What birthday did you stop party favors?

[Avalon_toon]

I still do favor bags here - but this year, for my DS's 10th birthday, it was just a tin full of candy and a $5 gift certificate to the games arcade at the mall (next door to the theatre where we held the party.) I will continue to do them for as long as he wants a birthday party - its just part of birthday party culture, and finding non-junky stuff related to the party theme is part of the challenge.

If loot bags are the norm for parties where you live, stopping them at age 8 would be pretty unusual I suspect.

 

[descovy]

Admittedly I am not a favor fan... In giving or recieving. So I feel you.

Our parties are always small... Less than 8-10 kids. People we actually know... Not random classmates. So if someone asked "where's my favor?" I know the kid well enough to explain no favor.

OTOH they are usually "getting" something at the party... A craft they make, nailpolish/lotion used at a spa party, etc... This year I even handed out baggies and said to the girls (5th grade) go fill your own goodie bag... By which it was a piñata (by dd request)

Parties are out of hand in my neck of the woods. People buy tierred custom cakes for celebrating 8, taking kids in Limos, full real salon Mani-pedi at age 7. That isn't me. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean I have to keep up. And that's fine. Just because it is the norm to do goodie bags in your area doesn't mean you have to...
"

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I tried to not have party favors last year but my mother went behind my back and did them...at least I didn't have to pay for them This year (she turned 10)I let the kids take home one of the ballons that were used to decorate the party room but I didn't bother doing anything else.

I also told my daughter that this is the last year we are doing "Party" parties until she turns 16. Until then she can invite a couple of friends to go to a movie or something. I'm done with planning parties

 

[LuvOrlando]

Once my DD got to that age I started buying inexpensive lipgloss, eyeshadow, nail polish, hairbrushes and hair clips for sanitary party makeovers, then I'd pack them up into the goody bags and send the girls home with the stuff.

FWIW, the girls reach an age where all they want to do is this stuff and if you don't provide it at all parties & sleepovers, they will share

 

[CJBaby]

Kid's party= party favors. And like everyone else said they don't have to be a bunch of junk in a bag.

Also, it is BEYOND funny that you refuse to stop using the thumbs down sign. I have to be honest though, at this point I secretly hope you never stop!

 

[C.Ann]

If you can afford it, I don't see why it would be such an issue as it really is something that most of the kids look forward to - almost as much as the "birthday child" looks forward to giving these little treats to their friends..

If you're dead set on not doing this, I hope you tell your DD this was your decision - not her mom's - and please do it as soon as possible so she can deal with her disappointment prior to her big day..

 

[pixiewings71]

until they don't want me to do them......

 

[katesorad]

If you can afford it, I don't see why it would be such an issue as it really is something that most of the kids look forward to - almost as much as the "birthday child" looks forward to giving these little treats to their friends..

If you're dead set on not doing this, I hope you tell your DD this was your decision - not her mom's - and please do it as soon as possible so she can deal with her disappointment prior to her big day..

 

[JerseyJanice]

Why do you keeping using the thumb down sign?

This is one thread where I think MMD used the correct post icon. He sounds kind of grumpy in this post:

I am putting my foot down and saying we are spending enough on the party so no favors. I know it may be a regional thing as there are some parents here who never do favors.

Adding:

I try not to give too much junk. My son's last party was an army theme. Each bag had a camo bandana, green metal water bottle, black led flashlight, and a handful of army men.

That is a very well-themed favor, LB. I like it.

I stopped doing birthday party favors at age 8 because that was the first year we didn't invite everyone or every boy in his class.

I did do favors for his First Communion party (which was when he was 8), and if we throw him a big high school graduation, I'll do them for that.

 

[luvmy3]

For my dses it would be around 10, when they stop having actual parties. I will still do something, like this year we took a few of ds's friends to the movies, but ds didn't care one way or another about giving favors so I opted not too.
My dd is different, she likes to give something to her friends so this year we gave them a stainless water bottle filled with candy.

 

[monkeybug]

I love giving party favors, and I do them even at the parties I host for my adult friends. I just think they're fun!
I'm not a fan of junky stuff that gets thrown out in a few days, so I tend to give one nice favor, or a few nice things.

My son just had a dino party and the favor bags had hatching dino eggs, dinosaur maze and sticker books (those little dover books), some homemade dino chocolates, and some geodes to take home and break.

