Are Party Favors Necessary?

You’ve planned and paid for a birthday party that reflects your child’s passions and interests, chosen a cake the flavor she loves, and generally made sure everyone would have a fun afternoon. Do all the guests also need to go home with a goody bag or other party favor?
 

Whether to give guests party favors is a personal decision that a family should make based on their own wishes. For her part, though, Jodi Levine, founder and owner of Jodi’s Gym in Mount Kisco and the Upper East Side, suggests skipping them entirely, because there could be a more beneficial and educational use of a family’s time and energy. “I’d love if more children would, in lieu of party favors, give a donation, maybe in the name of their party guests,” Levine says.

The same can be said for birthday presents. “I would love to see more kids, in lieu of birthday presents, perhaps bringing something to give to people who are less fortunate,” Levine says, “like a token gift for the child and a donation box, so when children are coming to the parties, at least they are giving to a cause that might be helpful to some children who are less fortunate than they are.” 

Michelle Sperry, owner of Fleur de Lis Academy in Norwalk says party favors are fine when passed out to each child one by one, as opposed to storing them in a box and telling the kids to take one. She recalls a time when a girl was having her party at Sweet Soireés, Fleur de Lis Academy’s birthday party space, and she gave her own party favor to a little girl that was crying and was not even a part of her party.