To Goodie Bag, or Not to Goodie Bag?

No goodie bags. I vote for this tradition to end, so we can all stop feeling the need to waste money on useless junk that will probably get thrown away anyway. You party sounds awesome BTW. Those kids will more than aprreciate what you have already done for them.

As a mom who has been to plenty of kids birthday party, I would not be bummed if you didn't offer a goodie bag. Most of the stuff my children take home from parties gets thrown away anyway, so it usually isn't worth the money. If you feel like you must hand out something, I would put the $5 arcade card in a bag with maybe a few pieces of candy to hand out at the beginning of the party. But I do believe that the party you are planning is more than generous and I think that most moms would understand that.

Good luck with the party!

I HATE goodie bags. Why do other parents have the right to send my child home with a bag of candy that I would never feed him otherwise? Plus the toys alway end up in the garbage - translation - the landfill. Goodie bags are an exercise in how not to treat the planet. Kids learn a ton about being green in preschool and school so I would put a sign to that effect on whatever would have been the goodie bag table.

I think someone needs to STOP THE INSANITY! lol
I vote NO goodie bag!

nope - stop the goodie bag madness where you can! The $5 gift card is the guest's "gift".

JUST SAY NO TO GOODIE BAGS!!!

We never do them. In your case, I wouldn't worry about sending anything home. At some of our backyard parties, we do a craft, paint something, tie dye shirts etc and then the kids take those home. And we sometimes do a pinata full of candy - but no little plastic "junk" goodies!!!

Nope! I know that we all do goodie bags b/c the kids "love them", but in this case there is no need. This party sounds great! You may want to take a picture of each child with the birthday girl when they enter and then include the photo in the thank you note- or take a group shot! Girls this age love having pictures of their friends in their rooms.

No goodie bags. I think it's a rediculous thing and don't know where it came from. I don't expect to get a gift at a birthday party, I expect to give one.

No you dont' have to, But if you really wanted something to hand out you could snap a group photo at the beginning of the party and have someone run it to a one hour place and give each kid a thank you photo

Nope. The party sounds like plenty! : )

I didn't do goodie bags, and no one ever complained about not getting one. They are getting food and an afternoon at an amusement park - that's plenty of goodies.

my vote is no, if it were a fun house type party then that would be appropriate but for this not needed.

I hate goody bags! I don't do them. I think a party like that is more then enough.

I'm totally in for the stop the goodie bag movement.

No! We just did a party like this last week for my daughter's 9th birthday. The arcade games spit out tickets that the kids could trade in for the kind of trinkets (junk) that normally gets sent home in goody bags.

Even if this place doesn't do that, I'm not usually a joiner, but...if anyone starts a "Stop the Party Goodie Bag" movement, I will join it!!

It sounds like a great party! If you do decide a small favor is in order, you could get a box of fruit roll-ups, a box of kudos granola bars, and a bag of crazy-straws. Target and Michaels/Joann's Crafts sell small colorful paper bags for about $1.50 for ten or twelve. So there's about $10 total for a little something for every child to take home. Again - not necessary! But not a fortune if you decide to add it.

Added: forget my idea - I love the idea of the group photo!

The party sounds like a great big goody bag!

You also need to do goodie bags. You can go to the dollar store or a party supply place where you can buy multiples of small things. The kids will definitely expect this.

With a party like that, I would say no to the goodie bags. Since there is an arcade, they will probably get tickets to turn in and get the little junkie things. You could take a group photo and when your daughter sends her thank you cards, put a group photo in each thank you. Hope this helps!

NO! I really HATE the goodie bags. I think that the food and entertainment are more than enough.

It sounds like your daughter is a little older. I have had a similar situation. I took my daughter and a few friends to the mall where we went to a movie and had lunch and the "goodie bag" that they got was a $5 gift card to Claire's. I think that the party is enough and kids that old really don't need or want any of the little do dads that would come in a goodie bag.

No! Good grief are mom's ever guilted into spending the cash for birthdays! Any child who complains is SPOILED and not worthy of being invited to a second birthday party! :)

Best wishes!

I would go without the goodie bags, maybe just little bags for them to take home the prizes from the arcade

I go with the "no" vote...

i hate goodie bags. my son doesn't eat candy(his choice) and the little toys that come with the goodie bags end up in the garbage within a week!!! so i vote no goodie bags!!!!!

I personally think the party is enough. But I do want to add that goodie bags should not be completely eradicated. Maybe the parent making those goodie bags shouldn't buy "junk" to put in them. There are better options such as playdough, crayons, coloring books.. I do goodie bags, but I buy stuff that I would like to see my kids receive. Not stuff I would throw away as soon as we get home.

I think you are paying enough for the party-goers. If you want to be on top, then assemble a very small goody bag to help the attendees remember the party. Candy or trinkets are cheap; just do not spend too much. You are throwing a great party as it is.