My babies due date is my daughter's actual bday. My daughter was born 5 days early, my son on his due date. I decided to plan a kid party two weeks before the due date, and then I will have my mom do a family party around her actual bday.
I'm struggling with this kids party. Do I rent a climbing cube at the Y, just do cup cakes, drinks, a small craft, etc. or do I do a super small party at home? If I do a rental, ill feel the need to invite lots of kids since it's a single rate. My daughter may be open to just having her closest friends, but then it will be at my house, and I'm afraid it will just be too much. She has already decided she wants cupcakes, and I am relieved because her fairy cake took me three days to make last year! I am keeping it simple this year no matter where it is. No meal, just cupcakes.
What do you suppose will be easier, small at home, or large rental? I did a small party out for my son, but I hate to replicate that party for my daughter.
My daughter is turning 5.
Something one of you said got me thinking a little outside the box. I thought maybe we could do a "build your own bear" or something, but the location by us doesn't have a private party room. My daughter would love something like that.
Fifteen kids at the Y is easier than five kids at home any day! All you need to do at the Y is bring cupcakes, sit back and let them play. At home you have to entertain them and clean up after.
If you're almost due then have her party away from home. My sons second was at a place called Jungle Java. I paid extra so that each kid got food, cake, and a prize. All I had to do was send out invites and show up. Worth every penny!
Oh my, "my daughter may be open to having just her closest friends" and you're are relieved she has decided (ordered?) cupcakes?
LOL she sounds like a little Kardashian in training!
I'm all for trying to give kids their special day but the parent should always set the parameters, especially so close to giving birth!
Decide what YOU are comfortable with and go from there. Your daughter can still have some choices, theme, colors, cake flavor, etc.
I personally find small home parties less stressful than big public ones but that's just my opinion. I know some people feel the exact opposite.
Parties away from home are more expensive but less hassle. If you are looking for hassle-free then I would opt for the Y. All you have to do is show up, and maybe bring the cupcakes and some juice boxes! If you have the party at home, you have to clean up before and after--plus you have to contend with kids maybe accidentally breaking something. It's amazing what kind of a mess kids will make--even if there aren't very many! When my daugher has ONE friend over, I'm still picking up candy wrappers and little pieces of things a week later.
Happy birthday to your daughter and congrats on the new baby!
My kids birthdays are exactly 1 week (and 2 years) apart. My daughter was turning 2 one week before I had my c-section and I had a huge party while I was hugely pregnant, at my house, with like 35 people. How? I'm not really sure, how I did it, but I was exhausted!!!! I say go for the Y, girl!!!!
If you've already decided on just cupcakes, those are easy to transport with a package of juice boxes, you don't even need to keep them cool if you don't want to!
Why not have a small party at the Y? It costs the same whether there are a few or many guests. So preserve your sanity, have the party at the Y and keep the guest list short. The kids will have a great time and you can enjoy the relief of not having the planning or mess that come with a home party.
Having a party at an outside location can be so much easier. You won't have to worry about making sure the house is clean for guests or the big clean up afterward. Do it at the Y.
ETA: You mentioned build a bear and I notice you are from Chicago, IL. You should contact Noah's Ark Animal Workshop. A rep comes to you and facilitates the party at your home or chosen location. It is a good time. I used to be a rep and did birthday parties all the time. Call 1-866-hug-Noah or go to their website www.noahsarkworkshop.com for more information.
It sounds like what you would actually like to do is a small party away from your home. Since your daughter sounds like she would be okay having a few close friends, why don't you have a party at a paint your own pottery place or some pizza places have parties in which kids can make their own pizza and play some games. My son and daughter had parties like these and the whole thing was facilitated by someone else, it didn't mess up our house, the kids had a great time and the cost was minimal.
If you did want to do the pizza party idea at home, Papa Murphy's has mini-murph pizzas that are $3 each and super easy for kids to make. Serve pizza and cupcakes and let the girls play! Easy Peasy!
I have learned that cupcakes only is the way to go. It is the perfect serving size and easy to maintain. Good luck!
HTH,
A.
