Kids being left alone at parties? What age?

[Kage30]

I know it depends on individual child. But what age would you leave a child ag a party these days?

As a kid I can never remember my mother staying at parties - my mum was an over anxious parent too or any of my friends parents. Seemed to be drop and go 😅

Dd is 6 and year 2 so 7 soon. She has a few parties coming up and I intend to stay with her. She has some degree of sen too so need to stay. But what's the norm? Do the hosts want parents to stay?

Looking to host a party for Dd soon too. So want to know the Norm!

My main concern would be kids exiting through the main door. So feel like someone should be sat by the door the whole time!

Covid has meant we've not been to many parties and never held one ourselves!

My DD is 7.5 and I still stay. Not many parents do, so I like to stick around as another adult on hand.
There’s also one place where the access/ security makes me nervous (no locked gate like most play centres) so I stay for that reason too.
Do whatever works for you, for your own reasons.

DS2 is in Y1 and it’s about 50:50. We’re hosting about 30 5-6 year olds in a few weeks’ time and I’d expect about 15 adults…maybe a few fewer as we’re further into the year now. Next year I’d be expecting us to be down to the last few…and that’ll be fine too.

Most parents leave for age 7 parties, but never any problem if parents want to stay.

DD is in year 2 so they’re all turning 7 this year…. it seems to be 50/50 here whether parents stay.

I'd say 50/50 in Reception; virtually no one staying in Year 1.
At 7, I'd say it was unusual to stay, but understand why you might want to if your DD has SEN. As a host I would accommodate whatever parents wanted, but woudln't really want them staying for a home party (space as much as anything) but would care less for a "venue" party e.g. soft play.

I would say it's drop and go from school age, unless specifically asked to stay. Certainly that's the norm around here.

Year 2? Drop and run!
I would have assumed drop off once theybgo to school

Here it's usual to stay
Although some do leave and that's fine as well
But the majority stay

It depends how well everyone knows each other surely? I wouldn't leave my 7 year old with someone I didn't know at all. I know from experience some people do though!

Once the start school, so 4, or the year they turn 5

Once they started yr 1, with us. Looks like it varies by age though.

OP I'm in a similar position and want to ask another question I've been wondering tonight, if the kids are 7 and drop and go, are guest parents expecting hosts to organise extra people to manage the group or would you be okay with 2 adults managing about 14 kids?

@Brakebackcyclebot I think they mean school year 2, as in 6-7 years old. Not 2 years old.

Around 7 or 8 parents stopped staying. Some stopped earlier especially those with younger children. There was never any judgement so do what suits you.

@BeatieBourke, yes I know. I was surprised that anyone would stay at a party with a 7 year old!

Round my way its drop and go from reception. So, 5.

As patently of a 6yr old only DS and after pandemic weirdness, I'd say stick about for a bit and see how the land lies. Message the mum and say "is it OK if I stick around, even if its just to settle them in? It's been a weird couple of years!". Then, if youre comfortable with the set up amd happy to leave them, you can go. And if you're not, you can stay. Or, failing anything else, take a flask of coffee, sit on a bench/in the car outside where you can see the door.

Shortly after lockdowns eased I took my kid to a party where I don't know the parents that well but know the parents of other kids attending. I wrote my mobile number on the back of DS's hand and sat in the car outside.

Reception no one leaves here. We are south London. Year 1 I had 1 parent leave only out of 30. Year 2 half stayed. Yr 3 we never had due to covid. Year 4 out of 30 kids 10 parents stayed in hall, house party the other day 15 kids 8 parents stayed. In fact when it was a party where the location didn't have a waiting space parent sent out message to explain first. Pretty normal here to hang around.

Yr 3 generally here.

I'd never leave DS year1, he's still incredibly clingy, I think it depends on the child though. I'd have thought not until year 3 minimum though.

Definitely by year 2. We had to stipulate no parents at one DS’s party as they were being too noisy.
Drop and go.

I stayed because my daughter is disabled and needed help. The parties I threw for my daughter at home, parents dropped and ran from primary school age (5 yo in Scotland)

I'd heard rumours that parents stopped staying in Year 2 so I made sure I had wine and offered parents a glass once they'd checked their child was settled. Pretty much everyone stayed!
Otherwise, factors for me mainly included the venue and the number of adults who were part of the party. A party at the local farm where kids were free to roam around - I stayed. A party at the local soft play which was also open to the public - I stayed. A party at the village hall where DD had been to pre-school and which was really secure - I dropped & ran.
Presumably your DC has been to fewer parties than would have been typical pre Covid so I'd expect to stay for a while longer yet

Ds1 had a soft play party aged 4 and only one parent stayed which surprised me as I didn’t know any of the kids or parents and they didn’t know me. Ds3 had 24 5/6 year olds for a soft play party. All parents dropped and ran. I only stayed at parties with ds2 (when I could get him to stay) as he would be left.

Mine was 6