3Rd Yr Old Birthday Party Gift Bag Goodies

I've done bubbles, twisty straws, crayons, and playdough. You can get some of it in the holiday section in bulk right after the any holiday like the bubbles and playdough (much cheaper). I usually put 1 or 2 pieces of candy then maybe something healthy like raisons or teddy grams. I personally don't like hard candy except maybe suckers and no gum. Hope this helps.

Those little cups of Play-Doh are great, also snack bags of animal crackers or Cheerios mix - less sugar and kids love them!
Happy Birthday!!

at my kids'last couple parties, i've given away decorated cookies in place of goody bags and they all seem to love it and there's no junk to throw away. i've gotten them either at a bakery (usually less than $2-3 per cookie) or i found a woman that does it for a business and it's still cheaper (nicely wrapped/packaged cookie) than the usual goody bag. she's in aurora if you're interested. illbringdessert.com

These days a lot of moms are putting in crafts from Oriental Trading Company. If you have enough time, order something online and then put that in with a packet of fruit snacks (which generally don't offend any of the moms) and maybe a sheet of stickers that match to the theme of the party. I've also seen people put in candy, matchbox cars, mini playdoh, bubbles, and other little toys that can often be found at dollar stores or toy sections at Target. Also, Crayons with little notebooks are another option.

Have fun!

If you have time, why not recycle all of your broken crayons and give the kids something neat to play with. You line a shallow cookie sheet with foil, and layer your broken crayons on it. Then put in the oven for 10-12 min at 250 or 300 degerees. Once the crayons melt into one big multicolored sheet., you can use cookie cutters to to cut out crazycrayons for your guests. I reccomend a 1/4 inch thick layer or more to make better crayons.

Enjoy

D.

We were just at a b-day party and in the gift bags were those big superballs! From age 1.5-10 the kids loved them! And too big for the little ones to put in their mouth....

Wrap small treat size celluphane bags of mixed nuts or peanuts. Make sure no guest is allergic. Go to the Dollar Store and look at everything. You may be there an hour or 2. There are so many tiny things (don't pick any swallowable by the littler ones). You'll find everything you need there without costing an arm and a leg. Even a game or two. How about a pinata. My best friends do one every year at their family picnic. We don't do it because we're Spainish because we're not. We do it for the fun. You can do it in the garage and lower it for the 2 year olds. Let them go first so they get their turn. Enjoy

A coloring book appeals to a variety of ages (maybe plain notebooks from dollar store for older kids). I think all the other parents would appreciate staying away from little plastic things (: I plan birthday parties and my favorite favors are shaped crayons to go with the theme plus the notebook/coloring book. Hope this helps.

E.,

It's so refreshing to see that I'm no the only one who struggles with this issue!! Thank you for your post.

What wonderful replies from the Moms. I love the pre-decorated cookie idea! Also, I know my daughter LOVED getting a little craft kit that was a "decorate your own photo frame". It was one of those foam kits. I think the mom who gave them out got it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Then with her Thank You notes she sent a picture of her child with mine from the party. It was a cute "friendship" thing we had posted in the frame for a long time.

Also, another bit of info...the Thank you notes....you cane make your own on colored paper. We found cute ones that said, "Dear ________. Thank you for coming to my party. I loved the ___________ gift. Your friend."

My daughter loved putting her name on the bottom (or trying to) and then I only had blanks to fill in! All the mom's loved these cards. (Ours were found on the clearance rack at a local Hallmark store.)

Best of luck with the party.

Sara

If you have the ability to "burn" a CD on your computer, you could make a CD of music for each child. My kids always love getting music and it does not generate much waste. The covers of the CD's were colored by the birthday child. But, that may not work if you are having a big party since they take some time.

Play doh, stickers, dollar area at Target has good stuff at times. I was able to get photo frames for my daughter (but that was when she was 6. Also, we did crafts - Walmart had batons for 88 cents and that fit our princess theme - they were pink!

Good luck with this - I always fret when doing gift bags, but I check the Michael's out - they also have stuff too.

I also strongly dislike goody bags.

That said I love the idea of burning a cd of music for the kids, be wary of copyright laws :)

Another great idea was the craft frame, you could then send a photo from the party with the thank you note :)

Some fun goodies that are mostly kid safe for all ages are play-doh (you can pick up a tube of mini containers of multiple colors), m&ms, stickers, bendy straws for the older kids, crayons and coloring books from a party shop (I still had some left over and have stashed them in various places to use to keep my daughter occupied when need be).
Good luck and have fun!

