I'm organising a six-year-old's birthday party and don't have the faintest idea of what to put in the party bags. All ideas and ingredients for party bags really appreciated.
swati_r

Bargain shopping
Most supermarkets have a range of party favours, which are very cheap (under £1). They do packs of stickers, whistles, yo-yo's, etc. Asda do a pack of four medals on a ribbon for 99p, which are great to use for prizes for games. I got these for my daughter's fifth birthday and they went down really well.

You could try Poundstretcher for cheap packs of lollies and sweets, as it can work out pretty expensive if you have a lot of kids coming. They also do cheap sets of paper plates and cups in loads of different designs. I got Disney Princess ones for my daughter's party; I think they were about £1.50 for eight plates or eight cups or party bags - which is cheap compared to other shops. They also do the plain white ones even cheaper if you don't want to spend too much money. I've got three kids and I know how expensive children's parties can be once you add everything up!
Lorr1976

If you're planning to have a party every year it might be worthwhile visiting Ikea and buying the brightly coloured kids plastic plates and beakers. They're sold in six-packs and are only £1. It saves buying expensive themed party accessories every time.
Jojo5679

H&M do lovely girls' jewellery sets, starting at £1.25 for a pretty necklace and bracelet or diamante bracelet and ring set also for £1.25. They also do little handbags, hair bobbles etc. They're really good value, and are also excellent for birthday presents.

I have three daughters so I'm a party-pro! For party bags I would recommend tiny tubes of Smarties, mini Mars Bars etc. Balloons go down well, as do whistles or anything that makes a noise! Little toys and games such as cars, dolls, hair slides, soldiers, animals, crayons etc always go down well too. Try Poundstretcher, Asda, Internacionalle, Bargain Bin, Tesco etc.
i_love_ali

If you have a Pound Shop near you, you can get all sorts of little games. We had a party and spent £30 on bits and bobs for a party of 20 children.
vep1

Go online
Bakers Ross does a lot of little bits and pieces. You can get lots of ideas from their catalogue, available online: www.bakerross.co.uk
missmarplejunior

I bought craft bags from the Great Little Trading Company and stuck stickers onto the outside with the kids' names on - nice crafty time for a frustrated parent. The boys got a plastic parachutists and a wooden spinning top and the girls got plastic jewellery. The website www.partytreasures.co.uk is excellent for bulk purchases. I bought wooden spinning tops from Habitat (£5 for 10) and they went down a storm. Ikea is another good one for fun bits and bobs without breaking the bank.
L4LXX

I've just done two parties for eight- and ten-year-olds. Found some excellent party bag gifts at Hawkin's Bazaar
tinkster2004

Something different
I often dispense with party bags, and instead give the kids a really small going-away gift. So far I've done Mr Men books (they're £1.50 each), colouring books and pencils (can be done for around £2 each), and for my youngest son I did Easter eggs (three for £5) because his birthday was on Easter Sunday.
charliesmummy

For my daughter's sixth birthday we had a party at the local leisure centre for £60 (up to 24 kids). For that you get a bouncy castle and trampoline and staff, and have to bring your own food. Party bags I bought cheap on the local market, put in chocolate (some kids go bonkers on colours) pencils, b'day cake and attached helium balloons to the handles, which went down really well and they only cost £1.37 each. Altogether the complete bags cost about £2 each.
jo19792004

Traditional gifts
How about bubbles, a small pack of sweets, small carton of drink, cheap pencil and colouring book set and a bit of birthday cake?
iceman_12

Here are my suggestions: balloons, bouncy balls, lollipops, hair bobbles/clips, badges, pretty rubbers, toy cars, toy jewellery, set of cheap pens or pencils (supermarket value brand).
yorkietoni

For my son's fourth birthday I bought little packs of books and split them for his party bags. You can get them at pound shops or other cheap places. Bubbles, crayons, pencil sharpeners, pencil toppers, and rubbers are all good for party bags too. I also split packs of ink stamps and finger-paint. For little girls, hair accessories are a good choice, as are cheap bottles of nail polish. I buy multi-packs of the Haribo mini bags to put in and the four packs of Chewits and candy sticks. Supermarkets own brand multi packs are great as well.
ivykaty44

I've found party bags a rip off. Unless you pay a fortune, the things that you put in are useless. Generally kids like sweets. So I tend just to put a few sweets, a balloon and some cake.
lockettherocket