Tuesday's Time Saving {Birthday Party} Tips

I'm going to simplify this whole post in one word: PREPARE. Pre-planning is the best way to host a successful party with minimal stress and less strain on your wallet. With a little preparation, you will be able to enjoy the party with your child and the guests instead of exhausting yourself and missing all the fun.

A friend emailed me yesterday with the idea to write this post. She's wanting to throw a great kids party but is a little intimidated by the details. Here was her email:

How are you planning the logistics of Ryan's party? Are you scheduling different games for different times, or are you just going to let the kids go for it on their own? I'm curious about how these kid parties 'flow' from one thing to the next. How many games/activities would one need to plan? Do 5-year olds want me to be up front directing activities, or do they just want to play? What order should things be done? Are you going to have him open his presents at the party, or wait until after? These kind of things are stressing me out a bit...

While I will answer all of the Carnival-specific questions in a post this weekend, I'm going to go over some time-saving tips for kids parties in general. Not because I'm an expert, but I do love me a good get together, so I've made a few mistakes and learned some things over the years.

* Start with a plan. Do you want to do a themed party or just a simple gathering at the park? Does your child have a favorite cartoon character, hobby or sport? Party City is a great national chain that has a large variety of party decorations arranged by theme. Curious George, Disney Princesses, Nascar, Baby Einstein, Elmo, you name it. While I don't think they're the cheapest store for ALL of your party needs, they aren't messing around when it comes to themes.

* Set a budget. Many birthday parties get out of hand because parents don't put a limit to their spending. Bounce houses, magicians and clowns can be pricey, so consider ending the party before lunch if you go that route. And remember: the little things add up. Paper plates, streamers and cake toppers can be simple or extravagant. Either is fine, just make sure your budget can handle it.

* At home or away? There are plenty of venues that host birthday parties, providing entertainment, cake and even decorations and clean up. This can be a huge time saver IF you're willing to spend the extra money. If your home is too small to host a gathering or if you get too stressed out over the details, this is the way to go. Bounce house companies, theme parks and pizza places allow parents to relax and enjoy the party with their guests. Just know that this is a higher dollar option. Also, remember to specify whether siblings and parents are invited...you will likely be charged extra per-head fees for additional guests.

* Think ahead. If you start thinking about the details of the party a month or two in advance, you'll have time to get creative and save some money in the process. Once you've decided on the theme, keep your eyes open when you're out and about for ideas and deals on party items and goodie bag treats. If you're creative, take this extra time to make items that might cost more if you buy them ready-made. This weekend, I saw a suggestion online about making your own party signs using butcher paper and kids paint. We have a kid's easel, so I had all of the supplies on hand. 20 minutes later, I had three free party signs that saved me big bucks. I contemplated buying a colorful banner with stickers to spell out our event title...I probably spent the same amount of time painting the signs as I would have putting the sticker banner together and I saved myself $20.

* Do a little research. If you pre-plan and pre-purchase certain items you might find that they aren't party-ready on the big day. If you buy the cake too soon, it might not taste fresh for the party. I just found out that helium balloons only last 8-10 hours. I'm glad I called around, because I might have gotten over excited and tried buying them the night before, waking up to deflated balloons and running out to buy them at a premium the morning of the party. Because really...what is a Carnival without balloons?!? (Another tip on balloons...I found that they cost just under $1 per balloon at most party stores and grocers. Except Walmart. If you bring your balloons to the back "service area," they will fill your balloons with helium for just $.25 each.)

* Decide what's important. I know a mom who threw a Carnival Party who puts her time, money and attention into the invitations for her kids' parties. Another friend puts her time into making amazing cakes. Pick one or two things to make an impression (if that) and stop there. Don't stress yourself out about doing everything over-the-top. When all is said and done, your child will remember having all of their friends around, not how much time you spent on every little detail.

* Have an agenda. Think through the "flow" of the party. What will the kids do while you wait for the late arrivals? Will the kids play outside for a bit before doing organized games? Will you open gifts before blowing out the candles or after? Don't set the timer and make everything militaristic, but if you have an idea of the order in which things will go during the party, things will feel smooth for everyone involved. Plus you won't run out of time at the end. (I've seen that happen...once, the grill master took so long to dish out lunch that the rest of the party was rushed and many people had to leave before the cake was cut.)

* Set an end time. A 2-hour party runs much differently than a 3-hour party. Give your guests an appropriate expectation and plan the order of events in your head accordingly.

Other tips for a successful party:

* Think simple. My biggest time-saving tip for during the party is CUPCAKES. They are easy to hand out and you won't need a team of people to help slice and serve the cake. Plus, you can usually get away without plates and forks.

* Solicit helpers. Grandparents and friends are usually willing to lend a hand...but you need to ask. Pass your camera to someone else so you can enjoy watching the candles get blown out. Hand another parent a pad of paper and a pen to jot down gifts as they're opened for the Thank You notes. This isn't a one-man show. If there are extra hands available, may as well utilize them!

* Eat cake last. Especially with little ones! This is my big trick...send the kids home all sugared up instead of doing it first and having meltdowns throughout the rest of the party.

* Sing Happy Birthday more than once. I know this sounds cheesy, but getting the perfect picture to scrapbook IS that important to me. Last year, we sang 3 times and the kids loved it. And I got an amazing picture of Ryan blowing out the candles.

* Prepare your child for the etiquette of opening gifts. For young kids, I strongly recommend opening gifts after the party. It's not always popular with your guests, but this avoids meltdowns from your child and it's less stress for you. Picture your 3-year old tearing open paper and ungratefully tossing each package aside, looking for something better. Or worse, he finds the perfect gift and refuses to open any others until you dismantle the package and let him play with that particular present...NOW. Last year, I spent a few minutes the day before the party explaining to Ryan that after each gift is opened, he needs to thank the giver before moving on. I was skeptical, but he did an awesome job. He even opened one homemade card and, holding it upside down, scanned it gasping, "THANK you!!!" He was really trying to be appreciative. I was so proud.