Pool Party Favors: Ideas for Every Age Group and Budget
Pool party favors are the last impression your party makes. Pool party favors are those little bags you hand over as guests leave.
Children, of course, love them, but so do the moms! It becomes a cherished gift for kids & teenagers as a warm memory of the wonderful party they had. Moms may place them on the kitchen counter. They will remember you every time they use it.
Done well, a party favor is a small, considered gesture that says the host thought about the guest, even at the end of a day when they had a hundred other things to think about.
Done poorly — a generic plastic bag of candy and a sticky label — it is an obligation fulfilled with no thought or emotion.
Here, I cover all that you need to know about pool party favors: favor ideas by age group and budget, what to put in a favor bag versus what to give as a standalone item, and how to present favors so they look intentional.
I even give an honest answer to whether you need favors at all.
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Do You Actually Need Party Favors?
Let me answer the honest question first.
For children’s pool parties, favors are generally expected — particularly at birthday parties, where the party favor is a deeply established convention.
Children notice their absence in ways adults do not. And they take it to heart. So, don’t disappoint the little ones; plan on favors.
For teen pool parties, favors are appreciated but not required. A practical, genuinely useful item lands well. A standard loot bag does not. If you cannot think of something that fits your specific group, skip it and invest the budget elsewhere.
For adult pool parties, favors are a pleasant surprise rather than an expectation. A small bottle of something, a homemade item, something edible — these work beautifully. A gift bag assembled from the party supply store filler does not.
If you do favors for an adult party, make them feel genuinely considered or do not do them at all.
For occasions — bachelorette parties, bridal showers, baby showers — favors are part of the event’s social contract and should be planned from the start.
How Much to Spend on Pool Party Favors
The right budget for party favors is proportionate to the occasion and the guest age group, not to the cost of the party itself.
For children’s birthday parties, $3 to $8 per child is the comfortable range. Below $3 tends to produce items that break before the car reaches the driveway. Above $8 escalates the arms race in ways that benefit nobody.
For teen parties: $5 to $15 per guest if you are doing favors. At this level, you can give something genuinely useful — a good quality item rather than a quantity of lesser ones.
For adult parties and occasions: $10 to $20 per guest for something that feels intentional. A single well-chosen item rather than a bag of multiple smaller ones.
The mistake to avoid is that of quantity over quality. One $8 item is a better favor than eight $1 items assembled into a bag.
Pool Party Favors for Children (Ages 3–12)
Children’s pool party favors must make the child happy on the car ride home. Moreover, they should not break immediately, not be a choking hazard, and not make a noise that will haunt the parents for the next six weeks.
The classic favor bag
A small drawstring bag or a kraft paper bag with tissue paper is the most common format for children’s favors and works because it is immediately legible — children know what to do with a bag. What to put in it depends on age.
- For ages three to five: a small bath toy, a few stickers, a small book, or a packet of crayons. Nothing with small parts.
- For ages six to eight: a small pool-themed toy, a packet of fun bandages, a temporary tattoo sheet, a packet of gummy candy.
- For ages nine to twelve: something slightly more sophisticated — a small journal or sketchbook, a puzzle or fidget toy, a lip balm, a small bottle of nail polish in a fun colour.
Standalone children’s favors
Some of the best children’s pool party favors are single items that do not need a bag.
A personalised water bottle with the child’s name on it is one of the most practical and appreciated children’s favors for any pool party.
It serves a genuine purpose, it goes home and gets used daily, and the personalisation makes every child feel specifically considered.
Order from an Etsy seller with a four-week lead time for personalised options, or buy plain bottles and use vinyl letter stickers for a DIY version.
A small pool toy — a diving ring set, a set of water squirters, a small inflatable — is the favor that generates the most immediate excitement at the party itself, particularly if the child can use it during the party and then take it home.
A sunscreen stick branded with a fun label is genuinely practical, costs under three dollars per unit, and is the favor parents actually appreciate.
A personalised towel is the premium version of the personalised water bottle — beautiful, useful, and lasting. These run $15 to $25 per towel from quality suppliers, but are the party favors that stand out as memorable and useful.
Edible favors for children
A small bag of sweets, a box of themed sugar cookies, a small jar of homemade lemonade mix, a single cupcake in a box — edible favors for children are consistently popular because children want them immediately, and parents do not have to find somewhere to store them.
Themed sugar cookies — decorated with pool, sun, wave, or watermelon motifs — are the edible favor that generates the most social media sharing from parents and the most genuine delight from children.
Order from a local custom cookie baker four weeks ahead, or make them yourself if you have the decorating skills.
Pool Party Favors for Teenagers
Teenagers are the most honest audience for a party favor. They will immediately communicate — not necessarily in words — whether what they have been given is genuinely good or obligatory. The bar is not high in terms of cost, but it is high in terms of authenticity.
A quality lip balm or SPF lip product in a nice tube is the favor that works across every teen demographic, regardless of gender. It is practical, it costs under five dollars per unit, and it feels “grown-up”.
A small bottle of reef-safe sunscreen with a custom label is the practical favor that teens will actually use. Pool parties plus teenagers plus summer heat equals a genuine need for sun protection. A nice-looking small bottle they can throw in their bag is a gift that serves a real function.
