To do a child’s 5th birthday party from 4pm to 6pm on a Sunday?

[Definitelynotagladiator]

Hi, really struggling to find a venue to host in Winter. And have been offered 4pm to 6pm on a Sunday - is this too late?
My gut is saying it is but I’m running out of options.

Imagine taking a 5 year old full of sugar home and then then trying to get them to go to bed ready for school the next day

its too late

Absolutely fine, just make sure you feed them. Great actually as it would fit round other plans.

No point doing a poll if you don't have other options.

I wasn't sure which way to vote from your OP - wasn't sure if YABU meant unreasonable to host a party then or unreasonable to think it's too late. So I'm not sure I'd read much into the results.

Ive reluctantly accepted similar invitations in the past and it’s been fine

It's quite possible to have a party and not give the children loads of sugar.

Plenty of people on here moan about 9am parties. You can't please everyone just go with what work for you OP.

It's fine, they're school age not toddlers

Sounds perfect. Saves the parents doing dinner and they can do something in the morning if they want.

I can’t understand how a 6pm finish is too late for a 5yr old? Unless the party is a 2hr drive away?!

Fine with me. I'm surprised some people are so into their home routine that they would decline! Surely at 5 a child can cope with an occasional change. How do they manage holidays or family events. Life doesn't always revolve around their routine.

Agreed! Just stick some kids music on the car stereo and sing them home. They'll sleep well!

Wont lie. Id find as many ways as possible to get out of this, pray i got norovirus or slightly undercook my tea the night before/get DP to stand on my foot in his workboots/consider slashing the car tyre etc 🤣

Parties that late on are a day ruiner IMO. In all my DC party years there has only been 1 at that time on a Sunday and you could tell most of the other parents there were silently fuming.

Kids had a great time though, but it was a bit awkward when about 20 mins towards the finish time when the cake was leisurely getting sorted we were all there with their coats literally ready to speed out the door instead of the usual casual slow bye's to everyone. We didnt even speak to each other just quickly thanked mum and all ran out at bang on 5.59 pm 😂

For most 5 year olds that's fine, back home by 6.30 and bath, story and bed by 7.30/ 8pm really easily. You might get the odd parent that declines (due to it been too late or overstimulating) but the majority will be fine. It is also a great filler of that 4pm - 7pm dead space where most DC are watching TV or screens because I am getting tea on/ ready for the week ahead.

Are you planning on having any toddlers, IME it would be the toddlers that struggle with that as they are the ones who have the danger naps not the 4 and 5 year olds.

I only know of 1 person who insists on their 7 and 5 year olds go to bed at 6pm (so she can have an evening) and complains relentlessly that they get up at 3.30am and 4am. Everyone else's 5 year olds I know have 7.30- 8.30 bedtimes during term time. As a one off people won't worry too much.

Why though?

I'd probably grumble to DH about it a bit as DD would spend the whole day asking if it was time to go... but would accept the invite.

What kind of shit no fun kind of party is that? 🤣

I work FT and was a carer for a relative all week after work, so weekends were much looked forward to if not busy already with stuff going on.

I never minded AM parties because they'd be out the way then everyone cracks on with their day and by Sat/Sun PM id shut the front door for the last time that day, enjoy cooking, get comfy and finally relax a bit.

A Sunday party at 4pm would really ruin my day tbh 😂 but id very grudgingly take DC (if I wasn't lucky enough to be ill).

I do think its telling that in all their combined years and many parties, there was only the 1 at that time 😬 (or even later PM, latest one from memory started at 2pm)

Fair enough. I always found weekends quite claustrophobic with young children and would be happy to have plans to keep them away from watching TV. My children have never been good at entertaining themselves though so it's staying home was never relaxing

DD is an only, and having a party to go to on a weekend was something to look forward to.

She was also the kind of child where we didn't need to stick to a strict routine when it came to bedtime.

Of course it's ok. Sone of these answers are absolutely bonkers, school age children who can't be out the house after 6pm??
Our youngest is 4yrs old and has hobbies that don't even start until 6pm twice a week.
What do people do on holidays, special occasions, days out etc
Ours would have missed so many wonderful things - fireworks at Disney, sunsets on the beach, special meals out, most of their hobbies, parties, seeing family.

I like that slot for parties, especially in winter, as long as they get a substantial party tea (not just a jam sandwich and a few party rings). Saves me having to do dinner, doesn’t take over the whole day, means they’re tired out before bed because they haven’t just been watching the TV.

i wouldn’t. Dd12 went to a birthday party 5-7 last Sunday and I can tell you it was no fun taking her there or back, and messed up our Sunday evening routine. She wasn’t thrilled either though because of course she enjoyed it.

that sounds v petty written down but my dd are 12 and 14, been to dozens of parties and that’s the only Sunday evening routine one I’ve encountered.

Completely agree with this. Accept or decline the invitation - if you’re worried it won’t work for your kid, then decline - it isn’t a summons. But don’t accept invitations to expensive parties then lie to get out of it on the day, after the parents have already paid and made up a party bag for your child.

Great idea. In Italy all parties are thinking time.

I quite like late parties because it doesn’t ruin my day and they are fed their tea rather than food at a daft time🤷‍♀️

Wow that's a lot of thinking. The only party we went to that I remember parents loudly moaning about was 9.30 on a Sunday morning.

Nurseries and after school clubs run to 6pm here. Rainbows, beavers, drama 7pm. A 6pm finish, with tea already out of the way, is hardly the middle of the night.

We would have been fine with it, but our kids were fairly flexible about things like bedtime and meals…they had to be, as DH and I have never really gone in for rigidity or cast-iron timings. Bedtime at 5yo was between 7 and 8ish depending on how tired and insufferable they were. Dinner generally between 5.30 and 7ish depending on what we were doing, whether it was just us or others eating with us. No hard and fast rules about what constitutes a proper dinner either, so if they were at a party over dinner time we wouldn’t have cared whether it was sandwiches/crisps/party rings or a hot meal. I think it must be a fairly small minority of parents who would struggle with this.