It’s that time of the year. No, not Christmas — your kid’s birthday! And chances are, expectations are high for some sort of birthday party or event to be held. So, you start asking your child for party ideas: who he wants to invite, what sort of theme he wants, what kind of food, what sort of entertainment, etc. No problem. Or is it?? Read below for some common problems that may occur when planning a birthday party, and how to solve them. (And be sure to make Pop Art Balloon Twisting a part of your birthday party plans!)
1. When your kid wants to invite everyone to the party…
Solution: Try to constrain the list to a specific friend group (for example, your child’s playground group or classroom friends). If someone important is left out, try arranging a play date for special outing with that friend instead, so they still get to spend some time together without creating an overwhelming or unmanageable party size.
2. When partiers get too wild…
Solution: If the birthday party is at your house, lock the doors (if possible) to rooms you want to be off-limits. However, if this isn’t an option, create a fun way to direct traffic into the rooms you do want kids in. For example, use streamers, balloons (or even caution tape if, say, your boys are into Bob the Builder) to cover doorways and guide guests into the party zone. Also try to enlist some other parents to hold down the fort with you — one mom vs. twenty kids can get out of hand pretty fast!
3. When your kid is “the shy kid”…
Solution: Give your kid a sort of pre-party pep-talk before the party. Let her know that intermingling with other kids isn’t scary, and it can actually be fun! She doesn’t have to be the loudest, or BFFs with everyone, but it shouldn’t feel like the birthday party is being forced upon her either.
4. When goodie bags feel like just a bag of junk…
Solution: instead of filling the birthday goodie bags with cheapo plastic toys that kids will most likely never use, try investing in just one quality gift that fits in well with the theme of the party, and is equal to the price of all those useless gizmos and gadgets. If your boy is having a Lego-themed party, give each kid a small set of Legos. If your girl is having a tropical themed party, maybe use tropical-print bucket hats (those are so in right now anyway) as a favor.
5. When unexpected guests show up…
4 letters: R-S-V-P. Make sure to make it very clear in your invitations that guests must RSVP to the party — you don’t want to plan for cake for 10 kids and then have 20 show up. If some children or their parents never respond, don’t assume it’s a no — contact them a few days before the party to confirm whether or not their child is coming. Another rule of thumb is err on the side of more, just in case. Though this may be more difficult if your party is in a space where you must pay a certain fee per child, try to find an accommodating venue or entertainment company (not to toot our own horn here at Pop Art or anything) that can offer group rates.
6. When one of your guests has a food allergy…
Solution: Before you even begin planning what food to serve at the party, ask your guest to mention any food allergies when they RSVP, and make sure to read all food labels accordingly. If your kid has his heart set on peanut butter cookies, but his best friend has a peanut allergy, offer to make peanut butter cookies for him another time. Your guests’ safety is just as important as having fun at the party.