Planning Your Child’s Birthday Party

I started a good two months early planning my child’s birthday party. And here’s what I determined.

The good

Planning your child’s birthday party is a lot of work. But in the end it’s well worth it to see that little face light up while playing and basking in the celebration of their special day. #ParentWin

The bad

Birthday parties can be expensive, messy, and stressful. It’s easy to get sucked into comparing yourself with other moms and their amazing Pinterest masterpieces, but reverse that vacuum and just don’t. Do your own thing, on your budget, on your schedule. Your kid will love you and likely won’t cross-check Pinterest to score your party planning skills. Give that party from the heart, period.

The ugly

My child’s birthday falls right after the holidays, so I turn into freak-mom around Thanksgiving trying to plan the trifecta of holidays plus a birthday party. This year’s dilemma was when to send invitations. Before or after Christmas break. I opted for before with a reminder after. The birthday is not ugly. It’s the whirlwind and traps you can fall into that are ugly.

Disclaimer:  I am a mom. That’s my experience.

I’m a working mom with a few kid birthday parties under my belt and just wrapped up another one. If you’re a new mom, or you’ve yet to venture into children’s birthday party planning, here are a few tips to get you started:

• Plan early. If you’re having your child’s birthday off-site, meaning not at your house, lock in your ideal date. In our town, if you want to have your birthday party at the main fire station, you have to book out six months to a year. While I realize kids can change their minds on their “favorite things” every five minutes, it will save your sanity if you can check location off your to-do list as location is at the core of birthday party planning.
• Pick a theme. This isn’t mandatory, but your child likely favors something on repeat to infinity, admit it. Like “Paw Patrol,” “Sheriff Callie,” TMNT, or Frozen. By choosing a theme, you can begin to build your party around it, such as party favors, plates/decorations, invitations, etc.
• Attendee list. If you’re having the party at a public place, chances are you’ll be restricted to a certain number of guests. It’s a good idea to budget for the number you want to invite and narrow down party locale choices based on how many guests are allowed. This will also help you determine number of supplies needed and size of cake/number of cupcakes, etc.
• Party favors. If you’ve picked a theme for your child’s party, party favors should be fairly simple. Simply pick favors that incorporate the theme, such as Batman yo-yo’s or Elsa pencils and erasers. Your local party store should have options to choose from, or just check out eBay or Etsy.
• Etsy. This is literally my favorite place to shop. To make your child’s birthday special, you can find customized invitations, favors, decorations, shirts, etc. I’m a fan of supporting small businesses, and you will do just that if you purchase from a crafter on Etsy. This is the best place to shop if you want to find unique items for your child’s birthday party.

The big thing about planning your child’s birthday party is to not stress. Enjoy it and have fun with your kids. You will make some priceless memories for them and you.