Creative ideas for party bags

[supergolden88]

My daughter has invited the entire WORLD to her 6th birthday party that I have very unwisely decided to host at our house.

I am literally going into a panic about how to fit nearly 20 girls in the house and the logistics of food/drinks etc.

Can I get some suggestions for creating party bags that are not super expensive and will go down well? I personally loathe party bags but recognise they serve a purpose (getting the guests out the door happily). I can't stand the various bits of cheap plastic toys that are useless but collectively cost a lot.

Your creative input is appreciated!

[BeccaL]

Pot of bubbles, balloon to blow up, tootie-blower thing (unless you want to remain friend with their parents!), small bag of Haribo, small sheet of stickers, temporary tattoos, pretty pencil - you should be able to do some of that for about 50p per bag, plus a piece of cake? You can get little (about an inch high) pots of bubbles from Tesco which I would imagine are fairly cheap... Hope it goes well.

[Renata Hamvas]

Party socks instead of bags. Buy multipacks of socks, filled them with sweets, pencils, rubbers etc and hung them on one of those multi-peg contraptions for drying small items of washing. Each child chooses a pair of socks, ie they can wear their "party bag" at a later date :)).

Renata

[Fuschia]

Plain white paper bags from eBay - the sort takeaways come in

Decorate - one option is to print out done pictures for your daughter to colour then stick on

Supermarket multipack of mini chocolate of some sort

Go to the pound shop for mini bubbles

I like to put in interesting balloons (eBay)

How about a nice pen in each? Buy a multipack then split

Glittery or one of those colour change pens

Maybe a mini notebook

No waste there

[Pickle]

Fuschia, those caterpillar craft things in your recent party bags were fab (the ones with coloured sand), where did you get them from? My kids loved doing them and they've now got pride of place in their bedroom.

[Fuschia]

Baker Ross, like yellow moon but cheaper. Very good for craft kits for a party activity or to split for party bags

[Fuschia]

Black bookmark thInfs or fridge magnets you scrape away to show rainbow underneath, very popular

Sg, I have a box of party stuff - plates, cups, cake stand, nibble trays etc, if you would like to borrow

[supergolden88]

Is Baker Ross online?

Thanks Fuschia I think we may be ok for plates etc. overstocked last time! Although if all you can think of a way to serve good to 20 kids on the floor let me know! There's simply no way they will fit around table(S) and even if they did not enough chairs or space.

[supergolden88]

ooohhh just looked up Baker Ross - great find

loving these

http://www.bakerross.co.uk/product-Make-Your-Own-Foam-Torch-Kits-EV550.htm

[Fuschia]

Sg, et them eat out if boxes

You can buy cardboard dish things in interesting shapes or just go for deep bowls r cardboard Chinese takeaway boxes (eBay)

Plates tend to get trodden on

Have good aid out buffet style on a table to choose from

[HannahSE23]

I'm a mean mum and I've banned party bags. At my son's 6th birthday party I did a chocolate lucky dip instead - stood at the door with a big bag of mini choc bars and let the guests choose two each. The toys quickly get discarded and the sweets/choc are all they're after anyway!

Friends have also done a Mini Magnum version...

[Polmoche]

Don't bother with party bags. Go to Bookpeople and get one of those bumper packs of books and give each child a book. Or sometimes Amazon does some great deals. I've done this for the last three parties (starting at age 5) and the kids have never complained. I hate all that pound store crap they get--though of course the kids love it!

[verds]

Balloons from the pound shop filled with sweets. The only time they'll be pleased when it bursts...

[susyp]

oh my god my daughter would never leave a party without a party bag!

another good crafty site is crafty crocodiles, i've found it very cheap.

[Saffron]

This site looks great for ecofriendly party bags/supplies, but I've not had a chance to try them personally yet. If anyone else has tried them, I'd love to know what their stuff was like! :)

http://www.littlecherry.co.uk/

[edmumof5]

I bought Disney princess tumblers from poundstretchers 2 for ?2 I think and put a balloon stickers (from pound shop ?1 for 160ish ) and sweets etc hey presto reusable party bags x

[Mrs TP]

I just got today from Hope and Greenwood on Northcross Road some Space Dust or Fizz Whiz as it is called now for 30p a packet and some 'Tongue Painter' lollipops (20p each) which do exactly what they say and leave the child's tongue whatever colour the lolly is. Both great top ups for party bags.

[Readey]

Hi

Children do seem to like the tat you get in party bags ! eBay has lots of things to choose from if you down that route. I did one small gift which was a colouring / activity set- princesses for girls and cars2 for boys, a balloon and cake You can get this kind of colouring thing on eBay, or 'Carry along colouring sets' - a pad of small pictures with decent pencils attached.

Someone suggested netpricedirect.co.uk to me which has party stuff amongst other things.

It's nice to wrap the pressie up if you have time !

We did party boxes for food and pre- filled them which was easier. I went to a party at someone's house and they did chunky chips in a paper cup & fish fingers - was very popular, but not practical on the floor really. I think the boxes are good, I got them from eBay.

Good luck!

[veldridge]

I bought the bucket and spade sets from poundland last year - went down very well with the kids and parents relieved not to have another bag of sugar!

[womanofdulwich]

Packets of seeds?

[JDR]

I've seen someone get pots for plants, get the kids to paint them, the plant them with cotton wool and cress seeds and take that home. Good for craft/time filler and different take on party bag...

[Carbonara]

Lucky dip - fill a box with paper from your shredder, have a selection of pound shop stuff wrapped up - they do lucky dip on way out.

Do decorating a plain paper party bag as an activity, then a 'treasure hunt' as another activity just before they leave, hide wrapped sweets all over the front room or garden.