Pom Pom the Clown

Tips for Planning Birthday Parties!

Fun Stuff!
Birthday Party Tips for Parents

Hello Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents!
Putting on a birthday party for your child doesn’t have to be a mission impossible. It also shouldn’t strain your budget that, in these trying times, is already tighter than 2 coats of paint! The following are some suggestions for food, scheduling, themes, money saving tips and ideas for giving a birthday party for your child or loved one.

Party Themes
You and your child should choose a theme together if at all possible. Of course if your child is going to be 1 year old then the theme is all you! The cutest themes I have seen have also been the simplest.
Lady Bug Party
Cowboy or Cowgirl
Luau
Princess
Superhero
Circus (my fav)
Spaceman or Spacegirl
Racecar

It would take volumes to list all of the great ideas one can do for the themed party for party decorations, cake or cupcake decorating, party favors, games, entertainment etc. My suggestion, if you are reading this you can Google “party ideas” and be prepared to spend 3 or 4 hours looking at all the incredible ideas for theme parties online! I loved attending a Superhero party as “Wonderful Girl” not too long ago. All the children and some of the adults came dressed as their favorite superhero. One adult costume looked SUPER AMAZING for its authenticity.

Party Scheduling
It is important to schedule the party at a time and on a day when guests will be able to attend. Working parents may have difficulty getting their child to your party scheduled for 12 noon on a Wednesday. Most parties are scheduled for Saturdays Sundays or the evening hours of a weekday. Scheduling a party for a holiday is tricky because families are more inclined to have other more important (to them) plans than your child’s birthday party. If it will be a family only party then you may be ok to schedule on a holiday. Even holiday weekends can be iffy as a lot of families want to get away or are busy with long weekend projects about the home.
Time scheduling is important in determining what type of food or refreshment will be served. Schedule a party to start at 12 noon and people might be expecting lunch will be served even if it didn’t say so on the invitations. Starting a party at 1 pm, 2pm, or later but before 5 pm gives the impression that refreshments only will be served as these times are after the traditional lunch hour. Of course it doesn’t hurt to list what will or will not be served on the invitation as well.

Party Food
Speaking of food, party food is generally the most expensive cost of your party. A bakery cake alone can cost anywhere from $15.00-$100.00 depending on size and quality. Ahh . . . I remember the good old days of Betty Croker Cake Mix and drippy beaters in the bowl! Growing up, between my brothers and I, a beater never went un-licked in my house! Today time constraints and the ease of buying a cake in the local grocery store have all but made cake baking obsolete. But how much fun would it be for your child to have a hand (literally) in making the cake? Your child will love it on two levels, time spent with you, and creating a cake from mix, eggs, and water. To a kid that is magic! Instead of a cake your child could pour the batter into cupcake tins and party guests could decorate their own treat! Just my thoughts on the subject of cakes.
If you are serving a meal or more than just cake and ice cream at your party, standard party fare includes: pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, chips & dip etc.. . I have no alternative suggestions for better priced party food except that fresh will be cheaper in the long run rather than frozen. The price of takeout pizza and fast food may be cheaper than preparing your own fresh party food but nutritionally, yikes!

$aving Money
The do-it-yourself party is the most economical way to go. If you can take the mess in your house! If not and the weather is nice, maybe a nice park setting would work for you. Children LOVE, LOVE to go to the park. Let them run amok, eat cake and open presents and call it good! You could play a game or two and award everyone prizes at the end. Coloring books and crayons would suffice as a prize, so would bubbles. The dollar store is a wonderful place for birthday party goodies. You don’t have to fill up a bag for each child either, just one or two items will suffice. The Goodie Bag is the birthday child’s thank you for coming and does not have to be extravagant. Again there are many ideas online that will assist you in planning your budget party that won’t look like a budget party.
Another way to save is to purchase plain party paper products-(say that three times fast!) instead of fancy or licensed character products. After all, what do you think the guests will remember the most, what their cake and melted ice cream was served on, or the delightful time they had at your child’s party?
Remember the fun you had hunting Easter Eggs as a kid? Kids like to play Scavenger Hunt! Hide inexpensive items throughout your party area, supply the kids with a bag upon their arrival and tell the kids they must find 1 of each item. Be sure to label the bags with the kid’s names beforehand. Go to the Dollar Store for your items and get the party favors that contain 10 or 12 or more items to a bag, CHEAP! I also have used peanuts, coins, candy, pencils, erasers, chalk, etc.

Entertainment
Now that you have saved all this money you might want to consider hiring an entertainer for your child’s birthday party. Here are my tips for hiring a quality entertainer:
Locating someone to entertain is pretty easy these days with the internet. I am located in Northern California but I have received calls from as far away as New York and Canada! Jokingly I told my callers that I would be glad to perform at their child’s party but that the mileage fee might be a little too much for them!
The Yellow Pages are another option, as well as the local Parks and Recreation Department. Our area has a Regional Arts Council and entertainers register through this agency to perform at the local fairs and festivals. And finally, the local party stores may have a listing of local entertainers.
The next step is finding out what services they provide and the fees they charge for their service. If you are making a cold call (you know nothing about this person’s skills or abilities) it is important to talk with the entertainer to find out exactly what they will be doing, how long they have been in the business of entertaining and any other information you will need to make your decision.
Ask around, ask your friends and other parents in the area if they know of any entertainers and if they have heard of the ones you are considering for hire. You want to find out if their experience was good, very good or amazing! Anything less and you need to drop them like a hot burrito. If no one has heard of this entertainer despite them telling you they have been performing for 20 years this might also be a red flag.
I hope these tips will help you with your birthday party planning!
Smiles, Pom Pom the Clown