Birthday Parties!

[wineallthetime]

Anyone else starting to plan for our little ones FIFTH birthday parties? Thought we could have a thread to share ideas, ask questions, ect!

[guster]

Josie is all over the place. She bounces from a ballerina theme to a pink theme to a Paris theme. I’m going to give it another two weeks and then make her choose one so I can start purchasing decorations and invites.
We won’t do a kids party until she’s in kindergarten, so just family and a few close friends.

[wineallthetime]

So really I started this because I need advice. C's party is a fishing theme. Right now I'm looking at favors. I'm thinking I'll do a box of Swedish fish and Go Fish game tied up in twine with a fishing bobber attached.

We have a few babies and I've ordered them:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJPK8MS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So my question: There will be a few young 2 year olds at the party (like 3-4), do I do the fishing game and fish or something else?

[wineallthetime]

Sept 27, 2018 12:34:04 GMT -6 guster said:

Josie is all over the place. She bounces from a ballerina theme to a pink theme to a Paris theme. I’m going to give it another two weeks and then make her choose one so I can start purchasing decorations and invites.
We won’t do a kids party until she’s in kindergarten, so just family and a few close friends.

Paris theme sounds adorable! We are doing a small family party and then a separate small friend party. We aren't doing any of his school friends at the friend party, just our neighborhood friends and such. 

[nam2013]

guster both sound adorable!

[guster]

Goldfish can be fun for the littles or even everybody! I bet if you looked at places like Oriental Trading you could find a fish shaped puzzle or a book about fish for those who are too little.
I love the idea of tying it up with the bobber. Super cute.
@wine

[guster]

Sept 27, 2018 12:35:44 GMT -6 wineallthetime said:

Sept 27, 2018 12:34:04 GMT -6 guster said:

Josie is all over the place. She bounces from a ballerina theme to a pink theme to a Paris theme. I’m going to give it another two weeks and then make her choose one so I can start purchasing decorations and invites.
We won’t do a kids party until she’s in kindergarten, so just family and a few close friends.

Paris theme sounds adorable! We are doing a small family party and then a separate small friend party. We aren't doing any of his school friends at the friend party, just our neighborhood friends and such. 

I hope she sticks with that one. It could be a lot of fun to decorate and even more fun to plan food around a French theme

[nam2013]

Ds wants a Artis birthday (zoo in Amsterdam) but it needs to include the letters ‘otherwise it’s just an animal party’ okay kid... So when we were at the zoo two weeks ago, worlds weirdest mom got over her own shame and asked the staff if she could please take 20 disposable cups & napkins for her son’s birthday 😖. I got vintage zoo posters online and took a bunch of flyers to make cup cake toppers from. I still need banners and balloons.

[nam2013]

Oh and 5?! Where is the time going 😭😭😭?!

[tgrimes]

Sept 27, 2018 12:34:04 GMT -6 guster said:

Josie is all over the place. She bounces from a ballerina theme to a pink theme to a Paris theme. I’m going to give it another two weeks and then make her choose one so I can start purchasing decorations and invites.
We won’t do a kids party until she’s in kindergarten, so just family and a few close friends.

Fancy Nancy could cover all of those!

[klong11]

Cadence wants an LOL Surprise theme and we're having it at Pinballz.
I'm still working on decoration ideas and such. Party City has some things, I may browse Pinterest and Etsy.

[tgrimes]

I’m not sure what to do for M. She mentioned Chuck E Cheese but is that too babyish for this age?

There’s a painting/pottery place too that I was looking at the other day. A friend had her party at one last year and M loved it.

She loves the trampoline place but it’s always so chaotic to chorale people there.

[klong11]

tgrimes, Cadence wanted Chuck E. Cheese too. I told her we go there just us on her actual birthday every year, so she decided on Pinballz.

[joelies]

I have no clue if we're inviting Colin's whole class or just a few specific friends, and if some of his old daycare friends will be invited. His K teacher created a contact list for parents with all the kids' birthdays, so at least it shouldn't be logistically tough!

He's mentioned the trampoline place quite a few times and that he wants a Ninja Turtle theme, but that's about it. I keep reminding DH that we need to get Halloween squared away before we worry about his birthday party.

[jewels]

Sept 27, 2018 12:34:35 GMT -6 wineallthetime said:

So really I started this because I need advice. C's party is a fishing theme. Right now I'm looking at favors. I'm thinking I'll do a box of Swedish fish and Go Fish game tied up in twine with a fishing bobber attached.

We have a few babies and I've ordered them:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DJPK8MS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So my question: There will be a few young 2 year olds at the party (like 3-4), do I do the fishing game and fish or something else?

I would probably do the fishing game and maybe goldfish instead of Swedish Fish (my 2 y/o would not be able to chew swedish fish).  Even though he couldn't play Go Fish, he would like to "play" with the cards anyway.

And I think this is a super cute favor idea.  Way better than the crap I usually give/get.

[jewels]

Sept 27, 2018 12:50:19 GMT -6 tgrimes said:

I’m not sure what to do for M. She mentioned Chuck E Cheese but is that too babyish for this age?

There’s a painting/pottery place too that I was looking at the other day. A friend had her party at one last year and M loved it.

She loves the trampoline place but it’s always so chaotic to chorale people there.

S was invited to a 5 year old Birthday party at Chuck E Cheese last year but we did not go (Actually full circle - it was the kid that was not nice to him or his friends).  But I didn't think it would be too baby-ish

[jewels]

S really wanted a party at a local place that tons of kids have their parties at. There are a billion bouncy things and slides and what not. But it's literally the loudest place I've ever been. And most of the stuff is too "big" for B so I'd likely spend the whole time wrangling him.

