loot bags

[mellyskater]

im helping a friend throw her babies 1st bday...there will be a couple under 1 some from 1-2 and the rest 4-7
what do you put in loot bags these days?

thanks

[flyerfan]

I just went to a 1st birthday and the mom gave the kids a book wrapped in cellophane with a big bow. As a Mom I was glad that it wasn't a bunch of candy and silly toys.

[Janey]

I prefer to do one little gift than a bunch of random things - a little book, puzzle, crayons, etc from the dollar store with a little 'Thank you' tag is what I like to do.

[Lilyana'sMommy]

I'd check out WM in their party section as they have $1-$5 bags of toys, crayons,etc... As for what to put in treat bags it's hard when they are young but an example of what I was thinking was maybe:
under 1: Baby Mum-Mums, little story book, bottle of baby juice
1-2 : Toddler Mum-Mums, coloring book & crayons, juice box, box of raisins
4-7: small treat, toy (little doll, truck, etc..), juice box

We just had our daughter's 2nd birthday and in her treat bags I had the following:
Sunglasses (Valentine's day clearance at WM pack of 5)
Dora bubbles (Zellers clearance)
Small box of smarties (Halloween clearance at Superstore)
Barbie mirror (Special at Liquidationworld)
Small tub of play-doh (Halloween clearance at Zellers)

Maybe check out the Christmas deals to see if there is anything she can use I also really like the idea of giving each child one gift instead of a loot bag (might be a good idea for the younger ones)

[khipson]

Nothing that will just get thrown out a day later... and most party favors fall into that category. A little bit of candy maybe but not too much and you have to make sure it's peanut, milk and wheat free which pretty much limits you to suckers and rockets. A coloring book and a small pack of crayons is always a hit, and the idea of a book is nice, too. This time of year is great for making NICE loot bags - DD's birthday is in January and I shop post-Christmas sales to get things like bubble bath gift sets for party bags.

[bargain_hunter_lola]

We usually try and find items that the kids will use that also go with the theme of the party.

This year most kids were 2 and the theme was Little Mermaid/Under the Sea, so I put in a bath toy, pack of bubbles, little package of goldfish crackers and another item I can't remember in each loot bag.

When DD was 1, we put in little board books, a package of Heinz baby crackers, and a cute little pair of socks in each bag.

Not sure how close the party is or if you ever go to the US, but if you check out WM in the US, they usually have a fantastic party section. We got an 8 pack of bath toys for $2 and an 8 pack of kids bubbles for $2. They were both big hits with the kids.

[gracesmommy]

my dd's bday was in the summer so we did sandpails with bubbles, shovel and another sand toy, and a dairy queen prepaid sundae..that was a big hit

[Minou]

I made little loot bags for the kids at my son's daycare (5 kids). In the bags for the little boys were a book (ordered from bookcloseouts), a can of Play-doh, a Hot Wheels car (63 cents at the Cdn. Tire toy clearance), a box of 24 Crayola Crayons (bought for 24 cents a box in the summer), Sandylion stickers (RCSS clearance), and a regular box of Smarties. Total was about $5.00 a loot bag.

[mellyskater]

Ohhh thank you I love the book idea bc I am q book fanatic! For my shower everyone used a book as a card rather than spending 5-6 on a card and started my babies collection. He loves reading time!

[matty's mom]

Ohhh thank you I love the book idea bc I am q book fanatic! For my shower everyone used a book as a card rather than spending 5-6 on a card and started my babies collection. He loves reading time!

I am big on books too- Good thing little one as well! It is a great idea.

Just a hint: Watch the dollar store for books. I scored there before Christmas for my DS- a couple I had almost bought in a no-discount store. I spent $5.00 for 5 books- one was reg $12.99 @ the regular store.

[spammy10]

Scholastic book orders through kids' schools is a great deal... you can usually get a book under $2 and there are about 2-3 to choose from each month. Or buy a value pack with 4-5 books and split them up.

I'm a fan of the "junky" toys - sorry! But my kids will play with them and they become their fave toy for the next week... once they no longer play with it, I donate or get rid of it. I also like the bigger toys with a kids snack like granola bars or fishy crackers too. Bath stuff is always a hit.

Good job all on finding those great deals for the treat bags!!

[spammy10]

Oooo, and I'm all about the crafts and stickers and stuff as my son needs help with his fine motor skills so any crafting or things to do with his hands and fingers I'm all for!! There are usually some cute and inexpensive craft kits at Michaels... although this may not help with 1-2 year old loot bags! You could help them with the craft though!!!

[urouj862]

i love love love the book and craft kit ideas, i would LOVE to see books in my kids party loot bag, instead of small toys that get lost under the car seat within minutes.

[spammy10]

true... we've lost a few party toys in our car!!

[Littlemoe0]

I have tried everything, and so far have figured one bigger gift for the children goes better than a bunch of little stuff in a goody bag (colouring book and crayons, little pet shop, reading book), but the small loot bags have been hits as well. I like to do a craft project with the kids that they can take home. Last year we did painting flower pots and planting a flower, then the kids were able to give there Dad a gift for Father's day,(the day after the party). My fave was one year letting the kids do finger painting, then took a pic of the group of kids, and each indiviual child, when dd went back to school the next day, each child got a memory, used there painting and put a pic of the group and themselves on there pic in a plastic scrapbooking sheet, so they could keep it forever if they wanted.