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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who has a kids party at 10:30 in the morning?

208 replies

notanotherschoolrun · 05/12/2021 09:39

Off to DD & DS friends party this morning on my only day of rest 😩 and it just made me think who in their right mind has a kids party at this time?

Their having chips & nuggets and pizza at 11:30!!

Is this the norm or am I just not a morning person?

OP posts:
FreakinFrankNFurter · 05/12/2021 10:45

I prefer a morning party as it leaves the rest of the day free to do something else without clock watching.

Silversun83 · 05/12/2021 10:45

Very normal. Most parties DD has been to have been 10/11 to 12/1 with lunch near the end. 🤷‍♀️

Also not sure how much rest you get with children anyway 😂

grapewine · 05/12/2021 10:45

@DreamerSeven

I love early parties as it frees up the rest of the day for family activities.
This would be my thought as well. They want the afternoon free to do other things.
Roselilly36 · 05/12/2021 10:45

We used to book parties are this time, as we could have exclusive use of the play area. Parents liked that time as they had the rest of the day to do something else.

notacooldad · 05/12/2021 10:46

Used to be a normal time when my kids were young.
Didn't think it was unusual.
Clearly you can't keep everyone happy.

Cherrytart23 · 05/12/2021 10:46

I went to 1 at 10am couple of weeks ago and thought the same thing altho once in the play centre I changed my mind because it was so early the play centre was empty an the 12 kids that went the party had the run off the place.

stingofthebutterfly · 05/12/2021 10:47

Normal. You'd be hard pushed to book a birthday party venue where the kids eat bang on lunch or tea time.

80sMum · 05/12/2021 10:49

Children's parties have changed massively in my lifetime!

In my own childhood (1960s) and my children's childhoods (1980s) parties were:

  1. always in the afternoon and
  2. the children were given tea (sandwiches, sausage rolls, cake, jelly etc) at the end.
  3. They were typically from about 3.30pm till about 5.30pm.
  4. They usually took place in the home of the birthday girl or boy and were run buy her/his parents, with perhaps a couple of friends helping.
  5. The children were dropped off at the venue and their parents went home until returning to pick up. Parents never stayed at the party.
  6. Parties were low key events involving traditional party games.
  7. At most parties, all that children took home was a slice of birthday cake.
  8. Nobody invited their entire class. It was just friends that were invited. So most children went to about 4 or 5 parties a year.

When did it all get so silly and competitive and complicated and expensive? I'm very glad that my children are adults and I'm not trapped in the endless party loop that so many parents seem to be in these days!

happytoday73 · 05/12/2021 10:52

Loads of people.. Really not an unusual time... Many young families gave been up for hours by then... We would probably go to the park for an hour beforehand

Skysblue · 05/12/2021 10:54

We’ve been to a few at that time. The venues usually fry to fit in two parties so someone is 10.30-13.30 and someone else will be 14.00-1700.

Don’t like it? Don’t accept the invite.

liveforsummer · 05/12/2021 10:54

Brownies and guides had a cinema trip at 9am yesterday. At least it got me out of bed and I ended up with a much more productive day than normal. School lunch times start from 11.30 so nighters and chips at that too me won't be unusual for the dc

10yearwarranty · 05/12/2021 10:57

"Just nap when you get home"
WTAF? It's 10.30 am, not 6.30!

liveforsummer · 05/12/2021 10:58

To people who aren't morning people, 10.30 is still really waking up time.

Not when you're a parent of young kids (or have office hours job) it isn't

MrsLargeEmbodied · 05/12/2021 10:59

it is not ideal but it might be the only slot available.

notacooldad · 05/12/2021 11:01

it is not ideal but it might be the only slot available
Many of us think it is ideal!
I'm not a morning person but when I had two young children I'd have been up for a few hours by then.

GiltEdges · 05/12/2021 11:02

Seems fine to me. Is 10:30 considered early these days? The latest we tend to get up on a weekend since having DC is around 7, so perhaps my perspective is skewed by that. Although saying that, lunchtime at nursery is 11:30, so eating a meal at that time would also seem pretty normal to DS 🤷🏼‍♀️

CornedBeef451 · 05/12/2021 11:03

I had to go to one at 9.30am on a Sunday and stupidly had a once a year occasion hangover.

It was awful but it was because it was much cheaper at that time in the morning and they had sole use of the play area.

I ended up drinking excessive amounts of coffee with another hungover mum, easy enough to spot!

Hemingwayscats · 05/12/2021 11:04

Probably the only slot they could get with it being close to Christmas. I don’t mind parties provided they’re over the weekend, I can’t do weekday ones and it pisses me off when people do that. It’s rare but has happened and I had to decline even though it disappointed DC. One had one at 4pm on a school day, just weird.

GotToGoBye · 05/12/2021 11:04

Sounds fine to me!

Taswama · 05/12/2021 11:05

When my kids were that age my preference (as host) was 11-2. Play 11-12, food at 12, a bit more playing after food, then home. My pet hate was parties that were 2-4. DC had lunch at home, a 'birthday tea' at 2.30 or 3.30, then not hungry for their own tea at 5 or whenever.

Benjispruce5 · 05/12/2021 11:07

How old are they? Why do you have to stay at the party? My DC are grown now but from 5, parents just dropped off.

billy1966 · 05/12/2021 11:07

@rrhuth

I think it is a great time, they have the party and you still have the rest of the day to do family things.

The worst is a party at 3pm because you can't do anything much with the day and the kids are over-excited all morning!

Oh this, I always loved a morning party.

The children loved it too.

The very worst for me was 4 or 5 on a Sunday afternoon.

This used to make me want to stamp my feet!

Sunday afternoons are for family and as life became very busy with my children we would often blow off things on a sunday afternoon as they too want to chill out before we started into another busy week.

twilightermummy · 05/12/2021 11:11

I always book the earliest slot of around 10 to get it over with so that we can enjoy the rest of our day as a family!
Every single time, the children attending the party have been hungry by half 11.

Turquoisesol · 05/12/2021 11:13

Seems fine to me. I prefer them. Otherwise you are waiting until it’s time to go to the party. Kids sometimes excited and can’t wait. Just get party done and enjoy the rest of the day. I am utterly baffled that parents of young children think 10.30 is too early. We were always up at latest 7am

EatYourVegetables · 05/12/2021 11:13

My kids are up at 7 every day and the little one still naps in the afternoon every weekend. So morning party would be ideal for us.