To think kids birthdays are so so stressful!

you anbu at all! My now grown children have birthdays 2 weeks apart and I still find them hard work. Tbf I make a fuss with banners and cakes etc but thankfully we can now have takeaways at home. Whoever has told you that you just need to be more organised are talking out of their arse! Birthdays are like Christmas - it’s exhausting making the magic. As for catering for family members -
nope they can have a piece of birthday cake and be happy!!

Yep they are insanely stressful
Yes I've done the every year since he was 3
Yes I ask myself why ever year
Yes the kids have fun and that what makes it worth it,
He'll be 13 soon...

Hi OP,
it’s also my DDs birthday tomorrow!

so I am right there with you and yes I find them stressful.

we had family round on Saturday. Now I’m hitting peri, but I got so stressed sorting out the house, the food, decorations blah blah I started an argument with DH and then cried 🫣 Not my finest moment.
But I am coming to realisation that I just don’t like to host so many people all at once …. In no other situation would I do it to myself.
This coming Saturday she has her party with her school friends but that I contract out and only ever hire a venue that does it all! But my god the social awkwardness of kids and dealing with parents. I bloody hate it but DD loves it and is so social so I just have to suck it up!

oh I also think the fact her birthday comes right on top of Christmas adds an extra bit of spice to things.

Tell the vegans/gluten free people they will have to self cater

its a friggin party not a catering service

not to mention their hanger on parents who won't leave

and they aren't always cheaper!

It’s only stressful if you make it stressful. Same as Christmas and any other occasion. Your home made cake sounds great. I think too many people go OTT nowadays anyway and if I see another balloon arch I might scream.

I know, I always wonder who these people are having 8 feral 5 year olds in their home😂

Yes it does always surprise me how much parties at home are pushed on here; they might be cheaper but no I don’t want my house trashed thanks!

It's stressful because you are trying to hold things in your head, write it down and just work through it, the party isn't until Sunday.

Decorating the cake yourself is fine, stop with the criticism, it'll take you half an hour or so. Buy an adapter on Amazon and in 35 minutes half your list is done. If the cake is hard to do, add some toppers tomyour Amazon order. Get rid of any ideas of how it "should" be, your DS will remember the fun, happy atmosphere more than the icing on the cake.

You'll cater for the party nearer the time, so will have plenty of time to grab a gluten free pizza.

I agree that they are stressful. There's a lot of pressure I think to make things magical for DC!

I would say they are probably less stressful if you have money to throw at it. I think people whose kids were little a while ago and out of that phase of big parties might not realise the current cost of a kids party in soft play etc.

We were looking at £500+ for non exclusive use of a soft play, for the class, with cold food and no cake or balloons.

A village hall is £100+ but then most won't let you have a bouncy castle and then you've got to cater - the catering is definitely a large part of the stress!

We tend to have a big day out instead as it's cheaper for me to pay for them to go to zoo and hold a lemur followed by going to a dessert place than it is for 2 hours in a run down soft play warehouse 🤷‍♀️

Don’t promise a character cake, that’s asking for trouble. Get a generic one from supermarket and stick the plastic character on top (amazon) ir just stick a 7 candle on top

only invite a few kids. You don’t need the whole class when they’re in year 2

I refuse to host parties at home and will be sticking to that until DC are teenagers and can sort themselves out.
No way do I want hoards of children and their hanger on parents using my loo, trashing my possessions, terrorising my pets and causing me more stress than a whole week of work.

Youngest kid is having a sports party at the tennis club and his sister did laser quest.

Why are you doing everything? Even if your DH can’t make the party he can do other stuff. The adaptor for a start. Do the shopping etc.

Birthdays are a doddle in comparison to Christmas so I don’t find them too bad. I order the cake from a lady that has a small business nearby. Parties are always organised at a venue that has a planner that does everything. Almost easy in comparison lol. I am stressed out my nut at Christmas time though, was actually glad when it was over this year and I used to love Christmas.

YANBU. But I have then never hosted a family gathering. If the birthday is on a school day then the birthday person chooses what we have for tea and we just get a normal chocolate cake or something, we don't have any one over. In laws don't live locally but we will see my parents on the weekend either before or after where we just have a cup of tea and they see the birthday child open their present.

Regarding a party, that's when we get the themed cake from the supermarket. Luckily we only had someone come with different dietary requirements once and they said they would bring their own food so that was a win!
Although it might also seem expensive I usually have done activities where someone else hosts, trampoline party, bowling party etc and food is provided and you tell them of any needs.

I would cut back on the parties (family either just pop in to open presents or go to a proper party to help).

I bet the cake looks fab ! The only cakes my son remembers are the ones I decorated myself , one year he was into Minecraft and my daughter and I made figures out of marzipan and another year was ghostbusters plastic figures stuck on a cake ( both supermarket sponge cakes nothing special ) Just go with the flow 7 year olds are easy to entertain . Have you got games planned ?

I find them a LOT of work - there are a lot of moving parts! And I think having one so soon after Christmas would be a nightmare.

If I were you, in future years I’d ditch the idea of a separate family do. Invite family to the kids’ party and then they can help!

Kids parties where the sodding parents don't RSVP. I hate school mums :)

I find them stressful - solidarity!

Schedule in some recovery time afterwards, you will deserve it

I had my 4 year olds party with a load of nursery friends at our house before Christmas. Spent a week worrying about it and kind of dreading it. When the time came it went really well and it was all rather fun and cute. Don’t stress!

I have 2 children this month before payday (and they are not twins!!)

The hardest part for me is finding gifts (and money and enthusiasm😂) so close to Christmas.

I've never done a party as we have never been able to afford it [in our case we'd have to do two as the kids are different ages so a joint party for friends wouldn't work! We couldn't give one a proper party and not the other]

Depending on the days they fall on they are only a few days apart we tend to do a family gathering / party for the younger one (but also do a cake for the older one) and the older one chooses an activity and we ask a few friends. Younger one tags along to hang out with me!