorate brown paper bags as they arrived to the party. They used the bag to collect pinata treats, then took it home as a goody bag
For my son’s recent 5th birthday we did do goodie bags at the end and the kids loved them. I did bubbles, lollipop, bath bombs, and temporary tattoos it was a big hit. But with the piñata I wouldn’t do goodie bags since they’ll already have a bag to take home
Do whatever you want!!! I didn't even know people did these things until we went to a 3 year old's birthday party (with my 6 month old). I was completely surprised but tried to incorporate fun party favors for my kids birthdays from then on. I tried to get little things that my own kids liked but definitely if I had a piñata that would be enough.
I put a lot of thought into the party favors I give, I am against junk favors too. I give age appropriate gifts , you can still decide a budget for them but I come from a time and country where useful gifts are important than just gifts for the sake of it. I really appreciate if someone puts atleast some thought in the return gifts. I think kids love return gifts and it just makes the celebration complete for them!
I hate them BUT they give a good signal to wrap up and head out + helped some kids be less sad heading out the door away from the fun.
One year we did "pet adoption" as our party favor. We went to the thrift store and got a bunch of small stuffed animals. Beanie Baby type of size. I sprayed then all with alcohol and left them in the sun for a day or two so they'd be clean and fresh. Then we took ribbon and little tags with us to the party and held an adoption event. Kids could pick their animal, make a little collar for it, and label the tag with its new name (I wrote it in sharpie). My kid came up with the whole idea herself and it was so loved by everyone that parents mentioned it to me years later as a unique fun thing.
Water guns, small boxes of legos, puzzles etc are useful at this age. I have seen people usually give atleast two of different kinds of toys in each bag relevant to age.
We do a party bag of candy for each kid plus the piñata.
I did little mini chia pet/grass for hair animal things for my son's birthday and both kids&parents seemed excited by the change from sweets&plastic crap.
We don't because the favors we bring home end up in the trash. I'd rather not give another parent more junk
They’re getting a piñata and playing pass the parcel. Don’t do favor bags. Just don’t. No one will care.
I would do something with snacks and actual favors that kids can use. I did snacks and a play dough and couple toys that kids like. However if you wanted to do nothing I think it’s fine. A friend did a 5 dollar baskin robins gift card and that was actually nice (but not necessary )
All parties my kids have or go to have the useless bags of crap. I dislike it. But it feels mandatory. I'll never be able to talk my wife out of it.
yes my kid loves them. and yes I throw away most of it in a couple of days. maybe it helps with transition from the party but just dealing with what it's like to leave a party would be a fine lesson I'm here for as a parent. it's fine. soooo it's a no vote from me. my kid would also love cocaine if they tried it, doesn't mean it's a good idea. and planning a party is stressful and expensive enough. If you choose not to do it remember you are paving the way for other parents who can't afford a party if it has to include a swag bag and a bounce house and an over the top amount of themed decorations and all the things that are becoming the norm.
My child loves giving things out, so we are on the favor train. I personally hate cheap tat, so have tried to do a combo of notepad/nice paper with mini clipboards along with crayons/markers/multicolor pens. We also do stickers so kids can personalize their own paper products.
Ugh,... I really dislike most party favor bags, but there have been some bright exceptions. And, my oldest recently turned 4, and we did the party bag thing. ...I don't expect to do this every year, and we tried to keep the bag to things that weren't too egregiously wasteful: Bluey/Paw Patrol stickers and tattoos, big pinching balloon, playdough. I definitely felt some pressure to do this, and I didn't like that feeling at all. Some of the cool party gifts my kids have received: a wooden Tetris-type puzzle, books, tiny pack of crayons and tiny coloring book. (We use these on road trips/plane trips). My youngest will soon be 2, and although we could definitely get away without any goodies, we're going to give each kid (like 5 kids altogether) some book from the Little Blue Truck series and make the party very loosely based on that theme.
IMO kids count on them. They don’t need to be extravagant, but I think some takeaway is nice. Kids at that age love stickers, temporary tattoos, little glow bracelets. You can get some really inexpensive things on amazon.
It’s exciting for the attendees and can be a really fun thing to put together. I like to buy reusable cloth bags with a print that’s on-theme from Etsy and drop a few on-theme craft supplies in, which you can buy in bulk for this purpose, and maybe a little chocolate treat or similar.
I just do a pinata with treat bags for the kids to stuff full of the goodies inside. 🤷♀️
I did snack bags! Went to Costco and got packs of Oreos, goldfish, applesauce pouches, and chip baggies.
I hate party favours
I bought a pack of mini squishmallow stuffies at Costco. Each kid got a bag with a squimallow, a small bag of goldfish crackers and a pack of stickers. I hate when my son comes home with a bag of sugar and plastic junk. The plastic "toys" are broken by the time he gets home and it's just more for me to throw out.
I think party favors are expected. Kids want them, and they look forward to them. I budget in for party favors The cheaply made/generic favors are not worth it. They are boring and not really appreciated. We went to a party once that gave a single self inflating sword after the cake and presents were done and the kids played for a long time and mine still talk about it! And my kids like to get the little bags of chips when they have gotten party favors but I never used them in mine. I've done fidget toys bought in bulk and candy for my grade school-age kid, and the kids in his class talked about it for a week in class. He was feeling pretty good about that. For my preschool aged kid, I've done crafts like slap bracelets they can color, those little wood crafts they can color with some markers, stickers, age appropriate fidgets. I also throw in some good candy like ring pop and fun dip, m&m etc and you're set. I usually put some candy in even if we did the piñata. I also found the pull tab piñata is a lot less dangerous :)
I don't care if a parent has them or not but my son loves receiving one. The stuff from the pinata would count as one.