Birthday Parties Tips

Fun Invitations

Write all the information for your child's birthday party onto an inflated balloon with a permanent marker. Deflate the balloon, and stick it in an envelope. The guest must blow up the balloon to learn the details of your party. Note: Balloons can be a choking hazard for young children, be sure to use adult supervision.

Keep Birthday Parties Under Control

Birthday parties can be great fun, but they can also be chaotic and overwhelming to those trying to plan, pay, and perfect it. Keeping a few things in mind will help the the party in birthday party.

(1) In order to keep birthday parties manageable, try limiting the number of guests to the age of the birthday child. For example, a six year-old can have six guests. This keeps things more controllable, and kids look forward to getting older and having more guests.



(2) If the child want so invite more children (most schools have the policy if you send invitations to school, you have to invite everyone in the class), decide the theme to the party before deciding on how many kids can come.



(3) Decide if this is a parents-drop-off-your-kids party or a parents-stay party. If the event is at a public place, unless there is a low kid to adult ratio, for the protection of the children, have the parents stay. This especially holds true for pool parties. This is also determined by the ages of the kids, where you are, and how comfortable you feel with the children in attendance.

(4) If the location of the party is at a kid-friendly place, find out what they cover, how long the room is available, and what food they provide. Don't be hit with surprizes when the bill comes. Figure out everything prior to the party. What a downer it is to be handed a much larger bill than expected because the right questions weren't asked, which brings us to the last one:

(5) Make a budget beforehand. There are two things that can spiral out of control when it comes to cost: weddings and kid's birthday parties. If the party is going to be at home, know the time of day can greatly decrease or increase the cost. A mid-morning party is much cheaper than an evening party because of food costs. An afternoon party between two and five can be just cake and ice cream where as before or after that, it's assumed lunch or dinner will be provided.

Party Help

If your party is being held at a party facility, make sure to ask how many staff will be assisting. Don't be afraid to ask for more staff if you feel it is required. You know your guests best.

T-shirt Take-Homes

For a fun birthday party activity and souvenir for the party-goers, decorate T-shirts. Give each child a white T-shirt, fabric paints, crayons, etc., and let them be creative. After each shirt is decorated, write their name on it and hang to dry. At the end of the party, each guest can take home a personalized party favor.

Make It Personal

Include your child in planning every aspect of his birthday party. Your child will appreciate it and it will be much more meaningful for him. Personalize the event with the child making the invitations, picking the decorations, and stuffing the loot bags.

Ice Cream Cone Cake

For a fun and tidy way to serve cake, bake it in ice cream cones. Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in a baking pan with sides and fill them halfway with your favorite cake batter. Bake, cool and frost them to look like ice cream cones. No plates, and no drips.

Party Manners

Unless you are inviting your child's entire class, DO NOT hand out invitations at daycare or school. Also, teach your child not to talk about their party at school so that the children who aren't invited will not have their feelings hurt.

Inappropriate Birthday Gift

Ah, the inappropriate birthday gift. That can be a difficult situation to be in as a parent, especially if the child LOVES the gift and you don't think it's the best.



(1) Take a deep breath. Most likely, the person got it thinking the child would like it.



(2) Assess the severity of the situation before deciding the best approach. If it's something completely outrangeous like a new convertible Mustang for a 16 year old, there's a problem, but if it's a building set with 900 pieces for a 2 year old, it's easily addressed. Once you know the magnitude of the present, then you can proceed to step three.



(3) Usually if it's simple, advice is to say "thank you" and even a quick "Where did you get such a cool item?" helps. That way, if you return it, you know where to go. If it's far out of bounds and this person is someone who will continue to give presents, take the person aside after the presents are opened and talk to them about their choice of gift. Make sure your spouse is with you on this because it's no fun to be the "bad guy/girl" with no backup. Family can complicate things, so make sure you and your spouse (and if the child is old enough) know what the limits are going to be before having a party or family birthday get together. Having the ground rules before hand can help avoid a lot of chaos later.



(4) Be honest, but tactful. Voicing appreciation first and following it with, "but this gift is far more than we feel comfortable accepting." If the present is something like a (pretend) shotgun or weapons and those aren't allowed in the house, gently explain you don't believe in firearms, but thank you for thinking of your child. If it's something that's not within your religious beliefs, again, the honest, but respectful approach is the most mature thing to do.



Nothing can cause more of a rift than an unappreciated gift, even if it's inappropriate. The best course of action is a respectful, but honest one.

Karaoke Party Fun

For a fun party game for kids aged 8-12, have 6 popular music groups written down on paper. Number the groups for 1 - 6. Using a die, roll to see what group you have to sing a song from and act it out!

Perfect Loot Bags

Make sure that the loot you use to stuff your loot bags is age appropriate. No small toys for very young children and ensure that all loot bags are exactly the same to prevent squabbles. Be sure to have some extra loot for surprise guests, older siblings, etc.

Great Gift

Keep disposable cameras on hand as a great last-minute solution for those unexpected birthday party invites. Kids love having their own camera and taking their own pictures. You can also complement your gift with a small photo album. Stock up when they go on sale, and you will always be ready!

Posting Party Invites

To make it easier for your invited guests to remember your special party, try attaching a little magnet on the back of your invitations. Guests will be able to stick the invitation to their refrigerator for a simple reminder of the event.

A Snappy Thank-You

At a child's birthday party, photograph the birthday child individually with each guest. After developing, use the pictures as thank-you's for each guest by writing a note on the back. This makes a very personal card and a nice souvenir of the party.

Party Safety

Do not use latex balloons for children under 5. Children have died from aspirating deflated balloons or pieces of popped balloons. Mylar balloons are a great alternative.

Birthday Quilt

A fun activity for a child's birthday party is to have the kids create a birthday quilt. Offer each child a square of fabric, and have them decorate it with fabric paints, sequins or other art supplies. Simply stitch the squares together after they are dry. The kids will have lots of fun, and your child will have a wonderful souvenir of the party.

Pizza Surprise

If your child's birthday falls on a school day, arrange for a pizza to be delivered to your child's classroom for a birthday lunch for the whole class. For an added surprise, be sure to bring along a cake for dessert!

Birthday Tape

For a special souvenir for years to come, keep a separate blank video tape specifically for taping your child's birthdays. You will have all the memories in one place, and it will be a priceless keepsake. By the time your child reaches his 18th birthday you will have a special tape to share.

Share the Birthday Candles

When hosting a birthday party, make a cupcake with a candle on it for each guest, in addition to the cake for the birthday child. When it's time to blow out the candles, every child has one right in front of him to huff and puff at. The kids will love it - and the birthday child doesn't get any unwanted help when he blows out his candles.

Bring Dad

Be sure to invite often overlooked dads to the birthday party too. This gives them a chance to see their child play with other kids, and they get an opportunity to meet other fathers.