Kids birthday parties - how to host and still have fun

When i was pregnant with Bodhi i was often wonder about my child's life and Birthday parties was something i thought of often, I wondered what kind of things my child would like, if they would be shy or outgoing all kinds of silly things really. In real life tho the thought of planing and hosting a child's birthday party is pretty overwhelming ! 

1st thing was deciding if we was going to have a small party at home for a few close friends or if we was going to hire a hall space and invite everyone. In the end we went with the hall for 2 reasons, reason number 1, It meant i didn't have to host in my house and worry about mess and clearing up after ward then the 2nd reason was i didn't want to make Bodhi chose a few friend his class has x30 children in it and trying to get a 5 year old to pick just 5 close friends is hard work! so the hall was booked for the bargain cost of just £10 an hour. 

But then we had to pick if we wanted to shell out £100+ for bouncy castle ( in the 2 weekends leading up to his party Bodhi went to x2 parties of class mates and they both had bouncy castles ) or if we was going to go old school and play games and let the kids run around for 2 hours. We went with party games and running around! 

The only game i spent out on was for pass the parcel for the prize and a few other small prizes for game, looking back on it now the children would have been more then happy to have just run around the hall with sone pop music on in the background of the whole time! I think the key is to not stress out , if no one wants to play a game so what ?! the main thing is they are having fun and the parents are okay with it. 

I did buy a photo booth and props from amazon and this went down well with some children others ( Like Bodhi ) didn't even go over to it, so i have loads of photos of the same children but none of others, But for a few pounds it was a bit of fun and something I've put in the loft for us to use again at other parties / events. 

When it comes to party food i do think its key to think about what time you are holding your party Bodhi's was 2 - 4:30 so my thinking was that guests would have had lunch before coming to the party but come 4pm would be pretty hungry from all of the running around. We had use of the kitchen in the hall we hired so went with hotdogs & chips i also chopped up pepper sticks, carrot sticks and cucumber sticks for them to munch on while they waited for hotdogs, This seemed to go down really well and all the parents said what a good idea it was. The food only cost around £15 pounds and the parents helped out with the left over hotdogs.

I brought a tray bake cake from sainsburys 1.6kg cake for only £10 !! hardly worth the stress of making your own is it ! this was cut up and put into party bags for the children to take home. talking of party bags i feel this are a waste of time and money but something you have to do at a party! I went very minimal with Bodhi's 

Cake

pack of stickers

small chocolate bar

small toy spilt from large pack from amazon

balloon 

all the children went home happy and once we had cleared up and packed up we left the hall and headed home to open the boot full of birthday gifts Bodhi was very kindly gifted. 

my top tips if you are planing a party for your child. 

Ask for helpers ! 

Make sure the helpers know what needs doing and set them jobs, My mum was on food duty with me and my sister and my dad was taking photos and my sister in law offered to do face painting.

Photos !!! you will be too busy to take any so ask guests if they have any they can share with you

Don't get stressed - Your child will be happy as long as they have cake & music 

1st wedding with a child ( 1st time around )

When you are pregnant you can find so much information, from bump to birth and then on to toddler age you can find countless books, guides and helpful information. I have found that once your child gets to nursery age this help and information drys up! As a 1st time mum to a now 4 1/2 year old who has just started  full time school in September i thought i would share my views/tips on all the things you will face 1st time !

So this time its Weddings! now we have been to x3 wedding this year but only one of them we took Bodhi with us, the 1st one we only went to the reception and both felt it would be nice to go as a couple rather then a family ( it was one of Chris's friends getting married ) the 2nd wedding we went to was my best friends but the invite was adults only so this meant Bodhi couldn't come ( we had a amazing time with both myself & Chris on the dance floor till gone 1 am ! ) so moving on to the last wedding of the year this wedding was for Chris's younger brother so we knew that Bodhi would want to go and also we knew lots of other couples going with children. Now the bride & groom go married 3 weeks before the reception on a beach so the "wedding" was really a reception but we all talk about it as a wedding.

This was also Bodhi's 1st time staying over in a hotel he was super excited about everything ! on the day of the wedding he woke up at 6:15 am ( ouch ! ) chris had work in the morning so rather then sitting around waiting we popped to IKEA ( as you do right? ) we had hot dogs for lunch ( not a super good idea would have been better off with something more filling but never mind )

The hotel was also a spa so we planned to go early help set up then go for a swimming then party from 6:30 , We got to the hotel and checked in now we paid to have a bed added in the room for Bodhi and as it tuns out all of these room where at the very back of the hotel and a good 5 minute walk from the party room. At check in we also found out that children couldn't go in the pool after 3pm so we helped set up then went back to the room had a few snacks ( that i took with me ) and got ourselves ready for the party. We had a super good time and Bodhi was happy dancing away and playing with the other children at around 11pm he started to flag tho and he asked me if he could go to bed. I took him back to the room and we watched a few cartoons then went to bed around 11:30pm.

TIPS 

* Take your own snacks for not only you child but yourself 

* take own drinks for in the room and at the wedding ( we didn't do this as thought we could buy him fruit shoots no such luck ) 

* let your child have cake/sweets/drinks etc it isn't worth the fighting

* dance with your child if they want to ( Bodhi was on the dance floor for most of the night )

* get someone else to take a family photo of you early on in the night 

* take a family selfie / loads of photos 

* don't worry about bedtime just roll with your child

* talk to your other half about who it is that will take child to bed when bedtime does roll around, as it was Chris's brother i said it was only fair that i would take him.

* speak to the hotel ( if staying over ) About when and if children can use the pool 

* Enjoy it  ! 

Party bags & supplies ( party pack review )

As our children get older and they more parties they attend there is a really high bar set for parents to get it right ! when i hosted Bodhi's 4th birthday back in january i was so stressed out i didn't take any photos of the party or get to speak to many guests! 

I have now come across this website party bags and supplies they make life so simple ! your child wants a hello kitty themed party they have got it ! your child wants a shark themed party they also have that, They pretty much cover every cartoon and theme your child could think of and sell plates/cups/party bags/ balloons everything you could need for a birthday party! 

We was kindly sent a party pack for 8 guests and after looking at the themes with Bodhi we picked the camoflage range , I was super impressed with the service and the quality of the items in the pack 

Camouflage Tableware Pack for 8. Camouflage Paper Party Tablecover,  Camouflage Paper Party Plates - Pack of 8. 23 cms, Camouflage Paper Cups - Pack of 8, Camouflage Napkins - Pack of 16   £8.50 

we then also had x8 filled camouflage party bags these fitted the theme really well and well worth the £1.85 each price tag they stock a huge range of other items to go along with this theme you could order all that you need for your party with just a few clicks 

We hosted our party in our garden one afternoon after school with a few of Bodhi's class mates all of the parents commented on the tableware and I'm sure they will be placing orders soon, Using the site took out all of the stress as they thing i needed was in one place and online. no rushing around the shop and stuffing party bags! I even got to enjoy a jelly at this party! 

The site also stocks ranges such a hen party items and baby shower tableware plus games and extra party bag fillers.