My 4-year-old and I recently attended a birthday party for her classmate. The parents hosted about 15 kids at a new indoor play place and fed everyone pizza, cake, and juice boxes. At the end of the party, the mom handed my daughter a goodie bag. She had already spent hundreds of dollars on party decorations, matching family outfits, and for everyone to play and eat, based on the pricing I saw online for the play place. If anything, it felt like I should have brought a gift even though it was a “no gifts please” party to thank her for entertaining my child for a few hours. Was the goodie bag, filled with a few tiny toys and stickers, really needed after all that the mom had already done? Are there birthday party goodie bag ideas that kids will still appreciate, but that won’t end up in the garbage?
Popular Instagram mom Susie Allison, AKA @BusyToddler, sparked a lively discussion when she admitted that she doesn’t think birthday party goodie bags are necessary, saying, “Goodie bags are typically expensive for the party-throwing family to create on top of the other party expenses,” and “These bags are full of small toys that clutter toy bins & play spaces.” Some goodie bag alternatives parents (and kids!) love include crafts as favors, creative themed items, books, make-your-own treats, and more.
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Kid’s Birthday Party Goodie Bags: Good Idea or Hard Pass?
Over 1,700 moms and other fans weighed in on the goodie bag tradition. The overwhelming takeaway? Moms are over goodie bags filled with anything small and plastic that won’t last.
“The amount of ‘crap’ and not age-appropriate stuff in goodie bags is horrific!! We keep 1% of these things… Everything [else] gets tossed. It’s so wasteful!!” —@dmj0303
“I also haaaaaate receiving a goodie bag full of small toys my kid forgets about the instant they’re home. Such a waste of $” —@katierose126
“I can’t stand receiving or giving party bags. They’re expensive and usually crap that ends up getting thrown away” —@miriahorton
Birthday Party Goodie Bag Ideas (That Aren’t Junk)
If you don’t want to do a birthday party goodie bag, you shouldn’t feel obligated to do so. But if it is something that brings you joy or something you want to do, here are eight ideas for birthday party goodie bags for kids inspired by comments on Allison’s post that both kids and parents can get on board with.
Crafts as party favors
A craft-as-favor lets kids take home something they made instead of store-bought trinkets. It’s a goodie bag alternative many parents appreciate. “We’ve started doing a craft or activity as the ‘favor,’” Instagram user @hotdogteach said. “It doubles as an activity at the party and something they take home.” For my daughter’s ‘Tea for Three’ party, we decorated hats for the tea party, and for her ‘Four-ever Magical’ party, everyone decorated a princess crown that everyone took home. Other ideas from the comments included making a gingerbread house or making bracelets as a group.
Creative favors that match the theme
A favor tied to the birthday theme that the party guests will reuse is another fun goodie bag alternative. Allison’s comment section is a gold mine for birthday party themes and corresponding birthday party favors to complement them. There’s nothing wrong with hosting a simple birthday party at a local park and not having a theme, but kids’ birthday party themes can be fun and an easy way to incorporate a practical party favor.
The Everygirl’s Editor-in-Chief Allyson Trammell hosted a Moana-themed 3rd birthday party, and every party guest got to wear and take home a heart of Te Fiti necklace instead of a goodie bag.
“My daughter had a doctor-themed birthday party… and favors were a lab coat, a stethoscope, and a doctor name tag,” @heydaynay commented.
“Everyone ‘adopted’ one of my childhood Beanie Baby dogs,” said another of her daughter’s puppy birthday party.
Other birthday party goodie bag alternative ideas included:
- A ‘pancakes in pajamas’ party where every kid got pancake mix and a whisk to take home.
- A breakfast-themed party with a cereal bowl and a mini box of cereal as a favor.
- Superhero capes or superhero masks for a superhero-themed birthday party
- A reflective vest for a construction-themed party that kids can use for pretend play and bike safety.
- Fun Band-Aids for a Doc McStuffins party.
- Friendship bracelet kits for a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party.
- Actual cups of ramen for a KPop Demon Hunters birthday party.
