The Insiders Guide To The Best Toddler Party Favors

Toddler party favors need not be a headache—in fact they can be an extremely fun final touch to your toddler’s party, setting the event off as something memorable and extra-special. If you put in a few ounces of creativity, you might find you enjoy making them almost as much as your little guests enjoy receiving them and bringing them home. 

It’s All in the Presentation

To a toddler, it’s all in the presentation. A fun, playful goody bag will wow your little guests faster than an expensive toy in un-tasteful wrappings. Bright colors, strangely shaped or nontraditional packages spell E-X-C-I-T-I-N-G to a toddler in big clear letters, and make for a party favor they won’t forget anytime soon.

And the wonderful thing about presentation? The sky is the limit in what you can do, and fun wrappers typically take more scissors, glue, and pasty fingers than money.

Ideas for toddler goody bags:

• For a beach-themed party, little plastic sandpails

• For an animal-themed party, animal puppets stuffed and tied

• For a Frozen-themed party, ice-block party boxes: square boxes (you can make these at home out of thin cardboard) covered with blue or snowflake paper

• For a Monstor party, bright colored gift bags with monstor eyes, nose and mouth cut out of construction paper and glued on.

No-Nos for Toddler Party Favors

Don’t buy a lot of cheap junk at the dollar store for your loot bags, or the kind of thing . Toddlers are rough on everything that use, and most of those dollar toys will be broken before your little guests get home. It’s better to get one quality toy that won’t break and will be used and played with, rather than a sackful of plastic that will make its way to the trashcan with speed.

Don’t buy a lot of candy for goody bags either. Your toddler guests will have had plenty of sugar by the time they’ve enjoyed the cake, juice and other treats at the party, and their parents will not be grateful if you send even more home with them.  Save candy for Halloween and Christmas, and if you want to do edibles, make it healthy edibles like exotic fruit,  graham crackers or 100% juice packets.

Winner Toddler Party Favors

For a toddler, simple toys have the longest life, so go with basic when you’re choosing what to put in that beautifully decorated goody bag. Two markers apiece and a fun little notepad; three bright colored bouncy balls; one bigger ball; a set of cute fingerpuppets. 

Think about things your toddler would be excited to get in a goodie bag; his little friends are likely to have similar tastes. It often works well to extend a party theme to the favors. If you’re doing a zoo theme, get several packs of rubber animals and put three or four in each bag. If you’re all about Clifford, find small size plush Cliffords that fit your budget.

Another idea would be to pair your toddler party favors with a special activity—painting little wooden birdhouses or picture frames, for instance; making jewelry with large, bright colored beads; or writing with paint markers on white t-shirts—and when the craft is done pack the results neatly in the goody bags.  That way they’ll have a memento that is really meaningful for them. 

Have fun planning your toddler party and the party favors you give. If you enjoy putting on the party, your guests will enjoy being there. Don’t stress out about party favors; it isn’t worth it. 

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