The Children’s Birthday Party Survival Guide for Parents
Children’s birthday parties sound simple enough. Your littlie attends, eats some cake, runs around for two hours and comes home happy. In reality, there are invitations to locate, presents to buy, RSVPs to send and one important question: are parents staying or leaving? Here are a few ways to make the children’s birthday party circuit a little easier. Photograph or save the invitation immediately Invitations aren’t always on paper anymore. They’re often sent as an image through text, Messenger, WhatsApp or the class group chat, where they can quickly get lost under 47 other messages. If you receive a paper invitation, photograph it straight away. If it arrives digitally, save the image or take a screenshot so you’re not searching through weeks of messages later. Then add the date, time, location and RSVP deadline to your calendar, including the birthday child’s name. “Party at 10am” may make perfect sense today, but three weeks from now, it will tell you absolutely nothing. Keep a few party supplies at home Having birthday cards, wrapping paper and gift bags tucked away can save you from a last-minute rush to the shops. You could also keep one or two age appropriate gifts on hand. Even better, create a “present cupboard!” This is great for repurposing unwanted gifts also. Check the party details If the invitation is addressed to one child, check before bringing their siblings along. The venue may have a set number of places, and an extra guest could lead to an awkward conversation. It’s also worth asking whether parents are expected to stay. Feed them before you go It may seem strange to feed a child before attending an event filled with party food, but it’s still a good idea. That way if they don’t like what is served, and only have cake, that’s totally fine. Plan for clashing calendars Birthday invitations have a habit of arriving all at once. One child has a party at 10am, another has sport at 11am… there goes your Saturday… A trusted babysitter can help when siblings have different commitments or one child needs care while you take another to a party. Coastal Babysitters also has face painters and balloon twisters available, which can make planning your own child’s celebration much easier and keep the littlies happily entertained. They can also look after the littlies when the grown ups have a birthday, wedding or social event of their own. Yes, parents are still permitted to make plans. A little preparation won’t prevent every forgotten card, but it can make birthday party weekends much easier to manage.