To be shocked at kids party prices

Apologies, haven't RTFT but my party wisdom (some of it learnt the hard way 🤣):

• if expecting parents to stay, provide tea and biscuit, and that's all

• for a village hall party you need some child-free adults (sensible teenage cousins might work) to collect plates/supervise the bouncy castle/wash cups etc

• kids' party food - I've said it before and I'll say it again: kids under the age of 5 are only there for the wotsits. Add a few sandwiches by all means but they run entirely on crisps at that age. Don't waste your money on loads of fruit as they won't eat half of it but wil snot over what they don't eat.

• party bags - contrary to popular belief, IME small kids don't need party bags and hey won't notice if they don't get them. A slice of cake in a napkin is good though, and they can either eat it there or take it home.

Age 4 we just had about ten nursery friends at soft play. A big party can be a bit overwhelming at this age. No one expects parents of local kids to be fed but I take the point that visiting relatives might appreciate foods.

Maybe you could do a smaller party in a smaller venue? Say 15 kids, no longer than 90 mins say 11am to 12.30pm. Kids eat at the end, you cut the cake and hand out party bags, local kids leave but family stays an extra hour at the venue and let the cousins play whilst your family eats (venues often have a kitchen so you could heat up some curries or whatever - once we took our own air fryer!)

The night before, I always make two big batches fairy cakes - one vanilla and one chocolate - then ice them the morning of the party and decorate them prettily and with different toppers.

Also If you are going to make sandwiches for the kids don’t underestimate how time consuming it is! Usually I’m up at 6am getting everything ready.

I would say see if you can borrow some big plastic or foil serving plates - they are very useful and expensive to buy.

My dcs both have summer birthdays and always did joint parties with their respective friends. My dd once joined up with 4 others for an all class party in a village hall with a big field next to it so we went all out with bouncy castles etc and invited all the parents along for a drink too. It still only cost just over £100 each (we made it clear not to bring presents for each child).

Find out if there are any children with birthdays around the same time and half the costs with another parent. This works well. You can get away with a bouncy castle. Often village halls have some things anyway, and often they’re happy running around and then playing pass the parcel and music statues. Eating takes a bit of time anyway. Do the party for 1.5 hours instead of two? Good idea about decorating rich tea biscuits for a party bag. Could have a crafts table with paper and pens, and a table with hair bobbles etc. I had these at a party but not well used as they just wanted to run abound!

For those numbers I’d book an entertainer like a magician as one bouncy castle won’t be enough to entertain 30 children for 2 hours!

I’d keep the party to 1.5 hours for friends.

15 mins arrival and running around
60 mins magic show
15 mins eating then go home.

(Do food in picnic boxes so they can take home if preferred. Bring out party bags to signal its home time. Don’t buy the books from The Works - they are rubbish stories and the kids just want sweets and tat)

Then tell family they can stay around at the end for adult food.

£120 for soft play. Plus food, plus party bags (over ten years ago now)

Back then, soft play was cheaper than other parties and more manageable as a single parent. So glad that stage is over!

Supermarket pizza and crisps went down well.

Helium balloons make great alternatives to party bags.

Go for a 2-4pm time slot- then you just need to provide a few nibbles to keep the kids happy and not a full meal

Ime this doesn't work. Parents hate it because they get back a hyper 5 year old at 4pm who's filled up on nibbles and refuses dinner then insists they are hungry at 8pm

2 hours is also too long to fill without a meal and 1 hour in you have four and five year olds loudly asking when the party tea is, because they will be expecting one, uk kids parties are such a predictable format they are conditioned from a very young age to expect one - 1hr activities, then sit down to party tea, cake/candles & singing HB. Get them picked up after 1hr 40 to save your sanity.

Cheap food options:

Take a big tray of cheap finger buns and a Dutch oven/slow cooker full of sausages & do hot dogs. Chuck out a few bowls of cheap crisps and plates of sliced cucumber. Don't bother buying plates just put napkins on paper table cloth and then bin the lot.

You can get very very cheap basic cupcakes or doughnuts from all the big supermarkets to put out after it & do big jugs of cheap squash.

Don't waste money on posh decorations or foil balloons. Just blow up like 100 basic ordinary balloons. V cheap

then another £150 for the food. Baring in mind I made lunchboxes and went to Aldi for the ingredients to try and save a bit - all in all it came to a lot

£150 ! That's a lot in Aldi for a kids party. As a cub leader, I take a group of 40 kids and 10 adults away on a one night residential, and the budget is £200 for all food for the whole weekend - dinner, cooked breakfast and packed lunch. So you should easily be able to do a basic party food lunch for 30 pre-schoolers for a lot less than that.

I’ve been to a few parties with party games and no central activity and it looks pretty exhausting and not all kids will join in - meaning they bored. It ca be a long time to fill!! That’s only my experience though

Keep it short. Perhaps an hour and half. By the time people have arrived, played a few games, had food, played another game, it's time to go home.