I got away from goody bags because I wound up throwing away all the little "junkola" that was junking up the house. If you feel you need to give something, I recommend a little stuffed animal that matches the theme, or a hat, one of those marshmallow fun ice cream cones, or giant pixie sticks. Just give one thing and save your money...it is not necessary, and it makes junk. Just my opinion, and maybe I am just not too creative! LOL As they got older we made a craft for them to take home, but again, no little fru fru stuff. Enjoy whatever you do!

My soap box...why do kids have to receive a goody bag....they came to a party to give to someone and have fun at the party...why do they have to get something? Seems like we do not give to just give...gives kids the attitude of whats in it for me?

Just my thoughts...I do not like goody bags

You can find recipes for homemade cooked playdoh and give them out in disposable gladware.

I also once went to the dollar store and bought each child an age-appropriate puzzle for $1 and they loved it!

The dollar spot at Target is good, too. I agree with the other moms, all of that little "trinkety" stuff ends up in the trash when the kids aren't looking. One party we went to had goody bags filled with healthy-er snacks (like goldfish crackers, fruit, etc...)

M.

I am having a Mickey Mouse clubhouse theme and got each child a tumbler (drinking cup w/straw) from the Disney Store. I had a coupon, though.....

Hi E..

I have always used Birthday Express. They have great fun-filled favor boxes for around $4 each. They are great! Check out their website www.celebrateexpress.com.

Happy shopping!
S.

I got this idea off mamasource just a few weeks ago.
For my daughter's birthday, one of the activities we did was decorate cookies. I bought big, plain sugar cookies at the local bakery (they have many different shapes) and had the kids decorate them with sprinkles and frosting (wasn't as messy as you'd think). Then I bought the plastic goody bags for them to take them home and THAT was their goody bag! I got a lot of positive feedback...

Hi E. - For my daughters goody bags I did Max and Ruby cut outs . If she has a favorite cartoon sometimes they have some great ideas for goody bags if you go online and type in the characters name. the cut outs online where like paper dolls so the kids could go home and cut them out.The dollar store has some cute things for girls and boys. Coloring books are fun for kids around those ages.celebration center has some really cool stuff.I did stickers and tatoos. that went over well. I hope I gave you some ideas.
good luck
H.

I also try to give stuff the kids can actually play with- at my son's 3rd bday with a monster truck theme, we gave little sand trucks I found for about $1 each at Target, and both my boys still have and play with theirs (we just gave the girls at the party a truck with pink wheels!). A friend's party was a train party and she made little fabric bags with a ribbon to hold them by (just a loop on one end) and my son uses it to carry around trains and toys now! We also used it to take home a "take and toss" cup that she bought for each child to use at the party. If you wanted to make the cup special you could paint the child's names on them, and then they can take the cups home in the little homemade bag, and that's a cute enough favor for me! I don't like the candy and junk, but fruit snacks (preferably without the high fructose corn syrup) are usually ok, but it's fun to have a favor to remember the party by. Hope you find something fun, let us know what you pick! Does your party have a theme?

My daughter will be 5 this year, and I am making paper dolls for her party. I have a Cricut machine with a special cartridge that makes the dolls, and the girls will decorate them for an activity and then take them home.

I am thinking of selling the dolls for this purpose - let me know if you are interested!

E.,
I usually raid Target's $1 section for the marked down items. They usually have great pencils, colored ink pens, little games for kids, stamps, little puzzles, etc.

S.
Mom of 7yo and 4yo

my suggestion woul dbe to not include a gift bag with all kind sof little trinkets. kids get soooo many of these and they end up in the trash. it is a lot of work on your end too but it ends up to be a waste. here are some nice ideas i have seen or my kids have received at parties. a mcdonalds gift card, a decorated cookie, a book, a gift card for an ice cream cone from a local ice cream shop. one larger thing rather than a bunch of trinkets is better. good luck have fun!

I think goodie bags are great fun for the kids. Kids get so excited about birthday parties!!

I like the $1 bin at Target. Some other ideas: gift card for ice cream or donuts, water bottles with the kids names decorated on them. One year in January I went to the Disney Store and found lots of things marked down CHEAP! I bought the kids princess and pirate baseball hats for $3 each. I stuck some candy in a little baggie, too. I love to give goodies like this that the kids can use later (not just toss out.) How about sand pails? You can put the kids names on them.