So I booked it at a gymnastics place. We went to 1 party over the summer there and he had a blast. They do a bunch of fun activities, including a zip line, so I think it will be fun. I don't tend to do much of a theme - I will probably let him help pick out the cake and then whatever characters he chooses I will get balloons/plates etc to match.

So likely it will be Star Wars. Again.

Although he's been really into Lego Ninjago so maybe that.

[nam2013]

Sept 27, 2018 12:49:26 GMT -6 klong11 said:

Cadence wants an LOL Surprise theme and we're having it at Pinballz.
I'm still working on decoration ideas and such. Party City has some things, I may browse Pinterest and Etsy.

They have a lot of lol surprise stuff at AliExpress. It can take a very long time to arrive tough.

ETA guster they also have cute ballerina & Paris things .

[guster]

Sept 27, 2018 12:47:42 GMT -6 tgrimes said:

Sept 27, 2018 12:34:04 GMT -6 guster said:

Josie is all over the place. She bounces from a ballerina theme to a pink theme to a Paris theme. I’m going to give it another two weeks and then make her choose one so I can start purchasing decorations and invites.
We won’t do a kids party until she’s in kindergarten, so just family and a few close friends.

Fancy Nancy could cover all of those!

It’s all very clearly Fancy Nancy inspired.

[wedding]

We are having Cs at the trampoline place he’s super excited. I need to figure out who to invite and how because he’s in a new class and has a few friends from the other classes as well and the after school program. I can’t invite everyone but the directory hasn’t come out yet and they have a must invite all policy if you hand out invites. I’m going to talk to a teacher tomorrow and see if she can help me navigate this.

I don’t think I’m doing a theme but he has already started listing the party favors he wants to give out. I should probably get invites out in the next couple of weeks since it’s exactly month from today.

[jewels]

We will invite the whole class b/c that's fairly standard practice, and he's been with most of these kids for many years now. His class is 20 kids. So that, plus a few family friends and his BFF's siblings that I'll include will bring the total to around 30 kids.

But we are having it Thanksgiving weekend so odds are good we will get a lot of "no" responses. Which I am fine with. I polled his 3 besties and they are all going to be in town, so that's all he really cares about anyway.

Last year we did his whole class at the time and then a handful of kids from the older class that he was tight with. The school was fine with that, but the administrator had to put the invitations in their backpacks since that wasn't the whole class.

[trtlcrzy]

I’m trying to figure out what we are going to do. I’m trying to not spend too much money but also I want to make it fun. H has said she wants to do the party at a place with inflatables so that’s a possibility. I’m also considering just inviting my ILs and Sister’s family over one night for supper and then just doing the jumping place with friends. Idk. I need to talk to DH.

[lahdeedah]

jewels we are the same regarding party place. M wants his at a new play place in town but it’s so much chaos since it’s a new place and everyone is there all the time with multiple parties at once. I talked him into having it at a gymnastics place. I’m actually going to book it today. They do ninja class there so I will ask if they can do the ninja activities for the hour. If they can, I may make it ninja theme, but if not, we will do another theme.

We are inviting his class and a few from his class last year and having it the weekend before his birthday.

wineallthetime I agree to just swap out the Swedish fish for goldfish for the littles and keep the go fish game.

[wineallthetime]

Thanks, everyone! I'll swap out the Swedish fish for goldfish for the little ones and give everyone Go Fish!

[Sunny41]

We are doing a joint bounce house party with another kid from class. It will be at our house. E originally wanted a Hulk bday which he has asked for all year until yesterday when he switched to Avengers. At least it is close in theme. I have to talk to the other dad to see what his kid wants.

lahdeedah ninja party was a huge success here

[mwhip]

I set the date. I feel like that's a great start for me.

We aren't doing a big party, just family again. I guess I could ask her if she wants to do a kids party, but there is only one other kid with a birthday before hers at preschool, so I'm going to see what happens with other birthday parties. Maybe next year.

[chrisy01]

cagoldi and I are doing a joint party at the Train Park with a bouncer. We are doing Woody’s roundup (toy story/cowboy theme). We know we will have a bounce house thing. And one of the favors will be sheriff badges with the kids name on it.

[flamingo]

I am not generally an anxious person but the birthday party thing is stressing me out--I'm so afraid we will plan some blow-out and then no one will come :/

mwhip B also has one of the earlier birthdays. I may ask at my mom's group on Monday and see what is 'normal'. If I get 'yeah, no one really does parties here' then I may suggest we do an overnight at Great Wolf Lodge or something (:shudder:)


B really wants to have his first 'friends' party, and wants it at a big indoor playground. I think there are 16 in his class, but I'd invite a couple friends and their kids. So surely out of all those people we'd get a decent turn-out?

I feel like that would be less awkward than trying to potentially entertain all those kids/parents in our house for a couple hours. With the pool our backyard is pretty much shot, but beyond that weather is so iffy here in December (I had thought about a bounce house in the front yard or something).

[slenle]

I don’t have real plans yet. N did decide she wants a “flamingo” party. It would be fun to have that theme at an indoor pool, but 5yo might be a little young for that.

Or Our basement will be done by then so we could have it at the house and invite family and a few friends like last year.

Or we could also rent the little children’s museum here like we did for her 3rd birthday and invite more friends.

I’m clearly very undecided

[guster]

Sept 28, 2018 9:59:24 GMT -6 slenle said:

I don’t have real plans yet. N did decide she wants a “flamingo” party. It would be fun to have that theme at an indoor pool, but 5yo might be a little young for that.

Or Our basement will be done by then so we could have it at the house and invite family and a few friends like last year.

Or we could also rent the little children’s museum here like we did for her 3rd birthday and invite more friends.

I’m clearly very undecided

I love a flamingo party! Just love it!!