Can You Over Plan A Birthday Party?

As a mom of two, I have put together nineteen birthday parties for my kids alone; it’s a lot of work and man, do you want to be prepared for the unexpected.

One time I planned a lovely garden party for my daughter, it was June and everything was ready to go from the flower cupcakes and bug catcher goodie bags, to the set up outside on our patio where all the little ladies would dine and play games.

The… plans changed. I know what you are thinking, it rained, nope. It was about 40º C and blazing sun. As it’s not the best to give parents back their children dehydrated and sun burnt, needless to say the party came inside. Which turned into a movie party where one of the attendies complained the whole time that our tv was smaller than theirs, and it sucked. I think this might have been around the time I got the brain wave to “Take the Party Outside”, meaning outside of my house.

Over the years after learning from my mistakes, this is my advice to you… plan for the unexpected!

1. Pick a date and have a back up date, especially if you are planning to host the party at an outside venue. Call to book at least 2 months in advance.
2. Send out invites 2-3 weeks before the party. People like and need notice these days with our kids busy schedules.
3. Always have extra goodie bags. There is always that kid that doesn’t RSVP but shows up anyway. Also, I have experienced parents leaving additional siblings, it’s not like I would ever say “no, sorry you need to take them with you”. (even if I wanted too).
4. Plan extra activities and have supplies on hand. I think I learned this when I was a Brownie Leader, activities seem to go quicker sometimes, and you can be left with nothing to do, so always have another game or colouring sheet available in case this happens. If not this is when horse play and trouble can occur.
5. Try not to have too many sugary snacks. I understand that treats are ok on birthdays because they only come once a year but so many kids go nuts on sugar, so be safe and offer a good mix of both. Veggies and dip, fruit kabobs, and water with frozen fruit in it, are always good options, and kind of fun too! Remember to ask about allergies or just plan things “nut free”.
6. Get contact info from parents. You never know if someone might get hurt or fall sick so it’s always nice to have a cell number to contact a parent if the need be. Hopefully you won’t, but it’s better safe than sorry.

There are so many other things to consider too, themes, decorations, cakes but these six suggestions are a great start to planning for the unexpected. Remember, keep the kids busy!