A child’s birthday party may have gotten a little out of hand. When party favors outweigh actual presents for guests of honor, and entertainment is on par with a Las Vegas residency, it can feel pretty hard to keep up.
I often get advice to “use what you can afford”, but that’s little comforting when you’re attending a children’s party that costs more than your mortgage payment. is it?
what is everyone else doing
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The average parent spends about $400 on their child’s birthday party.
According to one study, the average parent spends about $400 on their child’s birthday party. Jay Tanner, a Los Angeles-based event planning specialist and former proprietor of his party venue The Great Escape Club, said his parents wouldn’t want him to spend thousands of dollars on his one birthday party. I said I saw it from time to time. “This can be his one big party a year, so the parents go all out,” says Tanner.
An informal survey by an online moms group found that caregivers spend between $150 and $1,000, and parents of single children were more likely to spend more on children’s parties than parents with two or more children. I admit This is also a situation where younger siblings don’t get enough fanfare from older siblings.
“For the first, it was insane: train rentals at the railroad museum, custom cakes, lunches and appetizers, drinks, entertainment. Just buy it, bring it to class, and uh, $5 for the whole thing?” says Molly Sakahara, mum of two in South Pasadena, California.
Tanner says her best advice to parents is to avoid stressing what other people are doing.
“I used to make my living doing birthday parties, but the truth is my kids love spending their birthdays in the park with cake and pizza,” says Tanner. $2,000 Birthday If he doesn’t like the idea of a party but isn’t quite at the “all in and he’s $5” level, Tanner has plenty of tips to help you find the perfect middle ground. .
age problem
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They will never remember their first birthday, so please stop the fireworks.
According to Tanner, there are years to save money and years to splurge, and it depends largely on how old your child is and how well they remember the party.
Many parents throw a big party for their child’s first birthday, but Tanner recommends saving for an age to remember. She likes to spend big on milestone years like her 5th and her 10th, and throws small parties in the years in between.
“Your 1-year-old won’t remember all the time and money you spent at parties. If you’re throwing that party to acknowledge that you’ve made it through a year of parenting, make that party for you.” Please, let’s keep things simple.
downgrade the cake
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Kids don’t really care if the cake has 5 layers.
Tanner says he’s never heard a child give sophisticated commentary on the flavor, texture, or culinary strength of a birthday cake in his years of managing a party venue for children. , if you grew up eating Duncan Hines boxed birthday cakes or sheet cakes at the grocery store, chances are you’re as conditioned as a friend who bought a cake from a fancy bakery.
“Cake is cake! If you want to be impressed your Friends who have expensive things pick it up, but the kids don’t mind it,” says Tanner. “Throw a plastic toy at it and call it a day.”
As an added bonus, keeping the birthday cake simple means kids are less likely to fight over who gets which piece. Please try.
Snack sparingly
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I have never met a child who would rather eat a plate of vegetables than play with friends.
When you’re hosting a party, it can be tempting to spread out some fancy food, but Tanner wants you to remember that this is a kids’ party, not a cocktail soiree. She recommends keeping foods and snacks simple.
“I’ve seen fancy spreads go to waste while parents begged guests to bring food home,” says Tanner. Kids are always too busy to eat, so if you’re looking for ways to cut costs, choose to keep it simple with pizza, chips, and cake, or opt for a party right after or just before it ends. please. time to eat.
“Kids are picky eaters anyway. Just give them enough to keep their blood sugar normal,” says Tanner, and sitting at kids’ parties for more than two hours doesn’t do the trick for a large spread. put out.
“If they have the choice to keep the game going or stop for a plate of blueberries and broccoli, they keep the game going,” says Tanner. In our experience, she is right.
where to splurge
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Bounce House is a splurge well worth it.
Tanner recommends spending money on entertainment if you want to splurge in an area.
“You don’t have to plan a lot for your kids, but it’s good to plan one solid activity,” and socializing.
Solid activities to support the party include well-planned games, entertainers such as magicians and reptile presenters, Disney princesses, and Tanner’s favorite bounce house. Bounce House goes a long way when it comes to keeping kids happy and busy, and is enjoyed by a wide range of ages.
“You might be surprised, even older kids love bounce houses,” says Tanner. “And they don’t have to be expensive.”
She loves bounce houses and says they’re always a hit with kids because they keep them entertained and exhausted at the same time.
“Parents love other parents who throw parties to exhaust their kids and take them home,” she says.
You can rent it yourself or splurge on it to use at birthday parties, summer parties, or any other party you can think of.
Conclusion
There are no hard and fast rules about how much you should or shouldn’t spend on your child’s birthday party. Maybe you don’t tend to party much, and your child’s birthday is the day each year when family members come from near and far. I’m the type of family who likes to spend time on family trips to Disneyland.
Tanner said the best advice she can give is to really understand what your child wants and set a budget to get there.
“We all want to celebrate our children. There is no reason to feel like you. Must Hold back if you want to be big,” she says. “But you don’t have to spend a lot of money for kids to have fun.”
Kids parties are a lot of fun. As long as you’re spending money on what you and your child want and you’re not keeping up with someone else’s expectations, you can’t go wrong.
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Pricing was accurate at the time this article was published, but may change over time.
