Hi moms:-)
My oldest daughter just turned 3 on the 16 of December and we are planning a birthday party for her in January. I am looking for something indoors since it will be cold and possibly raining. I really want to do something where the kids and run and be kids so doing it at our house isn't the best conditions for that. if only it was a summertime birthday we could just get a jumpy and everyone would be happy... Does anyone have any ideas for an inexpensive high energy birthday parties? We live in Oakley but anywhere in the East Bay would be ok. Thanks in advance:-)
Gymboree Play and Music does birthday parties which are perfect for that age. The details vary by location but our sites are Lafayette, Oakland and El Cerrito and our parties are $250 for 1.5 hours. In our case, there is a discount for currently enrolled families and/or for Friday afternoon parties. You can find more specifics on locations and party offerings at www.gymboreeclasses.com. Good luck and Happy New Year!
J. Freeman
Encore gym in Pleasant Hill....
For my son's birthday we had his party at delta tumbling, it is right by costco in antioch. It was a little over $100 (which was cheaper than a jumpy). They had some activities and games for the kids and they were allowed to run around and get all their energy out and everything was kid friendly. We also did Costco cake and pizza, so it really was not expensive at all.
What about Pump it Up. There is on out your way and one out in Concord. I like it because it is only the people you invite to the party in with your kids, unlike the Jungle. Plus, they have several different inflatibles that the kids can play on and with. I had my sons 2nd birthday there and he loved it.
you might want to look into renting a room at a community center, church, or synagogue and have things like hula hoops, balloons, bean bag toss and/or ring toss, pop-up play tents or tunnels for the kids to play with. If there will be younger kids in attendance too, one thing our local parents of multiples club did at our recent holiday party (held at a church gym) was to fill a large wading pool with plastic "ball pit" balls and surround it with one of those kiddie-play yard enclosures and it was a huge hit with the toddlers (and a few slightly-older-than-toddlers who snuck in with their siblings). Another friend whose birthday-party-at-the-park got rained out moved their son's birthday party to their church's social hall and one of the big hits was the balloons - just air-filled so they were sitting on the ground, but the kids loved to pick them up and bat them back and forth, and since the balloons move so much more slowly than a ball, no chance of anyone getting hit by one or anything knocked over, just an occasional startle when a balloon popped.
The Albany YMCA does a party in their gym, where the kids can use all the kindergym/babygym equipment. They set aside the room next door for food prep/service. It's not expensive compared to many indoor venues. If you want to spend more, try Studio Grow Berkeley (or Concord). They do a birthday party package as well.
Enjoy your little Madi's party!
K. in EC
