Goodie bags handed out at parties are not popular in Italy, but they are in Finland. When you plan a child’s birthday party (read my best tips here) you need to come up with small gift ideas without affecting the budget too much. A quick option is candies, of course. However, I personally prefer to come up with alternatives that don’t accelerate the next visit to the dentist. When you Google ‘goodie bag ideas’ you find 23 000 Pinterest boards and 11 500 galleries. Looking fantastic, but not cheap. Personally I am willing to invest 6 euros per bag top. Those great ‘superhero combos’ are way over budget. Here are 10 cheap and smart gifts to fill your goodie bags with.

#1. Play-Doh

Cost: approx 0.40 EUR
What child doesn’t love Play-Doh? Playing with it is an ageless game. You can buy multipacks like this one and split them among participants.

#2. Nail stickers

Cost: approx 0.50 EUR
Nail stickers are a winner with girls and they are incredibly cheap. They can last for multiple occasions! For instance here are some you can buy from Amazon.

#3. Fruit lipstick

Cost: approx 1 EUR
My daughter loves to put lip balm and nowadays shops sell fruit balms suitable for children. For instance, I bought this set of Disney princesses lip balms for her and her friends.

#4. Toy cars

Cost: approx 1.5 EUR
Toy cars never disappoint. Like with Play-Doh, you can buy them in bulk and save quite a lot. I bought this set of 10 Hot Wheels cars and ended up paying each less than 2 EUR.

#5. Reflectors or small lights

Cost: approx 1.5 EUR
Reflectors are compulsory during wintertime, so why not gifting one? Kids often lose them and they make a useful and smart gift.

#6 Hair accessories

Cost: 1 EUR
From headbands to hair pins, accessories help fill goodie bags for girls and they always find a good use. For my daughter’s 7th birthday I found a pack of cute headbands for her friends.

#7 Colouring books

Cost: 3-7 EUR
A colouring book is a simple yet nice idea for your guests. You can find colouring books of your child’s favourite characters or cheaper) generic ones (like this or this). Even better, why not buying a stickers book?

#8 Travel games

Cost: 5-7 EUR
We love boardgames, but they can be quite expensive. Their travel versions, however, can be affordable and make for a fantastic goodie bag idea. For example Ubongo, Quirkle, Monopoly, or Connect 4.

#9 Sunglasses

Cost: 2 EUR
Here in our house sunglasses have a short lifespan. This is why I keep buying plastic ones, which are quite inexpensive if you can find a good deal (at Tokmanni for example). If you are celebrating a spring or summer birthday, sunglasses make for a useful and cute gift for your little guests.

#10 Books

Cost: 5-8 EUR
There are plenty of small books that can make a great gift. For example
The Lion Inside (7.10 EUR)
The Koala Who Could (7.40 EUR)
or some of the Fireman Sam books (about 6 EUR).
Books make it for a smart gift that lasts.

Do you have other ideas for goodie bags? Leave me a comment below.

Featured image by Lidya Nada on Unsplash.