Birthday Parties
Birthday parties can be overwhelming, daunting and hard work. Whilst a joyous occasion, it can be stressful planning a celebration for your child on top of the ongoing list of everything else to do!
Between us we have planned a fair few birthdays for kids and adults. Our aim here at Pocketbook parenting is to make your lives easier and provide you with inspiration and encouragement during your parenting journey. We have put together a host of pictures and tips complied from our own experience of children’s birthday parties.
The Ultimate 10 step Birthday Checklist
Set a budget
It is very easy for birthday parties to get out of hand. We are both guilty of this! Your little one is turning a year older and you want to give them the best celebration that they will always remember. However, until their fourth birthday your child is unlikely to remember their birthday at all! Those first few birthdays are memories treasured by the adults that love and adore your child. When planning a party for a one year old focus on how best to entertain your adult guests. There is no need to spends hundreds of pounds on bouncy castles and entertainment for a baby, save this for the later years when they can get the most of the experience. As your children enter primary school, the pressure to throw the party of the year is on. Once you have figured out your maximum budget, think about how it would be most wisely spent. A five year old is going to appreciate quality entertainment over the price of their goodie bag. It’s tempting to splash out on decorations and an extravagant theme but the chances are your little one is going a lot more impressed with a bounce house than the aesthetic of their party.
Guest List
Is this going to be a party for 50 kids or 10? Children begin to form friendship groups from around the age of 3. If you are planning on keeping the guest list to a minimum ensure you check in with your child or even their pre-school who they have the closest relationship with. When children are younger the guest list usually entails their whole class. Whilst it is not required that you invite all 30 children from your child’s class, it is heavily encouraged so no child is left out. Some primary schools even encourage this too to avoid conflict among peers in the classroom. As your child gets older and their friendship circle decreases and solidifies, many children will only invite a select few to their party. This also allows for more eccentric parties as you are only paying for a few children to do an activity.
Date and Time
Whilst this sounds like a very simple decision, there are a few factors to consider. When planning the date having the party on a Saturday seems like a sensible day of the week as you have more time to recover from the party. However, there are some benefits to other days of the week. Having a party on a Sunday will give you more preparation time but it does mean your child may be exhausted for school and you exhausted for work the following day. Having a party after-school can be beneficial as you get to keep your weekend free but the stress of organising such a big event after a day at school/work might put you off this idea! It is also important to check there are no other parties happening on the day/weekend of your child’s party. It is common for there to be clashes when other children in your little ones class have a similar birthday. We recommend that you plan far in advance and send out invitations with plenty of notice.
When deciding what time to start your child’s birthday party there are a few factors to consider. Is your party a drop-off? If so starting the party in the afternoon can be a better idea as you have more time to prepare in the morning and parents of guests can organise their day around dropping off and picking up their child. However, if your party encourages parents of children to stay then starting the event in the late morning will allow people to attend but leave early afternoon to continue on with their weekend plans.
TIP - set an end time. Whether it is a drop-off party or not, SET AN END TIME! The last thing you need is people hanging around all day whilst you try to find any excuse to get rid of them!
The timing of your party also depends on the age of your child. If it is your child’s second birthday it is likely that you are inviting a bunch of two year-olds who all still have an afternoon nap. Morning parties are recommended when your children are tiny so it doesn’t interfere with their or other children’s nap times.
Choosing a theme
When it comes to choosing a theme for your child’s birthday, keep it simple! Unless you are willing to pay for a party planner, keeping the theme simple is a must to protect your bank and your sanity! Don’t ask your child what theme they want. Instead offer a filtered choice to them. Pick a few themes that you know you can deliver on and ask your child which one they prefer. It’s a good idea to pick a colour scheme or an umbrella theme such as ‘princesses’.
Venue
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best venue for your party. Having the party in your home can mean you have more control over the aesthetic and practicalities of the day but you need to consider the space available to house all of your guests. For babies and toddlers doing a birthday party at home can be ideal as the children don’t require a lot of space to play. However, for young children who have a lot of energy and want to run riot, a venue outside the home may be more suitable. If you are choosing a venue outside of your home there are a few things you need to look into
Is the venue easily accessible for all of your guests
Is there adequate parking available in or around your venue
Is there space for food preparation if required
Is the space big enough for what you require
Are you allowed to have access to the venue with plenty of time for setting up
How far in advance do you need to book the venue
Invitations
Invitations are often overlooked but are a key element to a successful party. When your child is at primary school there will likely be other children in their class with similar birthdays competing for the same weekend to celebrate their little ones big day. Nowadays it is common for classes to have a parents whatsapp group. Utilise this! Whatsapp groups are an easy way to send out a save the date to the parents in your child’s class to reserve your weekend before sending out official invites.
When it comes time to handing out official invites, make sure they are done with plenty of notice before the event. This allows parents to sort childcare for their other children or arrange for someone to take their child to the party. It is your choice whether you send a digital invite or a paper copy. If you are sending physical invites, it is recommended to ask your child’s teacher to hand out the invites as they might prefer to do it at the end of the school day to avoid the chaos of excitement amongst the children!
Ensure you state whether the party is a drop off or parents stay to avoid confusion on the day.
RSVP’s are very important. Chase up any you have not received by your set deadline. It is important for you to know how many children will be attending the party. It is important for planning the amount of food and goodie bags you need to prepare. Alongside an RSVP, ensure you ask parents to state any allergies their children may have.
Click here to find some printable birthday invites we have created to help you out.
Entertainment
Entertainment is a critical element to a successful birthday party. You need to decide whether you are going to hire an entertainer or create games yourself.
Goodie bags
Whilst they are not an essential addition to the event, it is sometimes a lovely take home for your guests. Goodie bags don’t need to be extravagant and expensive. Children love small toys and novelty gifts. Simply order a few age appropriate toys from amazon or pick up some things from the supermarket. If you are throwing a themed party for your child, it can be fun to base the goodie bags around your chosen theme.
Food and birthday cake
Knowing how many people you are providing for is important whether you are hiring a caterer or preparing the food yourself. Asking your guests about any allergies will also ensure you have food for all of your guests.
There are many options for your child’s birthday cake. You can make the cake yourself, buy one from the supermarket or a baker, or commission a custom cake from a bakery. The only thing that is important is that there is enough for all of your guests!
Decorations
Hiring a party planner and decorator can become expensive. Whilst this is an option and is favoured by those who have the budget for it and want a stress free experience, there are cheaper ways of decorating for your event. If you have hired a venue, make sure you check what the rules are on decorating. It may be that they require you to provide any decorations you require or you may be able to pay an extra fee for them to do this for you. If they want you to provide your own decor, make sure you account for the preparation time they allow you and be realistic with what you can do with the time and space you have. Keep it simple. If you are having a party in your own home you have more creative freedom surrounding the decorations.
In our time as nannies, we have hosted many children’s birthday parties from first birthdays up to 16th birthdays! Here are a collection of parties we have hosted, some more extravagant than others!
