Kid Birthday Party Planning Tips

I think I’ve mentioned a few times over the last couple of months that my oldest son is about to turn six. His birthday is next weekend and while we usually do a big BBQ with family and close friends for his birthday, we promised him that we would let him have a birthday party with his school friends starting when he was six. So, this year we are entering the world of “kid birthday parties.”

Planning a child birthday party for little ones and their friends always looks like a fun thing to do when you are pregnant or your child is still an infant. However, when the time comes, it is just a tad bit stressful. At least that’s how I am feeling right now. However, I have learned a few things during this party planning phase that have kept my stress level to a minimum. You may benefit from one or more of these tips:

Pay for a venue. Over the last 5 years, birthday parties have always been held at my house. While they are always fun as we have a lot of family and friends attend, the cleanup portion isn’t so much fun. And, when hosting a party at home, I can never predict how long it will last. This year, since there will be a lot of little ones attending, I made the decision to book the party at the gym where my son takes gymnastics. Here’s why:

• It’s in contained area. (children will not get lost)
• The party can only last a maximum of 2 hours.
• I don’t have to worry about cleanup other than what I bring (cake, presents, etc.).

Make your own invitations. In the past, I have always had really cute photo invitations made for my son’s birthday. I know these are great keepsakes for family members and some of our close friends. However, the invitations that will go to school with my son and be distributed by the teacher will most likely end up on the refrigerator and tossed in the trash once the party date is past. Therefore, why waste the money on nice picture invites? This year, I went on Etsy and paid $9 for a lady to design a cute Jake and the Neverland Pirates invitation and just printed them on white cardstock at home. I couldn’t even buy the cheap invitations at the store for what I spent on these. And it was simple!

Order party supplies online. Believe it or not, you can save a lot of money by ordering party supplies online instead of shopping locally. My favorite place to go for party supplies is Ebay. I was able to find balloons, party gift bags, party favors and even an edible cake topper on Ebay for less than $40 and I didn’t have to leave the house. As for the cake, I will be taking the cake topper to a local bakery and have them put it on a cake, but for this party, the cake is the only thing that I will have to get out and purchase. Being able to do everything from home makes the process a lot less stressful!

I’m looking forward to my son’s 6^th birthday party now that all the legwork is done. The three tips above saved me a lot of time and money, but more importantly, stress. Hopefully, you have found the tips above helpful. Please share any of your kid party planning tips that you feel make the planning stage easier!