Drop off party - Reception age

[Treezan82]

I'm having a 5th birthday party for dd in 3 weeks in the garden. She wants to invite 10 friends. I would rather parents drop them off at 1pm and pick them up at 3pm so that I don't have an extra 10+ people in the garden to sort out.

Would you drop off and leave a Reception age child at a party like this or would you want to stay with them?

I was thinking of putting both options on the invitation but hope most would opt not to stay.

There will be 2 adults to 12 kids (including our 2) and I am a teacher FWIW.

Thanks!

Hell yes I loved it!!!

I would want to stay at that age OP

Put both, some kids will be happy to stay others not. Some parents will be delighted to leave them and pick them up if needed. 10 strange kids to 2 adults isn’t very many if someone needs a wee and one of you is inside and the doorbell goes or someone has an accident. I’d hope at least one more adult hangs around.

How well do you know the parents? Some will definitely want to stay.

I've recently been to a reception party, 7 kids invited, and all the parents stayed. Both party parents are teachers too, albeit secondary.

I know the mum so wasn't too bothered about leaving DS but if it had been a mum I didn't know I'd have been a lot less comfortable.

Also to add, 6 of the parents have met me: 4 have not...

All parents tended to stay for all of reception here. But it’s near the end of reception so some may drop off.

Totally depends on the child and if they would be ok and how well I knew the parent.

DC1 -no way would have been ok to be left with someone he didn’t know until about 7/8
DC2 - could have dropped them off at age 2 and they would have had a great time

Could you say ‘please drop off at 1pm
and collect at 3pm’ and if it is an issue for any particular child perhaps they will ask is it ok if i stay

I think it would depend on how DD felt about the idea. A house she’d been to before for a play date and/or a mum she knew pretty well = fine. She probably wouldn’t be fine otherwise

I did a similar party last week for DS5 and gave parents the option - 2 out of 7 stayed, though I think it was mainly because they didn't have anything better to do and they probably would have been happy to drop and run if I'd asked. I didn't mind either way but would have preferred not to have ended up with all parents staying.

@Treezan82

Also to add, 6 of the parents have met me: 4 have not...

I wouldn't leave, unless I knew you well. If I hadn't even met you... No.

No parents have ever stayed at either of my DDs parties with the exception of the pool party where some brought younger siblings (as was normal as the pool was exclusive higher and no limit on numbers... parents expected to stay with non swimmers).

It was a bit of a surprise when we moved back to the UK and I was expected to stay at a 7yos party...

was a bit of a surprise when we moved back to the UK and I was expected to stay at a 7yos party...

This isn’t standard in the uk!

It's a Reception aged child's party, not a 7 year old's.

Thanks so much everyone, sounds like we will likely get a mix. Which is fine and I wouldn't want anyone not to come because they felt they couldn't stay, so I'll put both options on the invitation. I'll prepare to have 10 adults too in case they all want to stay!

To be fair 3 of the parents know me well and 3 know me enough for a chat on the way home so it'll probably be about a 50/50 split.

Everyone leapt at the chance to drop and run by the end of reception year when my daughter had her birthday 2 years ago. This year though everyone stayed for my son’s party. I think with the lack of playdates etc it feels a bit different. Next year will be strictly kids only again. I hate hosting all the parents too!

If I didn’t know you well I’d stay. My daughter is in Reception and hasn’t turned 5 yet.

My son is in reception and he's going to a 5th birthday party tomorrow (bouncy castle in the garden). I don't know the parents and he's young for the year (he's not 5 until the last week of August) so I've opted to stay. The mum organising it said most are dropping and running but I don't think my son or I would be comfortable with that. He doesn't remember going to any other birthday parties so this is, for all intents and purposes, his first one.

He's never had a play date either. He was 3.5 years old when we went into lockdown and visits indoors have not been allowed in Wales since then. I think if things were different then I'd feel more confident about leaving him but not the way things are now.

In a normal year when we’d had loads of parties and got to know the parents, I’d definitely drop and run (i have a Year R and a Year 4 child), but I’ve hardly spoken to another parent this year and know very few of them. Most of what I know about the parents is how they engage with the class fb messenger group and it’s not all a favourable impression (“banter” my arse).

As others say it depends on whether I know you. DS2 is invited to a drop off party but I know the DM well and she has looked after ds2 before so I don't mind. There are other parents I simply don't know well enough so of he was invited to their parties and it was drop off only I would decline.

It's my son's birthday party tomorrow, he's turning 4. One of his friend's mums assumed it was a drop off party and I wasn't sure how to tell her it wasn't.

I said she'd be welcome to stay, there is enough space for one parent each, but I guess if she chooses to drop and go then hopefully her pre schooler is OK?! I've only ever said hello once or twice at nursery drop off so I was pretty surprised tbh

Quid quo pro. It's a drop off. Host a party for 30 kids and get 30 party invitations in return! Just shove three caterpillar cakes into one revolting human centipede cake and hide a pound in there. Let them get their grubby crawly fingers in it.

Definitely drop off.