4th birthday party?

[PeggyPoggle]

My little girl turns 4 in October and I'm wondering what to do for her birthday party.

We went to one recently at a village hall and it was very well done. Princess themed, a princess entertainer (who was fab), even the food was themed.

Problem is the parents looked frazzled. It looked like a lot of work and half the food didn't even get eaten. I'm already having nightmares about the setting up and cleaning up afterwards.

So I've pencilled in a local soft play centre...they provide the food, kids get to play, adults get to sit and drink coffee, brilliant.

But part of me feels guilty it's a bit lazy...my little girl will have a ball and will love playing with her friends, but there will be other kids about not part of the party and I'm just worried it won't feel like a proper party.

We will have a family party at home as well so all is not lost but do you think I should stick with the soft play or pull my finger out and DIY it in a local hall and do it 'properly'?

Thanks!

Having recently hosted a hall type party with 30 kids & parents for a 4th birthday, I say do the soft play with the organisation & food etc done for you! It was a lot of work & preparation.

I didn’t feel frazzled by the village hall type one but I would say that generally you don’t need that much food. Clearing up isn’t that bad either but some help from family makes it much quicker.

I've done both types when my DC were small. Both are fun, just go with whichever one you like! The soft play absolutely is a 'proper' party.

Thanks. My parents would probably help to be honest.

If you have the money, definitely go with the softplay option.

The kids LOVE it. As a parent I like these parties because they're a novelty for DD as I can't afford to take her to places like this very much.

DD and I both find the hired -in entertainer parties an assault on the senses. They're loud and flashy and when the kids were only 4/5 it gets a bit much and often there'll be tears by the end or afterwards.

Softplay party keeps the kids busy in a way that works for the vast majority of kids and for you, all the effort is contained to 2 hours and you're done.

Best parties for DD are either the ones at softplay/gymnastics/sports games in a field type or low key round at a friend's house with a handful of kids and some games/activities. Or we went to one village hall party which was art & craft and was lovely and serene!

@ThreadExterminator thank you for this.
To be honest the soft play is the cheapest option all things aside because the entertainer is about the same price on their own. Never mind buying all the food, hiring the venue.

Of course soft play parties are 'proper parties'. And there's only a few years when they're appropriate (ks1 really) so use them while you can.

I would agree that although soft play parties seem expensive once I’d bought everything for the village hall type party it ended up about the same cost and you don’t have to do all the prep which is a bonus