3Yr Old B-day Party... 10Am—1pm or 3Pm—6pm?

I just threw my 4 yr old a party last Saturday and after much deliberation decided on the afternoon. I'm glad I did. We were running around all morning preparing and decorating.

At least this way she can have her nap and it'll give you extra prep time.

Hi,
I just had my son's 3rd BD party and we had it at 4pm- to whenever and served a sandwich type dinner. I too had family and small kids coming so they all had a chance to get naps in before the party. My son knew he was having a party and had no problem taking a nap. Our party actually went pretty late but it is family and we like to hang out. I personally wouldn't want or go to a party at 10am. Sometimes it is nice to just hang out and relax and not rush people out the door, especially if you don't get together with your family very much. Definitely don't skip the nap. Good luck and have fun!
M.

I suggest 10 am. Trust me - you want her to have her nap that day. It's a big day with lots going on. I would keep it as low key as possible. I sometimes think we parents are the ones who like the big parties, but it's hard on the little ones. My experience is to keep things as simple as possible!!

I made a big mistake by scheduling my son's 3rd birthday party during nap time. He ended up being totally crabby, falling asleep, and missing most of his party. I would suggest you treat it like any other day and work it around naptime. I wish I had.

i just scheduled my son's 3rd birthday from 10-1 as its before the kid's naptime and its not in the middle of the day to be an inconvenience

Three hours is a LONG time for a 3 year old party. For the guests and for the birthday girl. Most I've been to have been an hour to 1.5 hrs. And, as someone posted before, at your home, you might have trouble with guests staying longer, so this could be an all day event. If I were you, I'd make it 4-6pm to make sure she was awake and had time to wake up slowly instead of waking to a crowd. Then when the party winds down, you could put her to sleep.

I am planning my granddaughter's 3rd birthday party with her mother on the 26th. We have it at my house since they have a small apartment and we usually have around 25 family members for it. I am planning it at 4pm with a sandwich bar for dinner. I wouldn't plan a party during her nap time, she will be excited and if you add tired to it you are looking at melt downs. Instead plan it for the 3 and set up for it while she is sleeping. I wouldn't mention much about the party on that day or you will never get her to sleep. Instead run the day as usual until she goes down to sleep.

Don't miss her nap! If she's happy when she wakes, and can be 'on' right away, then go for the later one. If your guests are more go outers on a Saturday night, then do the early time. If you do the early one, then her naptime is a good excuse to quiet the festivities and end them. They both do have their pros and cons, they earlier time you could get away with less food, the later time your guests will forgo lunch, be ravenous and eat more. The later time they will have their errands and Saturday activities done. Sorry, this doesn't seem to be much help! Have a great party!

10:00 a.m. definitely so you (and everyone else) can have naptime after. (No, this is not "weird"!). I and all of my friends have had parties, playdates, or other activities starting mid-morning so that the kids are rested. Kids won't nap right before a party, or they wake up hungry and sleepy, so late afternoon does not work! Do not skip nap.

3-6pm. It will be a long busy day for everyone, don't put yourself in the situation to have an over tired cranky child at bedtime -- or the next day.

Our son is turning 3 in early October and we are doing 3-5pm.

I would say 3-6pm so that your daughter can still nap and be rested for the party. Also many parents with kids can have their kids take a nap before hand so they are not too tired.

when my son turned 2, we started the party at 11am. we grilled burgers and had salads, etc and then cupcakes. i agree with the person that said 3 hours is a little long for a birthday party, and i think 10am might be kind of early to start. we just put 11am on our invite, no end time, and i think people started leaving around 1. enough time to eat, watch the birthday boy open a few gifts, maybe play a yard game or two, and then head out. my son napped afterward and i was exhausted too, so it worked out well for us. good luck and have fun! :)

I would definitely do 3-6pm for 2 reasons. A lot of kids nap in the morning, but all kids should be up between 3-6. Also, the weather will be warmer in the late afternoon. I think you should try to have your daughter take a nap before the party, so she is not crabby for her guests.

It will be my daughter's 2nd birthday on Sunday and we chose to have her birthday party the following Saturday from 11-2. We'll just have food sitting out for people to eat whenever they want, open presents, and then have some cake. People usually filter out after that. Last year we did it after her nap on her birthday, however after everyone finally left we spent the rest of the night cleaning up and then pretty much went to bed. So we are hoping this year that we'll be able to clean everything up while she's napping. We are moving to a new house the following week, so we are also hoping to pack in the evening, another reason we are having it earlier. Good luck to you and I hope everything works out well. Happy Birthday to your little girl!

Would your child still nap if she knew she was going to have a birthday party after her nap? our son definitely wouldn't! He'd be too excited. You know your child better than anyone. We've gone to a few parties now where the people have had it on a Sat and scheduled it for 10am -12noon. People arrive between 100-10:30am and then don't leave until 12:30-1pm so I'd recommend giving a smaller time frame with the knowledge that not everyone will leave on time. WE've also gone to parties where it's in the late afternoon 3pm or 4pm until 5 or 6pm. I think it depends upon whatever works for all of you. The ones that have been later in the day were done in the person's backyard or park or at a place (such as My Gym, etc).

3-6pm is a typical normal party time for small kids!

Noone I know would want to be arriving at a birthday party at 10am that is just weird.

This is going to sound a bit crazy, but I think it depends on the people you are inviting. Are they people that respect the time of the invitation and will arrive on time and more important leave on time or not. If you have late arrivals or people who tend to you know "not go home" then I would for sure say the later time. If your baby's nap time is 1:00-2:30, I would actually move the party more to 3:30. Give you a time to get her up, prettied and eyes open before the guest arrive. I have found that with my kids, on party day, they can sense something is happening and tend to get schedules off as well. But if you have the lingering people, I would for sure do it later, because she is going to get cranky towards 1PM and make not a fun last memory. Good Luck and have fun.

I think 10-1, 3-6 is in the middle of the day and kind of gets in the way if you have other plans, it will either cut your afternoon short your your night short.

I have done all times with parties - both hosting and attending. The ones that I have the hardest time with as a guest are ones that start or occur at naptime. So I would think that either of the times you mentioned will work for that situation.

I have started to schedule my kids' parties at 3:00 to whenever. They are usually just waking up from their nap and I don't have to do a full blown meal that way. Then usually most of the party will leave around 5:00 and we will then have a little gathering with our friends during the evening. Since our friends' kids are good friends with our kids - it is a win / win and fun for all. It is a long day - but usually lots of fun.

Have fun and do what works best for you. You can't please everyone.

3-6. With that many little kids, they can all have a chance to nap and everyone will have a more enjoyable time :)

3-6 probably. Personally I always have my parties from 1-3 (1 until everyone goes home). Both of the times here you would have the food in the middle?

Either way, good luck and have fun! Bocce is my favorite!!!