"Healthy" and "Practical" Party Packs

It’s Gavin’s birthday tomorrow.  Since all the other parents have arranged parties for their kids at school, I couldn’t see how I could not have one for Gavin.  And, after complaining about all the junk that Gavin has been bringing home in the party packs that have been handed out from the other parties, I thought it was time to raise the bar.

Probably one of the biggest problems with a party pack is the cost of assembling them.  A quick browse through Balloon Burst in Great Eastern Mall revealed that birthday party favours don’t come cheap.  No wonder most party packs come with nothing but junk…  I figured that if I was going to spend the money to buy the stuff in the first place, I might as well buy useful stuff and not the sort of things that will only end up in the bin as soon as the day’s over – at least that’s where most of the stuff that comes in the party packs that Gavin brings home end up.

So this was what I ended up packing in the bags:

• one balloon – figured you can’t go wrong with these since all kids love them (well, almost).
• one crayon – I wanted to go with a pack of crayons but the cost was really going to kill me.
• one activity notepad – these came in bundles of 12 at Balloon Burst.
• one pack of Pooh novelty bandaids.
• one kids toothpaste/toothbrush set.

Approximate cost per party pack: RM10.  Looks like it’s cheaper to fill up a party pack with junk than it is to fill it up with meaningful items.

What do you think?  Does it scream “no junk food, please!”?

I was about to succumb to putting chocolate bars in them but decided in the end that the toothpaste/toothbrush kit would set a better example.  As it is we’ll already be bringing cupcakes to school so I figured that’s enough sugar for the kids.  Here’s hoping that the other mothers appreciate a “no junk food” party pack and continue the theme for this year.

As for the other stuff, I wanted a party pack that contained items that were practical and useful rather than junk.  I saw the whistles, those “blow balloons” thingy, masks and party hats but eventually opted not to get them for various reasons.  Party hats and masks are not environmentally friendly.  The whistles and other noise makers used to drive me berserk at home so I thought I would spare the other parents from having to endure the noise pollution from their eager toddlers.

It isn’t difficult to put together a “healthy” and “practical” party pack.  There are a whole host of items you can use like stickers, notepads, and colour pencils (you don’t have to get a whole pack).  You can even print out colouring pages from the computer (there are lots of colouring pages online that you can download for free) and slip them into the bags.