Make Planning Your Kid’s Birthday Parties As Stress-Free As
Possible
A lot of parents like to throw parties for their children’s
birthdays but they don’t realise how stressful the party planning process can
be – until they start that is. However, there’s no need to be put off by the
work that’s in front of you because there are plenty of ways to make sure that
children’s party planning is actually a stress-free experience.
There’s really no need to stress over sticking to the budget
and still being able to keep the kids happy because it’s really easy. Just
follow these tips for advice.
Planning
Although it’s essential to allow your child some input into
their birthday celebrations it’s a good idea to lay down any rules that you
have. It’s also a good idea to seriously consider the motivations for the party
as this will enable you to identify your main priorities as you might be
surprised to learn that the majority of extravagant parties that are thrown are
only so flamboyant in order to please parents as opposed to it being the want
of the child.
Although you might not want to answer these questions it’s
essential to ask yourself why you’re throwing the party. Is it because you like
to show off what a great entertainer you are (this is likely to have a little
to do with it)? Is it because you feel like you missed out when you were a
child and don’t want your own children feeling the same way when they grow up?
Could it be because every other parent is doing it so you feel it’s your duty
to throw a party also? All of these things are likely to have something to do
with the reason that you want to throw your child a party and it’s not a bad
thing that you want to however, remember that just because it’s what all of the
other parents are doing doesn’t mean that it’s something that your child will
want too.
When it comes to planning a child’s party they can’t all be
planned in the same way and it depends entirely on child’s temperament. Once
you’ve established exactly why you want to throw a party you’ll find it a lot
easier to think about what your child will actually enjoy and will make the
planning process much simpler.
Not Every Year
Just because some parent will throw huge parties for their
kids every year that doesn’t mean that you have to do it too. The thing about
birthday’s is that they should be a special day where your child is the centre
of attention and throwing a party every few years – i.e. for big birthday’s
like five, ten, thirteen and sixteen – will make them feel extra special when
these days come around. For the years in between there are plenty of things
that you can do which will make them feel just as special, such as going out
for the day with the family, but it doesn’t require any of the commitment – in
terms of time and finances – from you.
Make It Easy
If you have a large family then rather than stressing about
where everyone’s going to sit and how you’re going to make sure there’s enough
food etc. consider throwing two separate parties – perhaps a separate one for
each side of the family – maybe a week apart to make it much easier for you and
a much longer birthday celebration for your child. Alternatively you could
throw a small tea party for family and then a separate one for their school friends.
Party Planning
Strengths
If you’ve already hosted your fair share of parties and you
just happen to be a natural then that’s great news however, party planning
doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people which means that you might have to
call in some assistants. You shouldn’t be ashamed to ask family or friends for
help; whether you want them to help with the cooking or decorating or you just
need them to help with supervision and moral support on the day. Alternatively
you could outsource the party to a local play centre or your child’s favourite
restaurant so that you don’t have any of the party hassle at home.
Details
You might not think that the number of guests, invitations,
end times and party bags are particularly important party details but they’re
things that are essential to sort out if you don’t want to be left stressed on
the day.
If your child is of school age but you don’t want a class
full of five year olds invading your home then it’s a good idea to hand out invitations outside of school so that
the classmates that aren’t invited don’t feel left out.
It’s always a good idea to ask for RSVPs because it gives you a rough idea of how many children are
likely to attend however if people don’t respond then don’t worry. Along with
the confirmed numbers cater for an extra few people as well because you know
how busy the life of a parent is and with all of the daily stresses that
parents have to deal with, it’s inevitable that a few replies will be
forgotten.
Although you might not see the need to set an end time for the party it’s a good idea
to specify one anyway because parents never turn up at the time that’s
specified – and even if they do, they usually stay for a cup of tea anyway.
Although the kids love them and many of them nowadays expect
them there’s really no need to hand out party
bags at the end of a party. It’s a polite thought but the truth is – if
you’re honest – most parents get frustrated with them anyway because the toys
inside are played with for around five minutes and then left lying around the
house for parents to find weeks later.
If your child has a friend
in their class who’s birthday is pretty close to theirs then there’s no reason
why you can’t team up with their parents and throw a joint birthday party as
this will mean that you can split the cost and the planning and you won’t have
any trouble with clashing parties.
As you can see, there are loads of opportunities to reduce
the stress when it comes to your child’s birthday party it just means that you
have to take your time when planning.
