DD’s party is Sunday. We’re in Cape Cod till Saturday night. (Hi from vacation!) It’s at a bounce house place so all we have to do is show up, but I just realized I have no plan for party favors.
Would you: A) Do nothing. Hope most parents are cool with not having more candy and tiny plastic things. B) Get a bunch of balloons Sunday just before the party to decorate DD’s birthday chair and give each child a balloon as a favor. C) Hit the dollar store Sunday morning and assemble last minute gift bags.
C is my least preferred option but party favor gift bags seem to be the norm here.
Post by covergirl82 on Aug 16, 2018 7:47:57 GMT -5
I vote A. I am definitely a parent who is cool with not having more candy or tiny plastic things. When DD and DS had a party at a bounce house place, they provided a string backpack and a pre-loaded card to their arcade, so we considered that the party favor.
I would probably do B because favors are a thing here. We handed out freeze pops at DD1's last party and they were a huge hit. Just gave them out to the kids unfrozen to take home and freeze. Super easy and cheap!
I would like to dislike party favors, but I’ve found that it’s much easier to get my kids to leave a party when I can incentivize them with some kind of parting gift or goody bag. I like the idea of one thing, whether a balloon or cookie or small toy, so you’re not assembling a bunch of little junk in a bag. For DD’s 6th birthday party Sunday, it was a Lego Ninjago theme. Each kid got a Ninja minifigure to assemble (they were less than $1 each on Amazon), a fortune cookie, a Lego lollipop, and some Ninjago stickers in a bag.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
I would like to dislike party favors, but I’ve found that it’s much easier to get my kids to leave a party when I can incentivize them with some kind of parting gift or goody bag. I like the idea of one thing, whether a balloon or cookie or small toy, so you’re not assembling a bunch of little junk in a bag. For DD’s 6th birthday party Sunday, it was a Lego Ninjago theme. Each kid got a Ninja minifigure to assemble (they were less than $1 each on Amazon), a fortune cookie, a Lego lollipop, and some Ninjago stickers in a bag.
This, only don’t add anything else but the mini figure or coloring book or whatever. One thing.
I hate junk and balloons. The favors we do are pajamas (for sleepovers), mini figs (LEGO party), fun socks (jump place - and then if anyone forgets them, there they are).
As a bonus, the fun socks were great - we did them for the soccer team and when the girls saw each other wearing the socks they thought it was so cool!
I hate balloons because my kids insist on keeping them around forever.
We did the giant bubble wands in a tube from the dollar store. Super easy, kids love them, and you just hand one to each kid as they leave. Plus, bubbles are disposable. The kids use it, then you toss it. No plastic trinkets to linger forever.
I like B! But also does the bounce house do return passes? For DS's party we did it at a climbing/play place and got return passes to there for the kids to come back with their parents. Was super easy for parents to get there kids to leave once they said "but hey, we get to come back some other time this summer".
I hate balloons because my kids insist on keeping them around forever.
We did the giant bubble wands in a tube from the dollar store. Super easy, kids love them, and you just hand one to each kid as they leave. Plus, bubbles are disposable. The kids use it, then you toss it. No plastic trinkets to linger forever.
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Ha, and I hate the big tubes because the kids just accidentally dump them all over- luckily I make them take it outside.
What I've noticed over the last year of b-day parties is that goodie bags seemed to have phased out for the over 6 year-old parties. We got a lot of balloon that was attached to your chairs sent home which was fine but they last forever in my house like 6+ months so I get annoyed by them. We went to a couple 5 year old parties and they had the full goodie bag and DD was like what am I supposed to do with it all.
Does the bounce place give return coupons? If so then skip it and use those or just start the trend for 1st grade parties and skip the loot!
Post by ilovelucyvv on Aug 16, 2018 12:30:06 GMT -5
I vote balloon. Kids love balloons. Maybe if you really want to be fancy you could tie something to the bottom of the balloons so that they don't blow away after the party is over.
Post by freezorburn on Aug 16, 2018 15:29:20 GMT -5
I usually do goody bags with stuff that the kids will use — sidewalk chalk, bubbles, maybe some fun pencils, erasers or pencil sharpeners. If I include a toy I try to make it something with a learning component. One year I found some little airplanes that you punch the parts out of a thin styrofoam sheet and have to put together. Another year I picked up some cheap fuschia and geranium starters.
Post by sweetptater on Aug 16, 2018 15:32:48 GMT -5
I hate party favors, so I vote A. I never do them for my kids' parties. That being said, I really love 2chatter's idea of doing fun socks for a bounce place. I'd rather have one nice item that goes along with the theme of the party than a bag of crap that I have to figure out how to make disappear when the kids aren't looking.
No return tickets or arcade gc’s included with the party. I love the sock idea too but no time to get any before the party. It’s coming from the dollar store cause mama ain’t got time or money for anything else.
I appreciate all the input! Kind of fun to hear the wide variety of responses. Personally I’d be over the moon to get a single balloon from a party DD attends - she loves them, no tiny pieces to save forever - but I can definitely respect others feel differently!
More and more parents in my area are giving one simple thing. It’s bwen a candy bar with a label that said Thanks for coming! And the other was a tube of bubbles.
No kids complained. I didn’t hear a single complaint.
Be bold. Start the trend in your area! All of you!!!
At ds’s 6th. bday party last year we gave each kid a superhero cape and mask for his superhero party. We bought in bulk on amazon and the kids loved them. I vote one thing not lots of trinkets if you do go with C.
Also, most bounce house parties we have gone to have had the business provide party favors. Are you sure they are not included in your party? (Thinking of the many bounceU inflatable trinkets I have stabbed and thrown in the trash.)
I know some folks don't like candy, but I have done a theater size box of Swedish Fish from the Dollar Tree as a favor. Kids loved it. Easy to grab and pass out, no assembly required. No allergy issues either.
DD and I hit the grocery store this morning and along with our usual food, got 16 little pots of putty. Done. I know some parents will hate it but the LEGO blind bag mini figs are $5 each. Nope.
At ds’s 6th. bday party last year we gave each kid a superhero cape and mask for his superhero party. We bought in bulk on amazon and the kids loved them. I vote one thing not lots of trinkets if you do go with C.
At ds’s 6th. bday party last year we gave each kid a superhero cape and mask for his superhero party. We bought in bulk on amazon and the kids loved them. I vote one thing not lots of trinkets if you do go with C.
They were $3 each for the cape and mask and I figure that’s what I’d spend on crap to fill a bag.
Apparently that doesn’t work so it was like these. There are millions of the same thing available. We had Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America and Flash as the 5 characters.