Inviting friends over who have no children

[SharpBlueTiger]

I'm probably overthinking it but I have three kids under four (4,1,2months) and don't generally have guests over to our small flat
However, me and my girlfriends usually meet up for Christmas Eve Eve and this year I would quite like to invite them to my flat to have drinks cook, celebrate all together

None of my friends have kids and they're not particularly involved in my kids lives. I'm a bit worried about them judging all the chaos, what if the flat smells or they find a mouldy sandwich in the sofa and them being here around bedtime or late night wake ups that could always end in disaster

Should I just get over this and invite them around anyway (Risk them being uncomfortable amongst the toys and disorder) or should we go out/ to somebody else's house as usual

Do people normally wait until their kids are older before having people over for an evening?

People without children aren't aliens from another planet. If they're your friends, they're your friends.

I’d just say I’d love you all to come over for dinner and drinks! As you guys know, kids are messy, so I can’t promise that the house will be in immaculate condition. Let me know if you’re up for it.

id only imagine snobby people to say no. I couldn’t imagine saying no to this just because a friend had young children

Just invite them over. They can surely have a drink and a chat if you have to be with the children? They're your friends so they love you, it won't matter. Frankly if it does matter they aren't all that anyway.

I would not care about the mess in someone's home who had 3 kids
Would certainly prefer that the father looked after the kids for a few hours and we went out on our own however

Invite them over and don't worry. Tell them they are very welcome but they'll need to take things as they find them.

As another poster suggests you could leave dad to look after kids and go out but if that doesn't suit/ it's more affordable to stay in I can see why it makes sense to hang out at yours.

Get a sitter and go out.

Ummm I would invite them over but what I usually do is I make sure I have someone else that is an adult that is familiar with my kids to help out so that I can socialise and if for whatever reason the kids get stressed out or have a tantrum, then there is another adult looking after them, and it means I can still entertain the guests. This could be your partner/sibling etc.

I get why you are nervous. I spent my 20s as a mum, and none of my friends had kids. Had my second in my 30s where half of my friends have kids. Most are actually oblivious to socialising as a parent until they become one - because you don’t realise how much of a change it is. But my childfree friends have always been amazing with my kids. When we are hanging out they know that they will be spending half the time playing with or entertaining the children (if they want to). But then as other have said - that’s more about your friendship circle than anything else.

should we go out/ to somebody else's house as usual

Well which is 'usual'-going out or going to someone else's house?

Have they not been to your house before?