4 year old having friends round to play?!?!

[Tw1nkle]

Hi,
My DD (4.2) is at nursery, and most days she comes home saying that her friends want to come round and play (Most of them will still be 3).
I'd like to invite them round, but don't know the mums very well at all.
Is it a little young to be having playdates?
Do you think a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon would be ok? for about 5 or 6 girls?
I have no idea what they will do though!!!!
Any advice appreciated!

I would just have one child round with the mother/father staying. That is most normal at this age. Just contact the (normally) mother and invite her and her daughter round in the week, not usually weekend for us. You'll prob make a new friend too!

I would think that 5 is quite a handful to have all at once! Why not invite 2 parents and their DC for an afternoon coffee and cake. Kids can play and you can get to know the other parents.

I would do one friend at a time-ask the mother around for a cup of tea and a shortish time.

I'd ask one at the time. Ask the parent if the child would like to come round and extend the invite to them. Fwiw at my dd's nursery we just invited the child from age 4 onwards, unless the parent particularly wanted to come too.

hhhmmmm - all great advice - thank you!
I think I might invite just a couple, with mums, and maybe go somewhere - soft play?
Or do you think staying at home would be better?

When dcs were at nursery we started by inviting one child and their mum round for a play date, 1.5 hours max. After a while it was only the child.

My daughter was invited on a play date at the age of 4 and a half by a nursery parent to th3eirs, without us

We thought it was odd! However we knew of the parents and she reakly wanted to go, she went for two hours and loved it. We returned the favour, oncd they, are at school it appeare common place, we regularly have 4 year old school friends round, but one at a time,,

I'd say have them at your house. Easier, cheaper and you don't set any precedents for expensive activities. And aim for them to be coming unsupervised after the first visit or two. Then you can get on with things while your DD has fun with her friend and when it's the other parents' turn to host you get a couple of hours off!!
DD1 has been going alone on play dates from 3,5 (good friends from pre-school where we knew the parents) and we have even had younger siblings of DD1's friends without parents at under three. The DDs love having friends over ir going to friends' houses. It can go well or badly wrt sharing etc. but it is a great thing for them to do and v cheap entertainment. Depending on how many you have and how well you behave it may get a bit untidy, as in the beginning there tends to be this fascination in the small girls we know to look at every toy in the house. But that's easily tidied up, especially if you get them to help!