My daughter had a Halloween party and the kids decorated caramel apples with drizzled chocolate and dipped them in candy. I put the apples in cellophane bags and tied them with their name tags and some Halloween ribbon. That was their favor.

 

[shortbun]

For us the gift bags ended in middle school and I have to admit I don't miss them

Terri

Same here, middle school. OP, you're out voted, lol! Seriously, 8 is not too old for gift bags. Most kids start having parties at age 6. I let my son pick out 5 things and then I'd throw in a little candy. He loved packing those bags. Ds's last theme party was a magic party. I found lots of little magic tricks for the gift bag. They were a hit. I have teen aged boys still talking about them. You know, make the penny disappear, make the marble disappear, link and unlink the rings, trick card deck and a magic wand are pretty cool!!!

 

[wishesuponastar]

DD was 13 last year and we didn't give much but it was a big bowl of candy that they got to pick some out of on their way out.

We are stopping parties at 13 until the Sweet 16.

 

[daisyduck123]

I agree with you OP, that stuff (I'm a teacher & can't stand Oriental Trading ) is just junk & whenever my kids brought that stuff home, I think it ended up in the trash by the end of the day.

I was still giving out party favors at my kids parties when they were 8yo, but IMO, I never gave out junk. I usually gave each child a book (Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House, etc.) with a few pieces of candy.

 

[december]

I am putting my foot down and saying we are spending enough on the party so no favors. I know it may be a regional thing as there are some parents here who never do favors.

You are putting your foot down? That wouldn't go over real well at my house........

I guess the favors stop when the person planning the party wants them to. Has nothing to do with turning 8 (which is a very young child). I had favors at dd11's bday party last year, and all the kids loved them. Especially the 3 high school girls who came with younger siblings and weren't expecting anything.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I did my first party for DD's 3rd birthday. It was Nemo themed, and I have a friend who makes balloon art. The only "party favor" item I bought were Nemo gift bags, and each child got a pack of Nemo gummies, a pack of goldfish crackers (both came from the grocery store) and a balloon fish from my friend.

 

[Feralpeg]

Not saying anything against goody bags or birthday parties. I just find the subject interesting. Things have changed so much from when I grew up. I only had two birthday parties in my entire life. We'd have cake with our immediate family and maybe even close relatives, but we didn't have parties with other kids every year. It was very rare to even be invited to a birthday party.

When my daughter was born, I noticed they had birthday parties for each kid in day care. Thus the tradition took hold in our family. We did the whole Chuckie Cheese thing and more. Some of the kids my daughter knew had incredibly elaborate birthdays (limo rides to party, ponies, etc.). We never went that far.

Odd how things have changed over the years. Now, kids not only have a party every year, but they give gifts to the party attendees as well.

 

[princesspumpkin]

To be honest, I never cared for party favors. I always felt that we gave the party (food, games, entertainment) and DD, most likely, received gifts from guests. I always felt that was enough "giving". The last gifts that DD's guests received were from her 6 year old party. We do parties about every three years, and they tend to be pretty involved, so I would hope that the kids didn't feel too upset that we didn't give them a gift bag too.

 

[princessnoelly]

DD6 is having her party tomorrow. Here was the conversation we had:

DD: "What are YOU doing?"
Me: "goodie bags"
DD: "For who?"
ME: "Your friends"
DD: "Why?"
ME: "Cause you're having a party."
DD: "MOM!!! I'm 6 and you DO NO do that when you're six. Stop."

Me: who is this child????? Where is my DD?

DD: "but, mom...thanks for doing it but don't pass them out...that's baby now".

Hope it helps...I have a box full of stuff I thought was cool but "that's baby now".

 

[happygirl]

DD6 is having her party tomorrow. Here was the conversation we had:

DD: "What are YOU doing?"
Me: "goodie bags"
DD: "For who?"
ME: "Your friends"
DD: "Why?"
ME: "Cause you're having a party."
DD: "MOM!!! I'm 6 and you DO NO do that when you're six. Stop."

Me: who is this child????? Where is my DD?

DD: "but, mom...thanks for doing it but don't pass them out...that's baby now".

Hope it helps...I have a box full of stuff I thought was cool but "that's baby now".

That so funny when my daughter turned 7 it was a huge deal to do party favors it's like kids want there parents to one up another person party favors lol