Help !! Need Party Advice

My daughter's birthday is coming up and I just asked this question...her daycare suggested fruit and/or snacks like goldfish/cheese&crackers/veggie chips/etc, along with the cake or cupcakes. They also let us bring in goodie bags for the kids that they give to the kids as they leave for the day.
Hope this helps.

Hi L.,

If the party is a 2:00 party, most children have already eaten and really only expect cake and dessert items for this time period. Food would most likely be a waste of time and money, especially for this age group.

M. S.
Wishes Upon Wishes.net

Boomerang's in Hurst is awesome for parties, also there is Let's Jump in Keller.

I had a party for my 4yo at My Gym in Frisco last year and it was great. We did it at the same time and just served cupcakes, drinks and a few snack items like animal crackers/pretzels. The kids are going to be running around and playing so much, they aren't going to want to stop and eat, except for the cake. And you're right, it's 2:00 that's just snack time, not lunch time. HTH!!

I have a 9 month old, so I know those days are ahead for me..my other is 14 now...time flys!

If you'd like to try something different and it is between now and Aug 21st M-F, we are offering our 2 hour birthday parties for $175 ($50 savings!) - for my little ones, you can use our inflatable bounce house and waterslide as well as our other games, etc. at Meadowmere Park on Lake Grapevine. Here's our website - www.AdventureDayCamps.com

We just did a party the other day for a 5 year old's party and they had a ball on the waterlide!

I can also be reached at ###-###-####.

I don't know about those party places, but about the food...

I was brought up that etiquette was that a meal was implied if the party was around meal time. 2:00 is not a meal time, so etiquette-wise you only need to provide cake and ice cream, but I would err on the generous side and provide snacks as well--chips and salsa, grapes, and the like, plus drinks--for this age drink boxes are great.

Good luck and have fun!

~A.

I'm with you, 2:00 is NOT lunch. I had a party at little gym a few years back, and I believe we just did cake, ice cream (maybe not even), and snacks. You can bring goldfish, pretzels, grapes, banannas, strawberries, and have cake and ice cream. Put the snacks in little bowls in the center of the tables so the kids can just grab a handful when they get into the party room. Also have drinks at their spots for them to get as soon as they enter the party room. Then, sing happy birthday and serve the cake & ice cream. If you do ice cream, get the individual serving cups (cost more but well worth it for a party) and put them in a cooler with ice along with the drinks. Another idea for ice cream is to put a scoop in a paper muffin cup at home, put them on trays in your freezer, and then into the cooler and to the party - less chance for them to melt and make a mess. Those type of parties only give you a small amount of time for play, food, and opening presents, so I would not waste time with pizza when it's not lunch time.

We had a 2 yr old b-day party at Gymboree and LOVED it. It was worth the money. The party leader leads the kids in some fun, age appropriate games. Totally worth it.

I would advise you to bring minimum food for that time slot of party. A good snack will sufice. Something like fruit, crackers and cheese as well as cupcakes or cake will be more than enough. The parties last about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Good luck!
M.

We love the Little Gym, my daughter has taken classes there for about a year and we have been to a birthday party there. Their parties are really fun, and they do a wonderful job with the kids. I have never been to a Gymboree party so I can't compare.

When we went to the Little Gym party it was around 2 and the mom just brought cupcakes and a big bowl of fruit. I think she also brought some juice boxes, either that or they were provided by Little Gym. The fruit bowl went over really well, you may even do a little container of apple juice, squeeze yogurt, or string cheese. Good luck and have fun at whichever you choose.

If you need invitations www.WorksofaWink.com

From my experience, kids are actually really hungry at that time of the day. That day they will eat lunch, take a nap, wake up, go to a party and exercise, and will want to eat something. Don't you think? Maybe that's just my kids, but they eat five smallish meals a day instead of three huge ones. I'm sure their parents will give them something to eat after their nap times, but I would be prepared to have a few hungry kids.

Other ideas besides a pizza meal, would be to go for a bunch of little snacks, like appetizers and finger foods that the parents can choose from for their kids. At our last party (4 year old), I went to Chick Fil A and got 12 packs of their nuggets. I think it was $4 for each pack and they gave me plenty of dipping sauce. Those are great even when they're not warm.

