Is this a good alternative to a sleepover for my DD's 7th birthday?

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Posting here for traffic.

My daughters 7th birthday is coming up and she is desperate for a sleepover. I have my doubts as I think it's a bit young, she's in a new class at school so some children have never been to our house and may not feel comfortable.

I found a company that will come and set up mattresses and teepees as per the photograph. I've booked 9 for the lounge and a mix of space and mermaid theme. Told DD we can call it a 'slumber party' from 5pm to 9pm on a Saturday with movies, wii games, pizza and party games if they get bored at any point.

She is happy with this.

What would you think of this? I'm not sure as most of the parties DD has been invited to are softplay or bowling.

I've mentioned to a couple of the mums that I'll put on some nibbles and wine/soft drinks in the kitchen for the adults. They mentioned that they would also come in pjs which would be fun for us too .

Honest ideas? Is this another of my rubbish ideas? I do tend to get them .

We did similar when DD was about that age but with out the beds!
Everyone came in pjs, we did pizza, popcorn and films. They all loved it and I think 9pm was going home time too (god forbid in mumsnet that children stay up any later than 6pm ever not even for a special occasion!!!)
At that age ours and most of their friends were going on beavers camps and getting no sleep at all! A late night once in a while isn’t the end of the world even if they are a bit grumpy the next day (which is a Sunday so they can sleep in and have a chill day)

My dd is going to a 7th birthday sleepover and would be gutted to not be sleeping over especially if others were.

Could you tell them they can all stay butb it's fine if they don't want to.

The mattresses etc won't get used though? Seems like a bit of a waste of money?

I think that having a party where some dc are sleeping over and some aren't will be a pretty rubbish experience for those who aren't! I would definitely not do that.

I think your original idea is lovely, and that having a sleepover would probably be fine (some dc may choose to go home, but that is very different to not being invited).

Why are the other mums going to wear pyjamas? They're not staying for the party, are they?

Looks amazing and a great compromise - I bet you and a couple of the other mums drink a glass or 2 too much and end up sleeping in them with the remaining kids. :))

Nearly 7 year old here and she would love it. I wouldn't allow her to stay over at someone's house yet.
I'd be fine with a 9pm (or later) bedtime however many of the other mums are very funny about it. I might be easier to say till 8:30pm then those who want to get them off sharp can and others can hang around for a while.

Amazing!! My 7yo would love that. Before you go ahead just check with the other mums if they are happy to stay/collect their child at 9pm

I'd also not be keen for a real sleepover so this sounds like a fun compromise!

My dc would love this- I might nick your idea! My dc has been to sleepover parties for past two years (7 now) but not had them all to stay here yet due to always being on holiday on her birthday.
Go for it!

@Rachelover60 these mums are friends and we were going to enjoy each other's company while comfortable in our pjs while our kids have fun in the other room.

I'm new to the area and haven't made a lot of new friendships yet so I'm grateful for their enthusiasm .

Thanks for all your input everyone. I'm going to go ahead with the party. I will report back and let you know how it goes 🤞

@Mummyshark2018 it's actually worked out way cheaper than a normal party. I'm in South Wales but sure there are companies all over offering the same thing.

Looks like I'm going to have to get cracking with the housework 😩

Lovely idea! What a lovely Mam you are

@Theorangeorange what a lovely thing to say. Thank you

At this age DC’s friends started doing popcorn, pizza and pj parties which sound similar (though with blankets on the sofa rather than teepees). It meant that host parents got shot of them and didn’t have a houseful overnight, nervous children could still attend and everyone got some sleep!

Do your research on the company OP, there was s thread on here a while ago about a company doing this and it was a scam, they'd set up under various names in different areas and were taking money and not showing up, leaving a lot of broken hearted children.
Other than that good idea especially if the other mums are up for it, although I'm surprised that 7 is too young to sleep over when you know the parents etc.

@WhyBirdStop thanks for the heads up. I've paid a small deposit but didn't think of that. So will do a bit of digging. Thank you.

My daughter is fine with sleeping out. But some of the children aren't and some have never been to our house. It would break my heart to see any of them uncomfortable or upset so this is the plan this year. Maybe we will be ok for a full sleepover party next year x

You sound really lovely, so I'm sure even the shy ones will be eager to stay by next year, you'll end up with a house full! It's been a long time since I was 7 and DS is only a baby, so I'm really out of touch with these things.

Perfect. We did a pyjama party for a similar age b’day & did pillowcase decorating, a couple of games (including a pillow fight!) a movie & popcorn etc. Send them home by 9pm. Job done. Everyone really enjoyed it.

This sounds amazing

I did something similar for my DN. we called it a twilight party (before the film).

I bought nightdresses from Primark for the girls to wear (the ones that come in packs of 2) and they really enjoyed matching.

@EmpressJewel that's a great idea! Had t thought of that x

They are called sleep unders in our part of the USA, great idea.

They will love it! Great idea!

Sleep unders here too. The kids love them and as long as expectations are set before, there is just excitement and no sad faces when they go home. You could also suggest everyone brings a fuzzy friend (but not special lovies)