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Avoid the most common and obvious pitfalls many parents encounter when planning their first kids party. Tap into the knowledge of experienced party planners who've learned to steer clear of the "Ten Kids Party Planning No-Nos".
INVITING MORE CHILDREN THAN YOU CAN HANDLE
Your intentions were good when you invited everyone in little Tommy's classroom to celebrate his birthday, but you didn't realize what it's like when 20 active 6 year olds get together all in one place! Add excitement and sugary food and you've got a real problem!
Do yourself a favor and match the number of party guests to the birthday child's age a tried and true formula from countless Moms and Dads experienced in hosting successful kids parties.
UNCLEAR INVITATION
Your invitation should state clearly the Who, What, When, and Where of your party, as well as an RSVP date, phone number, and name to call. Add any special instructions such as what to wear, and whether a meal will be served or just cake and ice cream. Writing the name of the invited guest clearly will, in most cases, avoid siblings crashing your party.
FAILING TO KID-PROOF YOUR PARTY AREA
Protect yourself and your party guests by doing a pre-party sweep of the party area for potential hazards. Stowe your precious possessions and breakables in a safe place for the duration of the party. If very small children will be in attendance, make sure you have outlet covers in place and that loose change and other items that can be swallowed are out of sight.
During the party, be vigilant about letting balloons, or pieces of them, get into the hands of little ones. Avoid serving any food that could trigger nut allergies in children.
OVERDOING IT - TOO MUCH TO DO, TOO LITTLE TIME
This goes for both the party host/hostess and the guests. As the party planner, be sure you have adequate adult help to supervise all the party guests, play
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