I would also bring a veggie and fruit assortment(lots of dairy/wheat/gluten allergies out there).

Be prepared for the kids to want two drinks and for the parents to want one drink. That's usually what happens at our parties. You don't want to run out of drinks.

Also, you might want to pack a few rice krispie treats for the kids allergic to cake. That seems to be a hit with those allergy moms at parties.

Have a great time! Both of those places are good fun and you won't want to waste too much time eating!

I have found that at 2:00 you can just serve snacks. Goldfish, pretzels.. and juice with your cake. I always appreciate a party where there are some snacks for the adults too.

By the way if you need any entertainment, my husband and I are professional clowns living in Anna. We offer facepainting, balloon sculptures, comedy magic shows, friendship bracelets, along with fun interaction and games. We've entertained at birthday parties and large events like the Plano Balloon Festival.

Our prices are very reasonable (we have four great kids of our own so we know how expensive things can get)and we do our best to work within a person's budget.

Please feel free to take a look at our website at www.freewebs.com/bubblesandwowza for samples of our work.

Give us a call at ###-###-#### if you have any questions at all.

Hope you have a great party.

Hope to hear from you,

K. Schmidt
Bubbles the Clown
Bubbles and Wowza, LLC

I wouldn't worry about a pizza since it isn't lunch time. Maybe some little snacks like fruit or pigs-n-a-blanket or cheese and crackers that the kids can munch on when they get hungry and then the cake/cupcakes with juice.

I would just say on the invitation, "light snacks provided", or simply "come for cake and ice cream" so parents get the idea that it will not be a lunch.

Little Gyme is PERFECT for a 3 year old party (we had one and went to many). It is very easy to do there. But you do not need pizza for a party at that time. It will be over before dinner and that is money you do not need to spend. Just put out some bowls of goldfish and some of pretzels and serve juice boxes and water bottles and cake. Maybe the little individual ice creams is you want. I've also seen some people bring in a fruit tray or bunch of apple slices for other snacks.

I had my daughter's 1st birthday party at Gymboree in Southlake last year and it was GREAT!!! The best thing is...you don't have to clean up...they do! As for food, we just had cake and drinks. I've also been to 2 other parties there and they both had cupcakes and drinks too. We didn't see a need to have more than that at that time of day.

Hi Lin- ok- you can never go wrong with kids and pizza- but 3 years old- I would grab a catered tray from Chick Filet of the chicken nuggets- all kids love nuggets and fries! and juice boxes and you are good to go!
You dont have to provide a lunch -esp since its around two oclock- and then little individual cupcakes are always fun ..
if you ever have an event at your home-I have a host assistant service- we do it all- you supply the food- we do all the running around- so you just enjoy the party!
www.partyangelsus.com
Party Angels Ltd.
We have bartenders as well

Have fun! D.
###-###-####

I have done both. I thought gymboree was perfect for a 1 and 2 yr old party. Little Gym works well for a 3 or 4 yr old party. I would also add "My Gym" if they are still around to your selection. We did it for my daughter's 4 yr old party and think it will work for a 3 yr old party as well. They did a great job centering the party around the birthday child.

I am a big fan of fresh fruit, and Chick Fil a nuggets if you have kids that do not have peanut alergies. My kids love cookie cake. You call your closest Chick Fil a 10 minutes ahead and they have it ready for you.

Hi L.,
I have not had a party at either of those places (although we do go to Little Gym weekly). However I have attended a few different parties with my toddler over the past year. All the parties held at a location (Gymboree, Pump It Up, Amazing Jakes, etc.) have had pizza and the parties were typically started 2 or 3pm. The one party we attended at someone's home was at the same time but served finger type foods, hot dogs, chips, etc. It looks like pizza is very common and fairly easy to serve for toddler birthdays. Good luck.

We had a party at Gymboree when our daughter turned 2 and we loved it! Kylie in Plano did our party, or Linda is great too. Highly recommend! And don't do pizza for a 2:00 party. Cake, juice boxes, bottled water is just fine. And if you want a few extras, bring goldfish, pretzels, fruit are good ideas. Have fun!