11 of the best party bag fillers for 2 year olds
Stuck for party bag toys and filler ideas for toddlers? We feel you. Here are our pick of toys, books and treats for toddler party bags - plus what our mums suggest using.
Planning a party bag for a group of 2-year-olds can feel like a real challenge, mostly because lots of the affordable small toys you can buy are only suitable for kids aged 3+. You need to steer clear of party bag favourites like bouncy balls (which could still be a choking hazard) and get a bit more creative when it comes to suitable treats.
So what on earth can you put in them? Our forum and Instagram mums shared some of their fabulous ideas, from big brand names to unusual little finds, plus check out some of our top buys, too.
Check out the 11 best party bag fillers for toddlers aged 2 years...
1. Mini Play-Doh, 15 for £7.99 (approx 53p per pot)
- Best for creativity
Suitable for children aged 2+, these party bag-sized play-doh pots are a godsend if you’re struggling for fun, colourful ideas for lots of little ones.
Each pack contains 15 mini pots in an assortment of colours, and they even come with little gift stickers that fit the lids, so you can personalise each one for your party guests.
Available from: Amazon
2. Animal Foam Masks, 25 for £8.29 (approx 33p per mask)
- Best for supervised fun
A pack of 25 foamy masks that we think are, with adult supervision, good for 2-year-olds. The set includes a mix of animals including a cat, dog, rabbit, mouse, monkey, giraffe, elephant, zebra, and plenty more besides.
One of our Instagram mums said her little one "loved an animal mask in hers!" so we reckon these are a safe bet, just watch out for the elastic straps.
Available from: Amazon
3. Happyland Fairy Figures, 5 for £10 (£2 per figure)
- Best for fairy themes
One of our forum users came up with the brilliant idea of purchasing a set of toddler-friendly (18 months+) figures, and splitting up the set to pop one in each bag. You can choose the figures to match the theme of your party, so these fairies would be great for a magic or fairy-themed bash, but consider ideas like superheroes, pirates and animals too.
It's possibly not the cheapest option if your party has 20 kids on the guest list, but for smaller get-togethers it's genius.
Available from: The Entertainer
4. Crayola My First Jumbo Crayons, 8 for £3.89 (approx 49p per crayon)
- Best for mark-making
Children of this age might not be creating museum-worth works of art yet, but they'll love practicing their mark-making with these easy-grip crayons.
If you're only holding a small gathering, they're affordable enough that you might be able to pop a set in each bag. Otherwise, you can make them go further by adding just a couple of crayons per bag – make sure you go for colours that contrast well with each other.
Available from: Amazon
5. Ikea Titta Djur Finger Puppets, 10 for £5 (50p per puppet)
- Best for interactive play
We know lots of mums like to add finger puppets to toddler party bags. They're such a simple idea, yet so much fun for both toddlers and their parents, offering up a great excuse for some creative play and interaction.
These Ikea ones come recommended by one of our forum mums, colabottlesareyummy, and the set includes a whole menagerie of cute animals. We particularly love the shark and the frog.
Available from: Ikea
6. Superhero Balloons 18 for £6.99 (approx 38p per balloon)
- Best for superheroes
Planning a superhero-themed party? A couple of unblown 12-inch balloons will allow party guests to continue the fun at home. Kids will love seeing mum or dad blow them up to reveal which comic book phrase they've been given.
Needless to say, any spares can be used as extra party decorations or photo props, just supervise carefully to avoid the dreaded bang!
Available from: Amazon and Card Factory
7. Pocket Dinosaurs, 12 for £15 (£1.25 per dinosaur)
- Best for dinosaur fanatics
This gorgeous, brightly-coloured set of 12 small wooden dinosaurs and accessories is a lovely sustainable choice, and each child could be give 1 or 2 little dinosaurs in their party bag.
Much like the Happyland figures, it’s a little pricey but a lovely memento from the party, and could be a way to encourage all the attendees to play together in future, reuniting all the dinosaurs to create a whole prehistoric world.
Available from: JoJo Maman Bebe
8. Peppa Pig Book Bundle, 6 for £3.99 (approx 67p per book)
- Best for bookworms
Bulk out your party bag with a book for your toddler's pals to read with their parents. Ladybird Little Libraries are great value with 5 or 6 books in each set (keep the box they come in, your little one will undoubtedly find a use for it).
If Peppa Pig's not your bag, there are plenty of other TV tie-ins like Hey Duggee, Ben and Holly, Bing and In the Night Garden, as well as sets from popular authors.
Available from: Amazon
9. Animal Friends Party Blowers, £2.99
- Best noise-maker
Yep, you can include a blower in your little one’s party bags. Just make sure you buy them from a trusted retailer, and supervise children when they're using them to ensure the paper blower doesn't detach from the plastic mouthpiece.
These cute blowers feature safari animals like lions, tigers, hippos and giraffes, and there's a whole collection of party decorations and treats to match.
Available from: Party Packs
10. Star Hero Plush Bear Toys, 20 for £37 (£1.85 per bear)
- Best wow factor
This pack of 20 bears is expensive, but you'll wow your guests by including an entire teddy in a party bag! In fact, these are so cute you can probably just include a bear, a printed activity sheet and a slice of cake and call it done.
The bears are 13cm long, and the capes/masks are attached, making these a great choice for a superhero party. You can also buy them in packs of four.
Available from: Baker Ross and Amazon
11. A Slice Of Birthday Cake, £6 for 12 servings (50p per serving)
- Best for snacking
It might seem obvious, but a piece of birthday cake can take up plenty of space in a party bag! We recommend a caterpillar cake because it's a good shape for any size bag, the coating keeps it in one piece, and who doesn't love a classic?
The one we've shown is from Sainsbury's, but you can get them everywhere, including M&S, Waitrose, Tesco and Asda. The latter makes a Free From version, too.
Available from: Sainsburys and Ocado
Some more ideas from our mums…
We asked our mums what they'd put in, and the answers were pretty resounding: bubbles and stickers were their top choices.
We had a little nose around and couldn't see any purse-friendly bubble bottles that said they were suitable for under 3s (annoying), but toddlers really do love bubbles, so maybe they're worth including and giving to the parents directly.
"My friend's 2-year-old knows I keep them at my house and loves them," says @growingoutandup.
@Brogan.georgiou recommends any kind of toddler snack bag, like Bear and Organix, while lots of our mums also suggested little books are nice for party bags, too.
The most unusual suggestion we've heard? Milk teeth holders!
"I got gorgeous milk tooth holders which were 90p each. They were a selection of wooden animal pots that you put the child's milk teeth in for the fairy to collect and leave the money," says westbrom1 on our forum.
Share your tips
What else would you add to a party bag for 2-year-olds, who can't have the typical party bag favours like bouncy balls, etc? Share in the comments below...
Images: Product websites
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