What birthday did you stop party favors?

[MagicalMysteryDream]

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

Yes I am putting my foot down. We do not have an equal marriage at all. At best each partner holds a 60/40 advantage over the other partner.

 

[disneychrista]

Just say no to the goodie bag!

 

[southern_redhead]

I've noticed that, here, favors have kind of stopped. It has become a "make and take" type thing. Pottery painting or the like and you get to take your piece home. While a painted tile isn't really any more useful than a bag full of cheap candy and pencils that won't sharpen, for some reason I've felt better about DD bringing home the tiles.

I hadn't thought about tie dying shirts - that's a good one! We did favors for ODS until maybe 8 or 9...after that we just started taking one or two boys somewhere. If we went to the movies I'd buy the "good" concession things like Slushies and the $5 tiny box of candy as the "goodie", maybe provide quarters for the arcade....I know a lot of families that have done arcade type venues for boys parties and gave a dollar amount in quarters to the boys for their treat and it went over well.

DD will likely give out goodie bags this year, she will be nine, but it's because this is an 80's themed party and I looove me some 80's so I'm going a little nuts thinking about "bringin' it back!" After this it'll likely go to the one or two friends out thing like we did with DS, I really don't enjoy these birthday party for the masses things and I still have one more kid to get through this Unfortunately for him, goodie bags are not in his future - as a woman I work with says "Guess you should've been born first!" I'll make sure his buddies get "something" but it'll be more along one thing (foam sword or football) then a bag full of sugar and cheap toys.

 

[MagicalMysteryDream]

I won this battle but not the war. She agreed with me to drop the idea of party favors, but if they do a craft they can take it home. I just said no cheap crafts. I absolutely feel that the party is our gift to the kids and if they expect a goody bag they will have to learn to live with a little disappointment in their lives.

We have noticed the last three parties we went to, the BBOC had stopped from other parents. They were also held at outside venues and when the party time was over you had no choice but to leave. There was no waiting around like Pavlov's dog for some goody bag!

 

[luvsJack]

No goodie bags here for a few years. My niece still gives them but her dd's party is the only one my dd has gotten a goodie bag from in years.

When dd started having skating or bowling parties at about 7, we gave each child a coupon for a free skating session or free game of bowling. but that was it.

About 2 years ago, we started doing a slumber party with a day at the local water park. Between a day of water slides, a cook out at the park, a night at the house with loads of goodies to eat plus take out pizza--I figure enough.

This year she wants to scale it down and go somewhere for the weekend and take a couple of girls. So I may buy each girl a cute frame and give the each a picture of dd and them together on the beach.

Little bags of junk? Nope don't like them, too much money, don't really want them sent home with dd either.

 

[princessnoelly]

Funny spin since DD's party was yesterday.

We had it at a roller rink (it was her idea- to have a bunch of unbalanced 6 year old kids skate). We didn't do pizza since DD is allergic to dairy and eggs. One of the kids was very upset (threw a fit) that we didn't have pizza (the party was from 2 to 4- so not near a meal at all). I explained to this kid that pizza makes the birthday girl sick but I'm sure she could have pizza when it was her birthday. Then this same child threw a fit because we didn't do goodie bags.

I did hear another child complain about not having a goodie bag but since she had her two cousins, both parents and sibling skating on my dime I kindly told her that in place of goodie bags she got to skate with her entire family. Her mother also said she thought it was cheap that I didn't provide pizza or goodie bags. I did pay over $35 for her family to all skate and didn't flinch when I saw them keep walking up to the table. I guess there is no pleasing everyone.

 

[okeydokey]

We stopped giving the bag of crap at about 8. I feel that providing an outing to a skating rink, arcade or build a bear was plenty. My kids don't get them anymore at friend's parties and I am glad.

 

[golfgal]

We stopped doing big parties for kids when they were 10. After that they just had a couple friends over for a sleepover or to a movie. We stopped doing goodie bags then. Even before that I put 'good' stuff in them, usually a book and a flashlight. I hated all that little crap the kids would get at parties.

 

[becauseisaid]

I did hear another child complain about not having a goodie bag but since she had her two cousins, both parents and sibling skating on my dime I kindly told her that in place of goodie bags she got to skate with her entire family. Her mother also said she thought it was cheap that I didn't provide pizza or goodie bags. I did pay over $35 for her family to all skate and didn't flinch when I saw them keep walking up to the table. I guess there is no pleasing everyone.

