Can the loot bag trend be stopped without being a party pooper?

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, July 17, 2025

I don’t want to be the fun police, but I’d love to see children’s party loot bags disappear. The trend of giving out a plastic bag full of plastic toys and cheap candy needs to stop.

My oldest daughter had a party earlier this year and before everyone left, her friends were asking about the loot bags, or goodie bags. I was thinking of scrapping the idea and not handing them out this year.

These girls are around 10 years old and we held a party at the swimming pool. (Highly recommend, by the way, it was so fun and the price wasn’t overly expensive.)

So, between buying some snacks and renting some space out at the pool, I had already spent enough money. But then my daughter encouraged/begged me to also put together loot bags. I wanted something meaningful or at least not so harmful to the environment or their health.

In the end, she chose little plastic squishy toys, lollipops and pencils, and, of course, it was all held in a plastic bag. I’ll admit, it was sort of fun. The girls squealed when they opened them.

That was two months ago. I can probably guess that all those toys are already sitting in the landfill, the candy has been eaten and dentist appointments have not been fun since.

I feel guilty about it. A quick search on the internet said plastic toys take a very long time to decompose, some potentially taking hundreds or even thousands of years.  As they break down, plastic toys can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and water, potentially contaminating ecosystems and posing health risks to humans and animals.

Fast forward to my next daughter’s birthday, which was last week. I vowed not to follow suit. Someone has to break this trend.

My daughter and I decided we would have an “adopt a dog” themed party. We got little stuffed dogs and cardboard treat boxes that we transformed into doggy kennels. I thought this would also double as the loot bag.

It was so fun, and so cute. But again, my middle daughter begged me to do traditional loot bags, just like her sister had. I felt compelled to do the same for her to make things fair. Again, she chose a bunch of plastic crap, I mean toys. And just like the last party, these little guests were asking for goody bags before the party had even ended. How have we gotten here?

The main point of loot bags is to thank guests for attending and to provide a small token of appreciation, adding an element of fun and excitement to the occasion. They are a way to make guests, especially children, feel included and valued. 

But at what cost? And why is our value measured in junk? Junk food and junk toys.

Now that birthday season has ended in my household, I have taken the time to really think about how we are celebrating. Birthdays are important. And having fun and hosting parties while including everyone is also great. But let’s keep in mind the long-term effects on our health and the environment.

After some searching around, I’ve discovered better loot bags, if we can’t kick the habit. Flower seeds or tree saplings are a cute idea. A simple handwritten card with a (sugar-free) lollipop is enough. Or even a small craft kit could be cute.

The next time I send one of my children to a party, I am going to explain to them that a party bag at the end is not guaranteed. And next year, for my own kids’ parties, I am going to scale back on the goodie bags, find another way to thank our guests and make everyone still feel appreciated.