iPLAN To Organize A Birthday Party For My Child

(Adapted from Tips to Throwing a Kiddie Birthday Party by Kathy Bennett)

1. Ask your child the theme that he wants for party he or she wants.

Then determine if your budget, your creativity and your energy can deliver that type of birthday party.

2. Ask for a friend’s help.

You can't be in two places at once. In birthday party terms, you can't play musical chairs, cut the cake, and direct traffic to the bathroom at the same time. Enlist one or more "big people" (adults or responsible older children) to help you at the birthday party.

3. Manners matter.

Birthday parties are a wonderful opportunity to reinforce the good manners you know are lurking somewhere deep within your pre-schooler. Don't wait until the day of the birthday party to start this. Start from the moment you write the invitations.

4. Be sure there's plenty to do.

There is no destructive force greater than a crowd of preschoolers with nothing to do. You need to keep them occupied from the moment the first guest arrives at the birthday party until the last guest leaves.

5. Don't forget about safety.

You don't usually think of children's birthday parties as especially dangerous, but there a few safety tips to remember that could make the day trouble-free.
If you plan to decorate with balloons, remember that balloons are a major choking hazard for young kids. Keep the balloons out of reach or use Mylar balloons.

If you are holding a birthday party somewhere other than your house, ask each parent to tell you who will be picking their child up at the end of the birthday party. Do not release a child to anyone you don't know. During the birthday party, make sure you have an adult who can run kids to the bathroom if it's not close to where the main action is. Also, make sure you have enough adults to adequately supervise all the kids and, if necessary, assign each adult a kid or two to supervise.