I agree that, at four, some children won't want to join in. But at that age, parents are generally staying, so I'd ask that they look after their kids if they won't join in. Or call out your instructions - 'Mums, dads, it's time for pass the parcel, please bring your child over to sit in the circle' There should be plenty of adults around, and giving them a clear instruction really helps.

We did one for DD (3) in Dec. Hall was 190, bouncy castle 110, food we pulled together ourselves but probably circa 50.
We got basic bags from card factory and put in stickers and some plastic kids party toys. Everyone was happy. I made the cake.

It cost a fortune imo but my in laws wanted to see one and they're both ill, one terminal, so we decided to go ahead.

Next time we'll probably do home party for 4-5 kids 🤣

Despite trying to be careful with budget our hall ones cost upwards of £400. Usually over £500.

We started at age 3 and 4 with soft play and role play village types which were cheaper at about £18 pp and we invited about 20. But the hall ones for 30 have always been more.

Most people don't do a "whole" class party except for reception/y1, then its common to share with at least one or even two other parents to reduce the cost.

Normal, if not more.
We paid about £100 for the hall, £250 for the entertainment, then another £100 for the decorations and party bags and then another £150 for the food. Baring in mind I made lunchboxes and went to Aldi for the ingredients to try and save a bit - all in all it came to a lot

This is the annoying time and I hate parties that do this time

kid don’t really eat much as not that hungry when food comes out 3/3:30

but then don’t went tea 5ish and then hungry 6/630

Missed it was nursery. We managed to do a 90 minute party at that age. Plenty long enough - I think most parents were relieved!

Go for a 2-4pm time slot- then you just need to provide a few nibbles to keep the kids happy and not a full meal. This keeps food costs down, you also definitely don't need to cater for the adults too.

Maybe you could do a party for his friends from nursery and any activities he does and a separate get together with cousins etc who are older. I can see if you have lots of family attending why you may feel the need to cater to the adults.

My eldest is year 11 and I remember spending about that for a class party in reception.

hiring a hall and bouncy castle is expensive. You might as well invite the whole class as the hall and bouncy castle are the bits that will cost. I second the idea of trying to find another child in the class with a birthday close by to do a joint party. Or dump the bouncy castle, hire a hall if you can find something cheap and run party games yourself.

I did a book and a freddo for party bags this time went to the works got ten books for £10 really lovely ones too

I’ve been to a few parties with party games and no central activity and it looks pretty exhausting and not all kids will join in - meaning they bored. It ca be a long time to fill!! That’s only my experience though.

but agree with the dress up and a few balloons. Kids won’t notice fancy decorations.

Sorry if already asked but does leisure centre do a party package? Takes a bit of pressure off some of the setting up. Can sometimes then get castle, soft play stuff and music etc all in. You can then bring food you’ve made.

but yes it’s around 300-400 I’m afraid. Especially with that many kids - and party bags.

They definitely can cost that much, but they don't have to.

Hall hire isn't particularly expensive. Food for a 4 year old isn't expensive - jam, cheese, choc spread sandwiches, cheap frozen pizzas, biscuits, carrot sticks, jugs of squash/water.

If he wants a theme, then just ask kids to come dressed in that theme (optional, but we've had cowboy parties, superhero parties etc. No need to go overboard on decorations, some themed balloons, paper plates, supermarket cake will do.

Party bags don't need to be expensive - some stickers/bubbles/sweets and a slice of cake will be more than enough.

Skip the bouncy castle, and play some traditional party games - pass the parcel, musical statues etc. Sleeping lions can take ages! All very cheap to do.

I don't think I've ever catered for the parents, or taken my kids to a party where I was catered for, other than perhaps a sandwich or biscuit from the kids table leftovers, so I wouldn't worry about that.

At the end of the day, he's four. He'll have fun if he's just running around in circles with his friends - kicking a balloon about and playing some games. When he gets older, cut the guest list and take a dozen kids bowling or similar

Mine was at the school nursery so is still friends with pretty much all of them.

£10 per kid isn’t at all expensive for entertainment, food and a gift bag especially if you’re also doing refreshments for their accompanying grown ups. I don’t think you can make it much cheaper and with hall parties the big costs are the hire and bouncy castle so culling the guestlist isn’t necessarily much of a saver. Not to mention that parties at home are hard with winter babies when you can’t count on having the run of the garden. I think it’s just one of those things to suck up in the early years and then by the time they’re 8 they’ll want a sleepover and pizza with 3 friends which costs you next to nothing but have you up half the night and you’ll be missing the big parties that were all over and done in 2 hours!

I think that’s too much.
I hire a hall for around 100 quid for 3 hours.
bouncy castle 50 quid.
I usually do crafts, face painting, pin the tail on the donkey, pass the parcel etc. all very cheap to buy bits for. Food is usually butties, crisps, biscuits, fruit and juice.
party bags are next to nothing on temu.
and a cake for around 15 quid from supermarket.
I’d say just under 200 quid.