If a child accidentally pops the balloon, they may be injured by the small pieces of latex. They can also choke on it. If you decided to buy a balloon, the non-latex shiny balloons are better. This is fine for older children, but for small ones it is best to skip theses decorative touches. When using a gift bag, tissue paper may be a better choice than decorative straw or confetti.
Smaller children love to put shiny things in their mouths.
There are some larger department stores that will give, along with a regular receipt, one that has the item number but no price printed on it. You can give this receipt to the parents, and they will not know how much you paid for the gift, but will know where to exchange or return it if needed. This is a good idea if you are uncertain of the gift you have chosen. If you do not go to a store that has this option, you can also place the regular cash register receipt in a separate envelope, seal it, write on the envelope what the gift is, and give it to the parents. They only need to open it if there is a problem with the gift.