You are due to have a baby during this time/do whatever you think will be absolutely possible. I think small at home because you can cancel if baby is wanting out at that time. Much easier than paying some fees for canceling elsewhere.
You are about to give birth. Something has to give. You can't give her the exact party you want if you want to keep it simple.
If price isn't an option, have her pick a few of her closest friends and let them all get kiddie manicures, and then meet up somewhere for cupcakes and juice boxes. Done!
Our most favorite parties were at home with 5-7 friends - games, frost and decorate cookies, decorate the large paper tablecloth for the table and more.
One year we did frozen pizza, and I made a giant chocolate chip cookie on a Pampered Chef baking stone - I decorated it - that was our cake! They loved it.
I also would take the kids to the movies (car seat rules were diff then - our kids could be out of car seats at age 4). My son was born near Thanksgiving when all the great kid movies come out for the holidays.
I had a little boy tell me (age 6) that our bday party at home with games at home was the best birthday party he had ever been to!
How old is your daughter?
How about a combo:
2 besties + Build a Bear?
Bestie Daughter Bestie... Each sits next to her... No party room needed.
My son was due 2 days before my daughter's 2nd birthday and born 10 days before. We had a small, family only party at our house the weekend of her birthday and planned a big party with friends and extended family/friends at her swim school for 6 weeks after her birthday. It worked out great!
My SD's birthday was a week before DD was born and just a couple of weeks before DD's due date. We did an at-home party with her friends. I would tell her she can have her best friends over, do cake and ice cream and some games and keep it simple. Ask someone else to help you plan and prep so you are not hosting solo. I told DH that I was not up for supervising the kids, so he took charge.
I vote away from home. But my real vote would not be having a party at all with friends, it would just be family on her birthday.
I'm a big fan of having my kids birthday party away from home. I have twin boys and their birthday is in November (likely to rain). Once we invite their twin friends from our playgroup plus some kids from school, we easily get up to 20 kids. Having a party outside the home is so easy. We show up with a cake, maybe a few snacks and party favors, and then enjoy. Set up and clean-up are not our responsibility and I don't have to clean my house or worry about having 20 kids running around inside the house.
Are there other venues that you can use for the party instead of the Y so it's different from your son's? In my area, we have various kinds of jump house, trampoline, inside play area, gym, and gymnastic type places that offer party packages. For example, we've done a My Gym party twice as my kids requested it for a second time. They might be pricier than the Y though.
I'm not sure if 5 is too young, but you could also do one of those paint your own ceramic type parties with a small group of friends. Then the party favor will be their ceramic (which they won't get until a week later or so, but it is still pretty cool).
My son was born 5 days before my daughter's 3rd birthday. Whatever you do, it will be fine. Select the party option that will be easiest on YOU. My advice is a party away from home. If you go that route, pick a venue where all you have to do is show up with the cupcakes. You do not want to have to go shopping for and then lug around all the supplies you would need to bring to a party at a YMCA type location. Go somewhere where they have a party staff who set up, clean up, help wrangle the kids, etc. This is also a year when you could order cupcakes from a good bakery instead of making them yourself. You're uber-pregnant; no one will care.
Your location is listed as Chicago so you have so many options - Chicago Children's Museum, Shedd Aquarium (or other museums), a children's theater production (we did this one year and it was great - the venue had a party room for cake), the dreaded Chuck E Cheese (I hate the place but bit the bullet one year for my kids' joint party when they were 1 and 4 - it was so easy), or Dave and Buster's, pottery painting, bowling (UIC on Halsted between Harrison and Taylor does bowling parties), go to the movies (some have party rooms too), and there are tons of other places in the city that do parties. It's worth saying again - you can have a great party for your daughter, but do whatever is easiest for YOU. I'm sure she'll love whatever you do.
Don't let the single rate push you to invite a bunch of kids. That's so much work - lots of presents, thank you notes, people to deal with, etc. However, it's a lot less work than having the party in your home.
If you give birth first, your husband can go to the party in your place and not freak out over dealing with a party on his own. Turnkey parties are great, and you won't have kids in your home with germs that you will have to clean to either have the house clean before your homebirth, or dealing with them coming in after the baby is born, should you deliver early.
Good luck!
Dawn
