What are some of your favorite birthday party favors?
I’m so tired of mass-produced plastic trinkets that get lost in the corners of the couch or go straight into landfill (I’m looking at you, slime…)
Has anyone received anything in a birthday goody bag that you and kiddo both loved? Budget is roughly $10 per bag. Invited kids are 6-7 years old, both boys and girls.
- jsirenica—Oooh, I love this topic! I also have exactly this problem, I just REFUSE to give out party favors that are 30c arcade trinkets. Also my hobby is experience design, which I now take out on children’s parties in the absence of adult spare time :'D So the ones we’ve done that have been hits include: A) Face jewels like these (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZF4NCNG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1) B) Actually nice gift bags should not be underestimated. Like, little fabric pouches they can reuse for their treasures. We tried a bunch and the biggest hit were these (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C699MMM9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1), but anything like this was also fine (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1BS68NF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1). C) We went to a party where someone gave out little individual-sized containers of kinetic sand, that was awesome Our other philosophy is to combine favors with party activities. So at my older kid’s 6yo party, she really wanted to make everyone dress up as dragons from her favorite fandom. I ended up finding a bunch of rubber dragon wings on temu at under $2.50 each, and the kids all wore them around at the party and took them home. (This also let me combine activity budget with gift bag budget.) So, at the time, I’d felt a little bad about the amount of waste I was generating because the wings were big and bulky and I assumed that most parents would hate them and throw them out. But to my surprise, most of the kids LOVED the wings and wore them a lot at home, and several even insisted on wearing them every time they came to visit us afterwards. Even the super minimalist households held onto their wings. That same party, we also gave out adorable fuzzy sleep masks like these (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQR4ZPRG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1), because the fandom was Wings of Fire, and in it dragons wear sloths around their necks as pets, so everyone had their cute fuzzy “pet sloth”. The kids LOVED their “sloths” and would wear them around for days as an accessory, wear it to school, etc. Though, I think if I had just tossed a sleep mask in a gift bag, it would have been one thing, but playing with it together gave it meaning. (We also used them to play blind sardines as a party activity.) Lastly it’s short lived, but the all-time favorite hit was enormous 3-ft balloons. You have to use a (very cheap $15) machine to blow them up, but we filled the space with them and let people take them home if they wanted. The parents did not appreciate the logistics of wrangling a 3-ft diameter balloon into the car, but the kids loved it :'D
- ritu—@jon I love @jsirenica’s answer so much but I can’t upvote it - we’re running into the “comment vs answer confusing UI” issue here again.
- jsirenica—Oh, this one IS a cheap tchotchke, but high quality squishy mochis like this were fought over (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07787FMRM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1), and also still incredibly cheap. I think because they are sensory toys and adorable. Similarly stretchy noodles like these (https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Pen-Monkey-Noodle/dp/B09CMZ6JPP). I think it’s a sensory thing.
- jon—@ritu agree that @jsirenica’s answer is amazing! i gave it some love, but will fix the UI and also @jsirenica i will move your comment to an official answer.
- Elliottmom4—I love the idea of tying it into the party!
6 answers
moni190
Yes I also hate creating trash. Things that they will actually keep and use like multicolored pens, reusable water balloons (these are a hit and any parent will reuse these in the summer months), mini lego ppl (at least they add up to a family’s lego pile rather than the trash). For older kids maybe a book series that they might like, give one book to each kid and once they have read theirs they can later exchange amongst themselves at school. There are some series like the Roald Dahl collection that end up being around $3 per book! Otherwise honestly I just shift to treat as at least that gets eaten!
- jon—a book exchange sounds really fun.
- rachel—We did an end of year class party with a book exchange, but I had never thought about starting it with a birthday party. What a great idea!
- jessica70
I also hate buying and passing on basically junk (which are what most party favors are imo).
I first of all, I don’t feel bad if I don’t send them home with anything, I don’t think that is a requirement for hosting a party. I think for most people the fun is in going to the party. But if I do send something home it’s usually something they have made at the party or that was used at the party. One time we did an art party and they painted their own picture on canvas so they got to take that home.
Another time they decorated their own cupcake at the party and they could either eat it or take it home. Etc. someone else mentioned taking home balloons at the end of the party and that’s a great idea!- jon—i love the idea of taking home something they make!
- laceyg20
My favorite party favor is either nothing at all, or something very consumable. I like decorating the party using helium balloons then giving one to each kid as they leave.
- Elliottmom4—Yes!! I’d much rather send them home with fun memories than something their mom will have to throw away later.
rachel8302
My twins just had their eighth birthday party. Panda themed. I ordered these super cute, very soft panda stuffed animals from Aliexpress (they have other animals). They were less than four dollars each. They were a huge hit. Several parents told me their kids slept with their new stuffies that night.
I’ll probably do a stuffed animal as the favor for my daughter’s six birthday too.
- ritu—ooh stuffies - that’s a great idea! what’s the shipping and quality like from Aliexpress? I’ve never ordered from them before - are they pretty reliable?
- rachel—totally reliable (at least in this case — it’s the only time I’ve ordered from them). The stuffies were good quality and super soft. And the shipping was right what they said it would be.