AIBU to cancel my son's party?

[samanthajonespr]

Son is 4 on Sunday. Booked local pub function room for 15 kids to have an animal handling party, food and music. If there's a parent per child that's 30 people plus my family, so looking at 40+ people there. I think we should err on the side of caution and cancel. I don't think we will be thanked for going ahead with it. There will be at least 3 babies under 1 there, ours included.

Got cake ordered and some animal masks etc so would do small family party instead at our house so he won't be missing out on having a special birthday.

I'm really conflicted and feel quite lost with it all. Husband is steadfastly refusing to budge and saying that we are going ahead with it.

Cancel.

Small children and even babies do not appear to suffer with this virus and I presume these children are mostly at school together all week. I would go ahead but might poll parents to make sure they still wish to come.

I would cancel, sorry

I wouldn’t cancel. Schools are open, playgroups, parks, shops: all open. Check enough guests will come and go ahead.

I also wouldn’t cancel at present. Like the poster above said, schools and nurseries are still open. Bring hand gel though!

Do parents need to stay? Do siblings need to be there?
If you can minimise numbers and maximise hand hygiene I’d go ahead.

I wouldn’t cancel. If it was a soft play party I would as those places are dirty at the best of times. But this sounds one that you could easily encourage kids to wash their hands before and after handling animals and then before food without looking like your paranoid. It’s also pretty late notice to cancel which would put me off personally.

I wouldn’t cancel

I wouldn’t cancel.

I'd cancel. It's not just children, it's adults and everyone in the room will probably know people who are in vulnerable groups.

In any case, I think by Sunday many people just won't turn up.

I wouldn’t cancel. Everyone’s still at school, work etc...this is no riskier than that.

I wouldn't cancel on coronavirus grounds, but I would on the basis of the animal handling. This will cause a lot of stress to the animals involved, and should be banned IMO.

Don't cancel, they're still in school and nursery so what's the difference?

Agree with that MrsJoshNavidi...I wouldn't attend one of those parties anyway! Poor animals 😢

The government of the UK has decided to throw us in at the deep end because it knows something that the WHO and other countries don't apparently. So what's the point of cancelling...

I'd think it was odd that you cancelled. We're attending a party on Sunday, the kids are together at school anyway and parents socialise at the school gates.

Cancel.

Nope don’t cancel

I wouldn’t cancel, they are all in school together. Just maybe cancel any grandparents etc.

Cancel.

Given the setting I would not cancel but I would check people are still happy to attend and suggest siblings to not come along unless unavoidable.

Ask around first. If people still want to come, I'd go ahead.

Animal handling? 15 children? Poor animals.

My DD has her 4th party on Sunday too.
I have not cancelled and no parents have messaged me to say they are not coming.
I am providing hand washing facilities there.
All the kids are together at nursery anyway.

The advice currently is to avoid crowds of over 500 people and to self isolate if you have symptoms.

Unless we are told different advice before Sunday the party will still go ahead.

Schools are still open so you cancelling will make no difference. They are already mixing at school. I would have the party. If they close the schools before then I would cancel.