One mum's controversial call; bin the party bags at kid's birthdays.

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably got an opinion on party bags. There aren’t too many parties where a kid walks away without clutching one in their sticky hands. The bags my kids get are generally stuffed with lollies, plus a couple of cheap toys and maybe a balloon. Yeah, I roll my eyes at all the sugar and quietly bin some of it. The toys tend to break quickly and follow the lollies into the rubbish. So should we just junk the whole party bag tradition?

Renee Kaiman, the Canadian blogger behind My So-Called Mommy Life, called for parents to stop handing out party bags and soon found herself on TV, explaining her view.

“Parents, please keep your dollar store crap to yourself,” she wrote in her original post.

“I get that everyone wants to keep up with those Pinterest moms, but sending my kid home with junk that you won’t even feed your kid, or toys that will break into a million pieces five minutes after they’ve played with it, is ridiculous.”

Kaiman has a problem with the idea that kids need to leave a party with a gift.

“Why is it that are kids need to be given a reward (which the loot bag totally is) for coming to celebrate with a friend! A friend!

“Our kids should learn the feeling of giving to others without expecting anything in return.”

Has anyone thought of asking the kids? Photo via iStock.

Plenty of parents supported her.

"They're more like grab bags or, as I call them, landfill bags," Philippa Howell posted.

"When my daughter was four, we mutually agreed to make a donation to a charity of her choice rather than give lootbags and just let her friends know," Rosalie Taylor Fine wrote.

"Stop paying people to like you," John Windisman added. "It's sad, and will not help your child when they become adults!"

But there were others who stood up for the tradition.

"I will continue to aid in the downfall of society and give lootbags," Nadia Daniell-Colarossi declared. "I love putting them together and giving them out at the end of a party."

"Good Lord, I'm glad I grew up when I did," Alessio Torres commented. "It must suck to be a kid these days."

As for me... well, my son is having a birthday party soon. He and I are already planning the party bags. We've talked about the things his friends might like to find in them, like a toy car or a little dinosaur. We're going to design and print out stickers for each of his friends, with their names on them. We'll probably pop a chocolate or two in there as well.

Why are we doing it? Because my son likes his friends and wants them to go home happy from his party. That's all there is to it.

I say keep the party bags.

What's your opinion?