By Kristen Chase •
January 11, 2009
Ah the dreaded goody bag. It’s every parent’s arch nemesis. And with my son’s 2nd birthday soon upon us, I’m determined to avoid the seemingly unescapable “bag of junk” that people seem obligated to give kids who attend their party.
I’m not even sure why they call it a “goody bag” because there’s just nothing good about it.
So here are some simple ways to create eco-friendly goody bags that kids and their parents will thank you for, and ones that won’t kill your budget.
Many parents have devised ways to make a birthday party more eco, as Jennifer Lance wrote about here, including sending e-vites, cutting down on paper decorations and plates and distributing favors and party bags that don’t feature plastic junk.
One sticky point though is the issue of gifts. Most of us find that our children already have too many toys but, especially at certain ages, kids just aren’t ready to forgo the pile of gifts they are likely to receive. There’s something special about ripping through all of that wrapping paper to display yet another toy.
Though charitable giving alternatives exist like Echoage and Heifer, often it isn’t possible to talk a stubborn child into asking that guests not bring a gift. Often it’s even harder to ask guests to forgo that task.
Ah the dreaded goody bag. It’s every parent’s arch nemesis. And with my son’s 2nd birthday soon upon us, I’m determined to avoid the seemingly unescapable “bag of junk” that people seem obligated to give kids who attend their party.
