Is this too late for a kid’s party?

[April01]

Having an entertainer to my son’s birthday party but the hall / entertainer can only do 4-6pm. Is on a Saturday. Would this put you off going?

Kids will be between 1-5 years old.

I think it's fine. We went to a party from 6:15-8pm just before my DS turned 4. He was tired afterwards but had a great time. It's a one-off so I don't see a problem with it.

Why? Who are you to judge? Noone cares.

Recently attended a pre school party 4 to 6 which was a school weekday and it was totally fine, all the kids got fed and went straight to bed. I was first sceptical of the time when we first received the invitation but it all worked fine. As yours will be on a Saturday and no school the day after, this is ideal.

I think it's late. I have a 3 year old at the stages where they're not falling asleep in the car so much but at 6 pm if it's more than about ten minutes in the car and dark there's a good chance they'll fall asleep after the party which doesn't help for bedtime.

If it's really close and we can walk there or the in the summer that could help but I think you'd be better off doing something else or picking a different date.

Id expect that to be even more problematic for a 1-2 year old.

Exactly what I was thinking! It would have been fine for my 2 as long as they were fed

People are very odd, it’s fine. Go for it - lots of children don’t get home from school or nursery until 6 pm (but, maybe they get judged?!)

I'd think it was fine presuming three conditions though:

• Food needs to be their tea - so filling food. Doesn't have to be super healthy, pizza & chips or cold buffet is fine, but I'd be annoyed if it were just bits and pieces like crisps and cucumber sticks, because we'll get in, they'll be sweaty/filthy so it will be a bath night, it will be late to feed them again!
• Not too much sugar, especially not in the last hour, as bedtime is approaching. A small ice-cream or small slice of cake for pudding is fine, like they might have at the end of home tea, but not a mountain of choice of sweets/ice-cream/cake biscuits for them to chose like one of each.
• Party bags are exciting so the kids want to get them out in the car! They will inevitably want to try everything - so no more sweets, especially if they have had sweet pudding!

We declined one at this time recently as our kids are asleep by 6:30pm... however we were the only ones who declined. Everyone else went and seemed to have a fab time!

Really? For a one off occasion?

How do you deal with situations when you have no choice but to deviate from the routine?

And OP I had similar, my DD had a 'late' party. Everyone who was invited came apart from 2 siblings who allegedly go to bed at 5.30PM.

I provided Pizza Hut cheese and tomato pizza for everyone, parents included. It was such a good party! The parents were actually quite grateful as it tired their LOs before bed.

Just make sure you cater for children and adults re food.

We found the opposite. Children get excited at parties, for us anyway. No child was cranky at being at a huge soft play / gymnastics hall. We had the place to ourselves it was fab.

Sounds fine to me.

You're never going to be able to please everyone though, as this thread proves.

Mine is the same. If we have no choice, we obviously deal with it but if we do have a choice, we are absolutely not doing it.

Good point that you will never please everyone. I found Saturday morning parties tricky as lots of kids seem to have regular activities like football/gymnastics at that time so it means missing it for the party.
For me the ones after school are tricky purely because I work full time so it's hard to do school pick up and take them to a party but I know others who find it great to have something to do straight from school.

Reading this thread, Christmas must have been really boring in a lot of homes.
All over for the kids by 5pm.

I know! Most of these posters probably work. If they do a 9-5 where is the time with the kids? Seems a bit sad really. I love my evenings with DD.

If DS isn't in bed at 7 he turns into an overtired, screaming monster who is also an overtired, screaming monster the next day. What would be to love about that?

I'm also not sure how Christmas was boring just because he went to bed at 7. Odd.

Personally it would be too late for us as a family as DS (3 yo) is up getting ready for bed by 7 plus I just know my son wouldn’t eat enough tea meaning we’d have a shit nights sleep to top it all off 🤣

It would be fine for my kids. If we're worried about bedtime etc we bring pjs with us places and snacks, get them dressed and fed before setting off then shove them into bed when we get home. Mine are all early risers too but i'd rather they had a good time at a friend's party once in a while and deal with the fallout of a out of sorts routine then miss out.

Absolutely bonkers this thread...how can 4-6pm be too late. It's literally just tea time.
As another poster said what happens for celebrations, holidays, hobbies, special occasions, just random exciting adventures?!
Mine are 3 and 6 and even just thinking about the last month did evening cinema trips, New Years Eve lights show and huge lit up Elf village and play structure until 9pm, theatre trips, Disney on Ice, they've been going to Disneyland Paris since 1yrs old and stayed up for fireworks. In term time/school night go back to perfectly structured routines but they would have missed out on the most amazing experiences if not allowed out past mid afternoon.

You said it yourself, they go perfectly back to their routines. Mine doesn't.

It might change as he gets older but a kids party wouldn't be enough for me to have an exhausted, screaming child who would also be exhausted and screamy the next day too.

The majority of your examples can either happen during the day or would enjoy it more when older anyway.

Perfect timing, if some sort of dinner is included
Only routine freaks would consider it too late.

Weirdo.

We had a party at the same time 4-6 for our DD when she turned 5 (also took baby sis DD along) it was a Sunday too so a school night.....many people came and it wasn't even that local.No issues.Was beginning of April though so lighter evenings? Doing it this time of year might make a difference but still doable I'd say.