Tips for Throwing a Child’s Birthday Party

On February 16th my daughter, Anya turned five! Wow, time flies! I can remember the day she was born and now she is a big beautiful five year old who can write sentences and count by 10’s. So this year she wanted a big birthday party. I’ve had birthday parties for her before but they were mostly family and relatively small, but this year was special it was a milestone. It was time to plan a birthday party! I looked into renting an area where a group of kids could get together, play, eat some cake and have fun. The amount it cost was absolutely ridiculous! I looked into having it at a tea house that was $350.00, a ballet studio for $650.00 and everything else was close to $300.00 I struggled with the idea of paying that much for a party plus the other costs associated with birthday parties. After much deliberation and time running out we decided to have a tea party at home.

Here are a few tips I learned about throwing a child’s birthday party

Plan Ahead of Time!

Preparation is key to planning a child’s party. Don’t wait until the week or even two weeks before. Start thinking about the location of the party at least a month in advance. If you’re planning on having it outside of your home keep in mind venues get booked very quickly. The more time you have the less stressed you are.

Consider Cost

Do your research on price and location again at least a month in advance. Visit the venue, talk with the management and be clear on the costs and what is included. Take notes on each location so you can compare them. If cost is a big factor do a side by side chart of how much it would cost you to throw the party at home versus at a fun center.

Goody Bags

Kids love goody bags! Be creative with them. They don’t always have to be a theme. I found these lovely bags (2 for $1.00 at Target) that fit the vintage theme of the party and filled them with some great girly stuff I found at Michaels.

Don’t Forget the Parents

Birthday parties are fun and exhausting. Even if your child is just attending they are tiring. So feed your guests. It can be pizza, a salad, anything believe me they’ll appreciate it. Anya’s grandmother brought sandwiches, fruit salad and a cake for the parents and I could tell they were grateful!

The Party is About The Kids

When I was looking for a venue and stressing about the costs, I had to remember the party wasn’t about me it was about her. It wasn’t about impressing people but about celebrating my daughter’s birthday with her friends. Don’t get carried away in trying to “keep up with the Jone’s”.

Follow Up With The RSVPs

After Anya’s birthday party I’ll never forget to RSVP again! It is hectic trying to make sure you have enough of everything for everyone when people don’t RSVP. I had a few last minutes and I really didn’t mind, however I learned that next time I’ll follow up with parents of those children who probably will come and I haven’t heard from. You don’t have to hound them just a simple phone call will do.

Most of all have fun and keep it simple. Kids don’t care how clean your house is, or if everything is timed perfectly they care about laughing and having fun with one another. I had about ten girls around the table drinking pink lemonade, laughing and talking all at one time with homemade teapots and cups hanging from the ceiling and parents all huddled around and I can say it was the best birthday party we ever had.

Posted in Columns and tagged All Moms, Birthdays, children, Columns, Entertaining, Family, Fun, Holidays, Moms, Parenting, Party, Teenagers, Tips, Toddlers