3Rd Birthday Party Invitations

3 hours MAX. 2 hours is normal for your age group. I've never seen presents opened at a kid's birthday party, and I wouldn't advise it either. First of all, it takes away from the actual party itself; second of all, the other kids are going to want to play with the new toys; and lastly, at this age, kids can be less than gracious about presents they don't like, and you might really hurt some little kid's feelings if your child does not like what he/she gave as a gift.

And you should sent the invite out approx 4-5 weeks in advance. sorry mammaholly, but 2 weeks is NOT enough notice - unless they have nothing else going on in their lives, people need to coordinate schedules (especially if they have more than one child), and buy a present for the child. You'll get a lot of NO's if you give anything less than 3 weeks notice. Have a great party!

Yesterday was my son's 3rd birthday party. We had it from 1-4. It was at our house though, so people ended up staying till about 5:30. I recently went to another party and it was from 10-1. So I would say 3 hrs is good. Yesterday, the kids played outside, then came in and did an art project (entertainment in your case), ate food, had cake, went home. All the kids were 3-4 yrs old and they all did great.

As for invitations. Send them out 4 weeks ahead of time. That way people can plan to be there. Good luck and have a great b-day party!

I would say 2 hours is plenty for party time. Also I like to send out save the date emails so its on my friends minds, and then send the invites out like 3 weeks in advance b/c nowadays people are so busy they need time to plan.

I just had my twin boys birthday party at Fun Factor and they give you 1.5 hours - I think 2 hours would have been netter. I also went to one at Stew Leonards which also was 1.5 hours. I say 2 - 2.5 hours is plenty of time and then the rest for set up and clean up.

Also, opening the presents is usually done at home for this age. I just learned this as well. It is sort of like teasing the other kids at the party!!! LOL

Have fun and happy birthday to your little one!!

2 hours is plenty of time for the party. I also think the party should start when the time says. I've been to birthday parties on time, and have stood around and waited 45 minutes for all of the late arrivals. So annoying! Start things and get the entertainment going right away even if your waiting for a few late people. If you do this, it will fit into 2 hours.

I couldn't agree with D.M. more. Schedule the party early in the day, noon, or late, 4pm. This will allow for nap time for the children attending and everyone will be in a good mood!

2 weeks is all the time needed to mail the invites!

I would make the actual party only 2 hrs (not including set up and clean up time)... and give 2 weeks notice for the invites... Also, try to schedule around the naptime of your child and playmates to ensure they are "happy".... Enjoy!

2 hours should be plenty of time for a preschool age party. Activities tend to go fast so make sure you have enough scheduled for the time you will have the kids there. Party invitations are usually distributed 2 weeks before a kid party. I know someone said that's not enough notice, but honestly (and I have experience, my kids are 11 and 15 now), kiddie bday parties are NOT a family's priority. People will still wait to the last minute to reply, in case something else comes up that the family can do, rather than booking up a Saturday/Sunday afternoon with a parent taking a preschooler to a party.
If you do have your child open the presents at the party, my suggestion is to set up my own rule - that as the birthday kid opens each gift, the giver of the gift gets to sit next to birthday boy/girl. Take their picture together and you can include that in the thank you note, I always did this

2.5 hours max, I'd say. If you get the hall for 4 hours, you'll have set up & clean up time. I'd allow no less than 2 weeks for responses from the time they get them in the mail--so allow 1-2 days mailing time.
Have fun!

I think 2 or 2.5 hours is the max amount of time for a birthday party. My son turned 3 this year and all of the parties we went to were scheduled for 2 hours, with many running closer to 2.5. I don't think the kids could have handled much more than this. It allowed plenty of time for playing, eating and cake (some included a full lunch, some just snacks). None of them involved present opening because the kids just don't sit still for it, so you may want to reconsider having your child open presents at the party. It can also be tough for a 3 year old to see someone else getting all the good stuff and not be the one getting all the presents.

I would send out invitations 3-4 weeks in advance.

K.
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From my experience…3 hours max depending on the entertainment, also I would skip doing presents as a group. It is frustrating to the young guests to not get to play with the toys and in turn frustrating for parents to have to go thru the trouble with their kids to keep them from meltdown. For invite I think a month is fair notice. Have fun!