Has anyone noticed this about Childrens birthday parties?

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More and more people are going 'extra'

So many people who a few years back now do.

Examples are...

Balloon arches
Donut walls
Flower background drops for pictures
Cakes that are personalised and 2/3 tiers
Themed characters coming to the party
Everything co-ordinating and matching

I have no issue if people want to do fancy parties but what really annoys me are the pics on social media of a massive pile of presents, it's just showing off and unnecessary. We do well for money but DS gets one main present and a few smaller meaningful ones. What are people buying to have piles and piles of presents!

Anyone have a picture of these massive cakes we’re talking about here?

It's either because the "cake" is made from polystyrene and then decorated to look real. The stunt sponge is sold as part of the birthday package and then returned to the baker to be scraped off and reused.😁

Or because it's being used in the family celebration where the birthday childs family will cut it and distribute it.

This sort of thing - I’ve cut the child’s name off

This was my experience at my kids primary school five years ago but it's a different economic landscape now. People are scaling down on unnecessary spends and lavish birthday parties are one of them. I took my dc and three of their friends to the local waffle place for their birthdays.

I actually make those kinds of cakes myself. I am honest about it with people like though. They aren’t dear if you make them yourself, we have three kids so I never afford a professional cake maker and my cakes pass ok. It only gets eaten after all.

But cakes have surely always been a thing. I’ve been to loads of parties this year from the extravagant to the quite home ones and all have had a fancy cake. I don’t think that’s anything new and I’d you’re feeding lots of people you need a big cake.

I don’t think they are even massively special cakes really, I’ve seen much larger ones - the number ones that have macarons and geometric heart white chocolates or cake pop lolly pops all in pastel with flowers and even the gel food colouring used for the Swiss meringue butter cream is about £12 for a tiny bottle.

The two posted above are kind of standard where we live.

Example of over kill attached (but stunning also!)

Those just look like regular cakes to me and are not even particularly fancy. What’s the big deal about getting your kid a cake like that?

@SisterAgatha JINX! Yeah those other cakes looked totally standard to me. The one you posted looks beautiful and that would be nice for a birthday.

@JingsMahBucket its so gorgeous, isn’t it! This lady does delivery boxes of biscuits too. And now classes!

I wanted one like this for my 40th and asked for a quote from a local lady who is amazing, for similar. So much money though, more than my most expensive present - I couldn’t justify it, so I did the best I could and bought some dried flowers from our local florist (we are in London so a lot of choice) and muddled through. I was happy with it, everyone liked it. I would just have felt like my guests were eating all my money otherwise! Haha!

Ive made my own balloon arch for about £3 as well, as it was reusable, we used to just change over the colours. Although we don’t do it anymore because of the environment.

Ive made my own balloon arch for about £3 as well, as it was reusable, we used to just change over the colours. Although we don’t do it anymore because of the environment.

That is reassuring that they can be reused. I worry about the environmental impact of a lot of this.

Well invitations to anything involving food items hanging on a wall like coats in a school cloakroom certainly aren't coming my way! And for that, I am thankful.

Those just look like regular cakes to me and are not even particularly fancy. What’s the big deal about getting your kid a cake like that?

£80 cake for a party of 10 5 year olds - chopped up and put in party bags.

Rhe fact you see this as average and normal is a worry for future ‘big’ parties.

Doughnuts hanging on a wall are only "fun" if you really don't get out much 😂

Cakes here will always be basic homemade sponge cake with butter icing. DD knows that and I've explained why – they are much nicer to eat than a cake that tastes of margarine and thick fondant icing and I can eat them (I have tons of allergies which mean I can't eat bought cake on the whole).

The only concession I've made to the whole party cake thing is that I am practising piping icing so that it looks ever so slightly more fancy than my usual cakes. I then write the age in some sort of decoration or another (last year was fresh strawberries, this year freeze dried raspberries). This for me is very fancy baking and as good as it's going to get. Choices of shape are round or square!

I hate the balloon arches because they just make me cringe for the environment but I know that'd be considered being uptight so I'd never say anything, just not do it for DD's parties.

Home Bargains were selling balloon arch kits for £6 recently, including the balloons. I may have bought several.

Combined reasons.
Social media posts.
Due to covid some children have missed 2 birthday celebrations thus parents are pushing the boat out .
Desire to keep up with the Jones.

We had a colour there for one party. The local club was starting tennis parties (which we got quite cheap as we were the first one 😃) and I got green and purple plates, serviettes and food bags 😂

A what?

My sons quite fussy and won't eat cake or anything with buttercream and has had a donut cake for the past three years....sainsburys do a pack of 12 for £3 I just bung them all ontop of each other in a ring and stick a number candle on top- no cutting and easier to give out. I do feel a little embarrassed if he gets an invite to one of these fancy parties though - everyone here has them along with candy floss machines or candy carts!

Upscaling of events is not just confined to children's birthday parties.

My eldest is 16 and hes always had a large special made cake. Themed, sometimes 2 tier. And has done wvery year so have the younger dcs.

Ive always color co ordinated or themed decor but not ott. And he never had a class party.
Middle dc did, the whole lockdown scenario blah blah but we hired a venue that did it all, entertainment , food etc. 30 kids £315 we had to turn up. Supply the cake and that was it.

My friend i think is going ott. Has invited 80 kids to a party for her dd who will be 4, and has had to hire the venue for 5 hours to do 2 seperate parties with and hr clean and re set in between.
Entertainer to attend both parties, caterers for both, bouncy castle and face painting.
Shes braver than me!

@StuckInTheMiddleOfNowhere that sounds extremely stressful for your friend.

I remember big birthday cakes in the 80s (mym mum made me a train cake - it was astonishing). Now I make cakes for the dc to their theme. It is provably a bit extravagant, but I think a birthday with a very ordinary looking cake would be a let down.