Top 10 tips for organising kids parties

Organising a children's birthday party can be stressful but there are a few things you can do to help things go smoothly.

1) Put balloons on your gate/driveway so that people can find your venue. This is helpful for your guests and also any entertainer you may have booked. It also helps everyone to turn up on time which in turn makes your life easier!

2) Book your entertainment to start at least 15 minutes after the children are due to arrive. We know from experience, if you invite 20 children they will not all be ready to get started at the time written on the invitation! This gives everyone time to get in and say hello to each other, it also minimizes the amount of time you have to keep them entertained afterwards!

3) If you have booked an entertainer, try and make sure any adults who have stayed to watch do not talk over them as this makes it hard for the children to be able to hear. Perhaps have a separate area that adults can go into to for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. 

4) Find out if any of your child's guests have any additional needs or disabilities. Children often forget to let you know about details like these but if you know before hand it can be a lot easier to cope with a child who needs a little extra help. If you can let your entertainer know as well then even better!

5) Make a checklist of everything you need. A few things to get you started are plenty of bin bags, a knife and candles for the cake, a camera and batteries and plenty of bluetack/sticky tape to hang up decorations. 

6) Don't be feel any pressure to be adventurous with your party food. A few sandwiches, fruit, veggies and dips, cakes and a 'cook in the oven' pizza will go down brilliantly with the children!

7) Make sure invitations go out far enough in advance. We recommend at least three weeks before the party date but the earlier the better so that people do not get booked up with other commitments

8) If you are hiring a room make sure you allow 30-45 minutes before and after for packing up and setting away again. 

9) Get someone to help you. Running a kids party on your own is hard work! Ask some of your child's friends parents if they can help you out and maybe you can help at their children's parties in return. 

10) Enjoy yourself! It may seem like a lot of hard work but it will be worth it to see the smile on your child's face. After all, birthdays only come once a year.