A phone card wallet, or stick-on wallet in a fun design, is the favor that generates genuine surprise and immediate adoption. Practical, inexpensive, and completely current as an accessory.
A small scented candle in a clean fragrance works for older teen parties — Sweet 16s and above — where the guest demographic leans more mature.
A branded scented candle priced between $8 and $12 is a favor that feels grown-up without being expensive.
A custom playlist keychain — a small printed card with a QR code linking to the collaborative party playlist, embedded in a quality plastic keychain — is a low-cost favor option that works wonderfully for teen parties.
It gives every guest a permanent connection to the afternoon’s music and something that guests will not misplace.
Pool Party Favors for Adults
Adult favors should feel like a generous gesture rather than a party obligation. One well-chosen item, nicely presented, is the formula.
A small bottle of homemade infused simple syrup — lavender, rosemary, watermelon mint — in a small glass bottle with a custom label is the favor that makes every adult guest pause and smile.
A bottle costs under four dollars to make, connects directly to the drinks they enjoyed at the party, and it is genuinely useful at home. Make a batch the week before, using a standard simple syrup recipe with your infusing ingredient of choice.
A small bottle of locally sourced honey with a custom label is the favor version of the above for guests who do not drink. Beautiful, useful, and the kind of thing that sits on a kitchen counter looking intentional.
A plant cutting or seed packet in a small kraft envelope with a hand-stamped label is the favor that gets the most comments and costs the least to produce.
Basil, mint, or rosemary seeds in a small paper envelope, labeled with something connected to the party — “Grow something good” — is the kind of thoughtful detail that distinguishes a genuinely well-hosted event.
A small jar of homemade preserves or a flavoured salt — lemon salt, watermelon sea salt, a chilli-lime finishing salt — makes a favor that connects directly to the food culture of the party and is genuinely useful in the recipient’s kitchen.
A mini bottle of high-quality sunscreen from a brand guests will recognise is the practical adult favor that requires zero customisation and delivers real value.
Supergoop, Coola, or a similar premium brand in a travel size at the $8 to $12 price point is a favor that every adult actually wants.
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Occasion-Specific Favors
Bachelorette pool party favors
Bachelorette favors have their own specific vocabulary, and the pool party format gives you an advantage: the pool setting is already visually rich, and the occasion is explicitly celebratory, which means personalised and themed items land especially well.
A small personalised tote bag with the bride’s name and wedding date is both the favor and the packaging — fill it with a few smaller items (a lip balm, a nail file, a small candy bar) and the bag itself is the primary gift.
Custom koozies with the bachelorette party name and date are consistently popular because they are used at the party itself and taken home. A can koozie at a pool party has built-in functionality.
Matching scrunchies in the party’s colour palette — personalised with a small tag — are the bachelorette favor that every guest actually wears.
For the complete bachelorette pool party guide: How to Throw the Perfect Bachelorette Pool Party →
Baby shower pool party favors
Baby shower favors are the occasion where the most creative latitude exists, because the theme — a new arrival — is inherently personal and warm.
A small packet of seeds or a succulent in a tiny pot with a “Watch me grow” label is the baby shower favor that gets photographed and shared most consistently.
A small jar of honey with a “Sweet as can be” label in the party’s colour palette is simple, beautiful, and costs under three dollars per unit.
A custom recipe card for a “mocktail” — in honor of the guest of honor — sent home with each guest as a keepsake from the afternoon is the zero-cost favor option that is also genuinely personal.
For the complete baby shower pool party guide: How to Host a Pool Party Baby Shower →
How to Present Favors
The presentation of a favor does as much work as the favor itself. A beautiful item in a crumpled plastic bag with a printed sticky label reads as an afterthought. The same item in a small kraft box with a ribbon and a handwritten tag reads as a considered gesture.
The display table
For children’s parties where guests take their favor at the end, a small display table near the exit with each favor labeled with the child’s name is the format that works best. Each child finds their own favor. There is no confusion, no trading, no child leaving without theirs.
For adult parties and occasions, a favor display as part of the overall table styling — favors arranged in a basket or on a tray near the exit, with a small sign inviting guests to take one — works without requiring the host to manage the distribution.
The labelling
A small tag with the guest’s name, a simple message, and the date takes five minutes per favor and transforms the presentation.
For children: their name in large letters and a simple “Thank you for celebrating with me.” For adult occasions: the event name, the date, and one line that connects the favor to the party — “Made with the same mint from the mojitos” or “From Brooke’s kitchen, [date].”
Timing
For children’s parties, favors are given at departure — usually when parents arrive to collect children. For adult parties, the display near the exit is the most elegant approach.
For occasions like bachelorettes and baby showers, favors can be placed at each seat as part of the table setting, which doubles as a decorative element during the party.
The Favor That Does Not Need to Be a Bag
The most memorable pool party favors are often not bags at all. They are a single item, beautifully presented, that the guest did not expect and immediately understood.
A framed photograph from the party, printed on a small portable printer during the afternoon, and handed to guests as they leave. A small jar of something the host made specifically for the occasion. A seed packet from the host’s own garden. A handwritten recipe card for the batch cocktail everyone kept asking about during the party.
These cost less than a standard favor bag and land with more genuine warmth, because they communicate something no plastic bag of candy can: the host appreciates your presence at the party.
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