pre-schooler party dilemma - please advise

[knittingfog]

I have booked ds's 4th birthday at one of those playzones and the minimum number is 10 kids.

Excluding him and a friend who doesn't go to the same pre-school whose mother has already said they can come this leaves me with 8 places.

From other parties he has attended I have gathered from parents that take up of invites can be surprisingly low so I was planning to send out 14 invites and anticipate just over half of them accepting (he is very sociable and seems to have lots of best mates plus there's all the children who invited him to their parties so 12 will just about cover them all).

Does this seem reasonable or risky, it's 4 weeks before the party so I don't really have time to just do 8, wait and see and then invite a second batch of kids just to make up the numbers. (I know we don't have to have the full 10 places filled but this is his first party where it hasn't just been at home with family and a couple of friends and I don't want him to look like a billy no mates if we get some no-shows on the day !)

I suppose we can add one or 2 extras on if we get a massive take up.

What do other people think ?

[throckenholt]

all the parties my kids have been to (eldest is 5.5) all seem pretty well attended - if only half went then they must have invited loads of people !

I would invite the people you want with an rsvp and mention you need to know numbers for the venue organisers.

[knittingfog]

bump- for any more opinions ?

[yaddayah]

i would invite 8, and then see .. we had a maximum of 18 for my DS's 4th party .. everyone i invited came mind you ds DID go round the whole class saying .. you;re coming to my party .. you are , you are and then proceeded to tell them what toys he wanted

[hana]

I too would invite 8, put down rsvp date and then take it from there
do you know the mums to ask in the playground?

[Boleyn]

Hi - I'd work out how many I could afford. So minimum is 10 then I'd talk to 10 Mums and see if they can come. I'd then guage take-up and then invite 2 more if a couple, were a bit uncertain.

Parties are popular - especially of parents can safely leave their children. So it would only be those who could not come that would not take up an invite.