Hole. E. Cow. I can understand a 6 year old asking for a goodie bag. No big there. The kid is 6 after all. But a fully grown adult making a statement like that?! My mother would call that a lack of breeding. I just call it a rude sense of entitlement.

(BTW - my daughter had a skating party for her 6th this past year and I was impressed at how good some of those kids did on skates! I was telling everyone before the party that kids falling down was part of the entertainment. )

Personally, I fall into the "Dear God No Goodie Bags" camp. I haven't done a goodie bag since my child was 2 and so far no one has had the balls to come up to me to complain about it. And, really, what are your guests going to do about it? File a complaint with their local senator? Start writing nasty things about your kid on the bathroom wall? Boycott next years party?

As a parent, I detest goodie bags and avoid them at all costs. My child comes home with enough cheaply Made-in-Taiwan toys from holidays and McDonalds without adding to the pile at birthday parties. We are there for the birthday girl/boy. Not ourselves.

 

[FredinFL]

Still do it for dd's 12 and 10.

 

[AndreaDM]

I not only put my foot down on the goody bags, I put my foot down on the whole party! I don't like hosting them and don't like attending them, don't flame me, it's just our family's preference. So, DD8 is quiet happy to do something special like go away for the weekend (this year it was to Atlanta to have lunch at the AG store and buy a new doll), take ONE friend along to a fancy restaurant (we don't even tell the parents it's for her birthday so they don't feel like they have to send a gift) or when she turned 4 we went to Disney. So, she obviously not deprived and we don't have to celebrate her birthday at a party venue where I don't even know half the kids. I grew up celebrating birthdays with family and MAYBE a close friend once in a while so that's kind of how we've kept things. The thought of hosting a Chuckie E Cheese party makes me want to start drinking heavily.

 

[MagicalMysteryDream]

The thought of hosting a Chuckie E Cheese party makes me want to start drinking heavily.

We had a keg at my daughter's 4th birthday. It was great!

 

[ccgirl]

My wife was at the kitchen table today with the Oriental Trading Company catalog and I asked what she was doing. She said getting some ideas for party favors. I said, our daughter will be 8, it is time for the party favor/goody bag to go the way of the dodo. Our party is the gift to our guests. She said, it is just done.

I then stopped her in her tracks and asked how many times has she been annoyed with our daughter coming home with a BBOC party favor? I then asked what has happened to all of those items in the BBOC? She thinks I am being unfair, but I think for an 8 year old, party favors are no longer needed.

What birthday did you stop with the party favor BBOC?

Haven't read all the replies. My DD8 just had her party last year and we did "favors". I've never been a big fan of the cheap favors that people give just so they can say they give them. All of my DD's friends are into chapter books so each one got a new book and lip gloss. Even for my son's parties DD3, I give age appropriate books, playdoh, and/or coloring book.

 

[AndreaDM]

We had a keg at my daughter's 4th birthday. It was great!

Now we're talking!

 

[becauseisaid]

We had a keg at my daughter's 4th birthday. It was great!

Now we're talking!

Really! What do I have to do to be invited to your DD's 5th birthday party?

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

We don't usually do a "goodie bag" but do give a "thanks for coming" gift that is age appropriate.

Things we have done: t-shirts, lego car (for lego themed party), Bakugan, rainbow wands the kids made, cookie cutter and cookie mix (Winter "1" derland party), cake mix and cupcake topper sticks I made (Cute as a Cupcake party), baseball cards.

I tend not to do the bags full of little stuff and I have gotten positive comments from the parents about what they have received. My friend's son has a summer birthday and always does a pool party. She gets the towels from Kohl's and wraps each with a ribbon-super cute and useful!

I don't think goody bags have to equal crappy plastic stuff, and when we get Oriental Trading stuff or trinkets from the party store they are generally in the trash within a day. I tend not to spend more than $3-4 on a thank you gift and make sure I watch sales so I can get something that has a purpose.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I had favors for my husband's 33rd birthday party....and games with prizes...and a pinata.

It's all about context.

 

[disneychrista]

I not only put my foot down on the goody bags, I put my foot down on the whole party! I don't like hosting them and don't like attending them, don't flame me, it's just our family's preference. So, DD8 is quiet happy to do something special like go away for the weekend

Growing up I only had one birthday party, all the others we went to Disneyland. I much preferred my birthdays at Disneyland vs the party.