When Do You Stop Giving Out Goody Bags?

I never started so I don't know. I cringe when my kids get them at parties because it is either full of candy which they don't eat or cheap trinkets that I throw away. Besides, I thought the party was for the birthday child and not the guests????

S.

I've been to parties where they still give them out and others where they do not. It does not bother me either way nor do the kids ask about their goody bags. I do like to give out something that coordinates with the party if I can afford it (like paint supplies at a painting bday party, Mickey Mouse coloring book and cup at a Mickey Mouse party, etc). I think you can stop that at ANY age!!

You see, if you never start then you never have to stop.

KIDS love goody bags no matter what age they are! One thing I do is have a birthday party every other year. Every year is way too much.

Never understood it, never did it. They've had little bags to put the candy they got from a pinata in, or to carry their prizes from the games we play, but just a bag of stuff to say thank you for coming to the party? But I don't think I should give someone a gift for coming to the party. The party itself: the games, entertainment, food, etc is for the kids, and in my opinion, enough.

My daughter attended three sweet 16 parties in the last month and got "goody bags". One had Victoria secret creams, another had various stuff from Bath and Body Works and the third had fancy chocolates from a local candy store. I agree it is not necessary though.

I never started giving them out.

I will never buy goody bags, because, honestly, there's very little "good" in them. I don't give my kids artifically flavored, preserved, or colored foods, so I cringe when my kids get those bags.

I don't know how I survived my childhood without getting a single goody bag at all the parties I went to.

I stopped giving goody bags a few years ago and instead just give each child a full size candy bar. My boys will son be eight and eleven.

Y.:

My kids are 10 and 13. We will be having my 13 year old's party at the end of this month. It's a paintball party. I'm not handing out "goody bags". I am handing out really good water bottles for them to take on the course with them and that's it.

In July for my youngest son's birthday? most likely having it at a water park - and won't be handing out goody bags either.

If you are having a small, personal party - I would do goody bags. But that's me. And make sure they are personalized to the person....however, I agree - you should NOT feel forced to give goody bags.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Kids do NOT deserve a gift for coming to a birthday party. I am certainly going to be very glad when this fad is over with. I don't do them nor do I let the kids bring that junk home. I usually let them have the candy but the little toys and stuff, it's not coming home with us.

I'm not a goody bag fan. On the giving end, I find it very costly. From the receiving end, I find it a waste - my kid usually throws it away - yes, even the candy.
I've given other things as they've left - gift packs of cookies, a balloon, etc. Or a gift that fits the party. A pool party where each kid left with a noodle or beach ball. A "Survivor"-themed party - each child had a custom-made bandana. A lei when it was a luau. I had them decorate picture frames as a craft, and then we put a pic of them with the birthday child. A nail polish kit for a sleepover. Last party, we went to Farrell's and they each got a balloon animal hat.

Ugh. I despise goody bags. If you just paid to entertain and feed my child for 2+ hours, you shouldn't have to give them a gift as a "thank you for coming", IMO. It's not my kid's birthday - she's already had your cake and celebrated, why does she need a present at someone else' party? I don't get it. Most people think their favor bags are great, but 99% of the time it's just useless, cheap junk we dont' need.

DD will be having an arts & crafts party and anything the kids make will be put in a basket or bag that will basically be their "favors".

I think it's really up to you, as to when you want to stop favors.

My daughter is 10, going on 11 ..... last year we didn't do goody bags. I actually can't remember when we stopped....but I think it's been a couple of years.

I stopped when mine were in middle school. (That's when they started changing classes in school.)

My son is turning 7 tomorrow and we won't do "goody bags" at his karate bday party. Each child will receive a karate headband and a coupon for a free karate lesson. I think that is enough - they don't need more candy and they don't need junky stuff from Party City that their parents have to carefully comb through and throw away when they are sleeping (small confession!). Wish me luck!

I have never really done goody bags. But we do give a small gift. Last year my daughter had a Wonder Woman party. The girls got Wonder Woman cups and the boys got Justice League cups. For my son's science party, everyone got to take home the goggles we used. We had a slumber party one year and everyone took home a flashlight we used at the party. So we don't do goody bags, we do a small thank you gift.

I'm a fan of goodie bags when they are not full of junky things that we'll never use. For example, my daughter got one that had a tiny plastic slinky, a tiny thing of silly putty and some sugarless gum (which she can't have). She played with the slinky for 10 seconds, the silly putty ended up never being opened and we threw the gum away. Take the $4 that the mom probably spent on the bag times the 15 kids that were at the party and that's $60 wasted!

My daughter has gotten some wonderful goodie bags though. One had a bunch of hair rubber band in it, which we can ALWAYS use, and some hand sanitizer, which we also use a lot of.

I think it depends on what you put into the bag, and how much you have to spend.

Personally we don't do goodie bags, we usually do some sort of craft at the party and that's what the girls take home.

There are goody bag people and non goody bag people. If you ask a question about goody bags you will get flooded with the anti bag folks demanding you stop this nonsense LOL

I am a pro goody bag person and proud of it. :) However, I make goody bags more of a quality gift. Nice water bottle, quality molded animal, art supplies (brand name), or they get to keep the craft they made at the party. etc.. I don't give little trinkets and candy pieces.

Back when I was a kid there were no goody bags but there were prizes. You played games and if you won the game you got a prize. Then moms got upset when their kids got upset for not winning, thus the goody bag came, to make sure all kids got something.

Yes the party is enough but I find it fun to add something to give.

We always give something out - even if it's just a balloon tied to a lollipop or a bag of candy..

not sure, but they were not that old. Like you mentioned, I was tired of spending so much on the party, and the extra expense of a goody bag was sometimes overwhelming, so I just decided to quit. No one even noticed, I don't think.

We've never given goodie bags. In lieu of gifts for our children, we ask for donations for the Ronald McDonald House (toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc.). So, since people are buying my son gifts, I don't feel I have to put together goodie bags. It's a win/win!