Hello Mamas,
I am planning my daughter's 3rd birthday party. I also have a son that is almost 8. We are fortunate to have several friends with children in the same age groups. The problem is that the 5 little girls that my daughter is inviting to the party will be coming with a total of 8 older siblings (mostly boys).
Last year at her party the older kids got pretty wild and out of hand and the parents had to spend a lot of time intervening, calming them down, breaking up fights, etc. This ended up really overshadowing my daughter and her party and I want to prevent the same thing from happening this year.
I'm thinking of separate activities for the older ones but the idea of planning and supervising 2 separate but simultaneous parties is a bit overwhelming. If any of you have any suggestions I would really appreciate it!
The party was this last weekend and it went very well. I pulled the older kids aside at the beginning and asked if they could be my "helpers" and make sure the little ones had a good time. They participated in the party activities for a little while and when they got ready to do their own thing, I sent them off with the Dads. These things worked like a charm. Thanks so much for all the advice!
Would it be possible to schedule the party on a week day when the older siblings are at school? I have started doing that so that I don't end up with moms & dads, having more adults than kids at my daughters' parties. I just had a princess dress up tea party for my daughter on a weekday-- two of her little girl friends came with their moms and one baby brother. That was just about perfect!
A.
Why not have the parents leave the little girls at the party and come back for them in two hours (whatever time the party is over). I've always tried to just bring my daughter when she is invited to parties. Having siblings come creates unneccessary stress and expense for parents trying to give their child a special day. It's also not fair to the child that has been invited, just because a child has a sibling doesn't mean they don't deserve to do some things without that brother/sister always tagging along. If you haven't sent out the invitations already, I'd definitely come up with a tactful way to let parents know that they can come "pick up their daughters at whatever o'clock". You never know, they might appreciate being given an out, there were plenty of birthday parties I wish I hadn't had to stay for - LOL Another thought -since these are friend's kids, can you just pony up another $40 and have one of the parents do you a special favor and take all the boys to McDonalds or wherever to get them out of your hair for the two hours - a couple dads would be really good at this task, they don't like bday parties anyway (according to my dear thoughtful husband!) :-)
I totally agree with Glenda. It is appropriate to say this is a *Girls Only* party to the parents on the invite or to the parent's face. I've seen MANY parties where only one sibling was invited. You shouldn't feel obligated to invite and cater to everyone, besides, your daughter and her friends deserve some fun time without the boys for once. I'm sure the parents can understand that, and they will probably take your cue for their own kids parties in the future. I'd send the dad's to take the boys out to get them out of your hair, or, just ask one of the other moms if your son can go to her house with her son during the party. You have a good 15 more years of these parties, so disinviting the boys for this one isn't going to hurt one bit!
Hello! Well i found out is that having their birthday parties at peter piper pizza or chucky cheese is easier but then again i only have boys and almost all of my friends have boys i think my bestfriend is the only on that has a daughter. But i think you should make it a girls party only
Hello,
I recently celebrated my daughters 3rd birthday and had a ____@____.com age groups ranged from 6 weeks to 14 years old..I ordered a bounce house for the older kids and I actually had more help from the older children ages 11-14 w/ keeping the children under control.The older kids spent the day outside playing and the younger ones enjoyed themselves inside. I specified a specific time that the younger ones could spend in the jump house alone w/ no interruptions while the older kids were inside playing twister,video games and watching movies.The only time the groups were together were when we all sat down to eat and have cake and ice cream.After the gift openings and teh goodie bags were giving all the children had an opportunity to play together and no one got hurt. The suggestions the other moms have given are lovely.Having the moms drop off girls or let men and boys have a day together sounds great.
Last year we had so many kids with their siblings that we just rented a room at a rec center at a nearby park. The "invited" guests were allowed into the party room while the siblings mostly stayed outdoors and played on the playgound, or played pool, table hockey, and shuffle board in the rec hall.
When cake and snacks were served everyone was allowed to come in and eat so long as they sat at a table and behaved.
We also had a clown, that the older children were not intrested in. So it worked out well that they were able to stay outside and play on the playground while the smaller children enjoyed the party activities.
Of course, be sure that the parents know what is going on and why. Most of them will understand and won't mind a bit.
RPocai
I agree with Glenda that this should be your daughter's party. There will be more older siblings than her own guests! If you have not sent the invitations, you are the host and you can feel free to say it is girls only.
However, if that is not possible for you, or if you feel you would have too many hurt feelings among your friends, then I think you'll need to arrange to have a couple of the dads take the boys out! A movie, a bouncy place, McDonalds, even the local park. If cost is an issue, there is a cinema in Plano at Coit and Park that shows movies for $1 per person or an ice cream and playland at McDonald's is about the same. Lowe's and Home Depot often have a craft that kids can put together in the store. It takes about 30 minutes or so, and doesn't cost anything, plus the boys get to take home something they made. You might want to check with your local stores to see if they have any activities scheduled for the day of your party.
Good luck! I hope your little girl enjoys her special day!
I think that this party is for her only. Are there any grandparents or aunts and uncles who could take your son to a movie or something for the duration of her party with her friends?
You have already seen what happens when the two very different groups are combined. I am a mother of SEVEN and grandmother to SEVEN. Been there, done that...again and again....LOL
