 Re: Help - Return gifts - First b'day party..
I vote for not buying into the hype behind the goodie bags. Not to say that you can't do anything, but don't think it has to be a lot of little trinkets that will break/be thrown away/left at your house. You don't want little stuff that your little one or guests could choke on anyway, so go in a different direction.
Depending on the theme of the party, pictures can be a great takeaway for children of that age. Like say you have a princess-themed party...allow the guests to come dressed as their favorite storybook princess, and take a digital photo of each guest with your child (opening that child's gift?) or standing by a nice party backdrop, have hubby or another adult go upload the photos to your computer during the party...print them out and put on a handmade background (or have the party's craft be to decorate a "frame" for their photo), then hand the parent the photo on the background, and you're done.
If that's not your style and you really, really want the traditional "goody bags", buy the goodie bags at Dollar Tree or on Clearance at a craft store-don't shell out the big bucks at Walmart or a party store-no one cares what the bags look like, and dollar stores have some cute ones anyway. Then fill them with items already from your stockpile-like kid's toothbrushes, kid toothpaste, Smart Rinse, yummy-flavored floss, Johnson's Buddy Bars or kid's shampoo/bodywash. Since it's name-brand stuff (that you got for free or almost free, mind you), many of the kids will be impressed that it's "just like on tv" or "I wanted this, but mommy wouldn't buy it for me" type items. An 8 year old wouldn't be as impressed, but 1-6 year olds will be (or their parents will be for them if they are on the younger side). And bonus-every parent in the family/neighborhood won't hate you for filling their kid up on sugar and junk toys and sending them home!
There was one lady who watched for clearanced toys at Target and picked up several toys for $3 each (normally $20 toys), set them all out unwrapped on the gift table and allowed each child to choose one before leaving. As expensive as that sounds, it rivals the expense put into the average goodie bag these days and was much more appreciated by children and parents alike.
If you go with bubbles, Dollar Tree has them 3/$1!
You can also do homemade goodies, but anymore with allergies the way they are, that gets tricky.
On another note, have you considered giving the kids their own cupcakes or cookies to decorate as a craft AND a snack AND a take-home gift? I love when I can put out the cost for ONE project and have it count for all three party "needs". It's really easy to set up a table with different colored frostings, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. and some blank cookies or cupcakes. Just be sure to put a table cloth on the table (the cheap plastic ones) and either provide aprons for the kiddos (check craft stores for clearances on these) or cut 3 holes in a trashbag and let the child "wear" the trashbag to cover their nice party clothes so that the parents aren't thinking murderous thoughts about you when little Suzie comes home with blue icing all over her Easter dress, lol.
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