- One mom shared that she bought cute kids’ sunglasses and magnet-free reusable water balloons for party favors after her daughter’s pool party.
Birthday decorations that double as party favors
How’s this for a clever idea? A few moms weighed in that they get a bunch of helium balloons for the birthday party, and then every kid gets one at the end as their favor. Your grocery store might have a balloon station, or craft stores and party retailers can typically fill them.
You could also have kids take home the cup they used at the party as a favor. Or something they could play with during the party. For example, one mom had a LEGO-themed kid’s birthday party and bought a small tub of LEGOs for kids to play with while they were at the birthday party. At the end, she packaged the LEGOs into bags as favors. These are all win-win ideas, as it reduces cleanup for you, and kids still get a birthday party favor.
Practical party favors they’ll use again
If you’re giving out a birthday party favor, other parents will appreciate something a kid can use long-term. One parent shared how they gave reusable water bottles as favors, which also saves you from buying disposable cups. You could also grab a budget-friendly pack of stickers for the kids to decorate as another party activity. Another practical party favor idea could be beach towels for a backyard water party.
Books that fit the party theme
Books are another birthday goodie bag alternative your child can continue to use long after the party is over. One mom, @amandafungkavutse, suggested giving books that relate to the party theme as favors. “[Our] son had a robot-themed birthday, so we gave out copies of The Wild Robot book instead of goodie bags,” she said.
Another commented that they did a book exchange for the party, where each kid brought a book from home and left with a new one. If you do the latter, you’ll need to have extra books on hand just in case someone forgets, so that no one is left out, but it’s a budget-friendly birthday party goodie bag idea that kids will love.
Bags to decorate for their piñata haul
Piñatas are often a fun activity for a kid’s birthday party, and if you’re doing a piñata, there’s really no need to do anything else for a party favor, as kids will all end up with treats.
“This year for my daughter’s party we did a piñata and whatever the kids collected in the little bags was their party favor!” mom @lindz.jordan commented. “I filled it with gummies and stickers.”
Another mom talked about how she has kids at the birthday party decorate the bags they’ll use to collect their piñata haul so that it doubles as an activity and a way to hold the candy.
Something sweet to eat
Allison says that a “piece of nice chocolate for the parent who drove to and from the party” was the “best favor ever” that she’s seen at a birthday party. Maybe that parent was onto something by giving the adults a favor, not the kids.
Other parents said they made extra cake and sent each kid home with a slice as a birthday party favor. Decorated sugar cookies to go or cookies your child can decorate on their own when they get home are also a fun option that won’t clutter your house.
Snack bags for the ride home
Kids are always hungry, especially when they’ve just finished a meal or just had a treat. Parents in the comments were mixed about whether they’d want more sugar to take home, but seemed more open to things like granola bars or fruit snacks.
Unreal Snack’s chocolate-covered pretzels or the That’s It mini fruit bars are a good compromise, and they are allergen-free—something you’ll want to consider to ensure everyone stays safe.
FAQs
Are birthday party goodie bags necessary?
No. Many parents now consider them optional, or skip them entirely. Over 1,700 parents recently shared that majority are tired of goodie bags filled with small plastic toys that go straight in the trash.
What can I give instead of a birthday party goodie bag?
Popular alternatives include a craft or activity kids do at the party (which doubles as the favor), birthday theme-matched keepsakes, books related to the party theme, a helium balloon, or a reusable cup or water bottle.
What are good themed party favor ideas for kids?
Match the favor to the party theme: a whisk and pancake mix for a “pancakes in pajamas” party, a superhero cape or mask, friendship bracelet kits, or a reflective vest for a construction zone party.
What is a good budget-friendly goodie bag alternative?
Letting kids take home something they already used at the party—like a balloon, their piñata bag, or the fun cup they drank from—cuts costs, but still feels special.
Elliott Harrell, Contributing Writer
Elliott is a mom of two little girls and is based in Raleigh, NC. She spends her days running a sales team and doing laundry and her nights writing about the things that she loves. She’s passionate about all things motherhood and women’s health. When she’s not working, writing or parenting you can find her trying a new restaurant in town or working on her latest needlepoint project.
