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What to put in the bags

JenniCollinsJenniCollins member
in Toddlers: 24 Months+
Chloe has three friends birthdays coming up, one in early September (turning 3) and two in late September (turning 2).  The mom's have planned 'no present playgroups' but as these families have come to my daughters birthday parties and have given her presents I can't not bring anything for the kids.

So, I got some cute Halloween fabric and I'm making the kids trick-or-treat bags.  Now I'm just trying to figure out what to put in them, I don't want to give just empty bags, especially since they are too young to realize that in a month these bags will get filled with goodies.  So far I've got bubbles and a book.  Is this enough?  What else would you put in there?  I was thinking stickers but one of the kids doesn't like them and since they are so close together and the kids will be at each others playdates I don't want to give one more than another. I don't want to spend too much since they specified no presents.  TIA!
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Re: What to put in the bags

  • madhousewiferymadhousewifery
    It kind of depends on the kid/family but I would probably do a bag or two of something like Annie's Bunnies or Gummy Bunnies. Maybe a mini coloring book with some crayons? Sidewalk chalk? Hit up  the Target Dollar Spot if you have a Target near you?

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  • sschwegesschwege member
    As someone who does 'no present' parties, I can tell you I really appreciate those who follow our wishes.  I don't see birthday parties as 'pay back' time.  Could you maybe give the gift at a later time?  How is everyone else going to feel if they don't bring a gift?

    That being said, bubbles and a book sound great!  Another fun thing may be those little containers of play-doh if you think the parents would be OK with it.  Or crayons/chalk as pp mentioned.  Maybe glow sticks since you are going with a Halloween themed gift. 
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  • rlyttlerlyttle member
    Snacks? Juice box, apple sauce, raisins, ect. So things that aren't to "presenty".
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  • grlmom16grlmom16 member
    Just a question, why would you do a no present party? I'm only curious, never have heard of that... :)
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  • sschwegesschwege member
    grlmom16 said:
    Just a question, why would you do a no present party? I'm only curious, never have heard of that... :)
    Our house is small and we just don't have room for a lot of stuff.  Plus I used to nanny, so we are constantly getting a ton of wonderful hand-me-down toys from the family and of course both sets of grandparents are very generous with gifts year round (My MIL even does 'thanksgiving gifts', who ever heard of such a thing!). DD is still young enough that she doesn't associate gifts with birthdays, so we have just kind of skipped it so far.  Honestly not sure what we will do when she gets a little older, I guess we will reevaluate it.  We are good friends with one other family and they do the same thing, but other than that I have never heard of it either :)  
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  • mrsdeannamrsdeanna member
    grlmom16 said:

    Just a question, why would you do a no present party? I'm only curious, never have heard of that... :)

    Because LO's are spoiled already. Lol. DS1 has a ton, I mean a ton of toys. DS2 will have a lot of toys from DS1. I will be asking people to donate to a non-profit organization of my choice if they chose in lieu of presents for DS2's first birthday.
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  • grlmom16grlmom16 member
    Oh ok, I see! Makes sense for sure. We do gifts at ours, one piece of great advice I have gotten though was to only let her have a few at a time, then put up the rest to give through out the year. I understand the storage though, we only have one 'extra' closet and it's tiny, so it gets tricky.
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  • TiffanyBerryTiffanyBerry member
    edited September 2013
    I also do a "please no gifts", and get frustrated when people ignore it.  I know they mean well, but I'm trying to teach my daughter that gifts are things you give out of desire, not obligation.  If you want to give them something, give it.  Don't wait until a birthday, and don't feel an obligation just due to the calendar.

    So I'm also in the "please, don't bring a gift if they've asked for no gifts" camp. But if you always wanted to make a trick or treat bag for the kids, give it - but at a later time, closer to halloween.
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  • kristenndkristennd member
    We do no gifts. And I totally don't mind buying gifts for their friends' parties. The parents don't secretly owe us anything in exchange. If it's killing you, give it to them some other time. But not at the party.
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  • rlyttlerlyttle member
    We also are doing no gifts for this party. He will still get stuff from my parents, DH's parents, and a few other people. We bought him 2 books. I don't want him to get tons of presents. He doesn't need them and he really won't even care about them anyway. 
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