Why does no one RSVP?!

[SunflowerLyd]

My son is having a birthday party in just over 2 weeks. Invites were sent out ages ago and the RSVP deadline on the invites was Jan 1st. Out of the almost 30 children we invited, only half have responded to the invite. This is our first time hosting a birthday party (he'll be 4). For those of you who have done this before, am I correct in thinking the people who have not responded are simply not going? Or should I make sure there's extra food in case anyone just turns up?

Don't take it personally, most parents are busy and disorganised. Just send a polite reminder explaining that you are confirming numbers so if anyone hasn't RSVP'd yet and would like to come please let you know. Any remaining non-responders can be crossed off the list. BUT be sure to have a couple extra party bags available on the day for the (inevitable) unexpecteds.

It's not a great time of year. People are really busy.

Send out reminders and extend the deadline till next weekend.

A few of the mums get the nursery to post the invites on the nursery app and everyone responds on that.

If your LO is attending, could you ask them to do this?

Honestly that invite is long out of peoples heads. Christmas takes such head space. Have you phone numbers to send a quick reminder?

This.

I think that some people don't reply and see that as their No Thanks

Hang on in there!

I think sending invitations before Christmas means people forgot. Christmas is really busy. You've had half respond, that's actually very good! Most don't even get that. Given it's two weeks away, send a reminder today. Then don't chase again.

Sadly, many parents do not bother to RSVP. This is so rude and infuriates me because it firstly, is bloody rude but secondly, you need to know how many to cater for and party bags etc.

Some wait til the very last minute to see if a better offer comes along.

Have a little extra food and a couple of extra party bags. One or two might drop out on the day because of sickness etc.

Its so much bother really isn't it but we do it for our kids! Have fun!

Oh, i forgot to say..the parents that do not RSVP...Make a note, keep it safe adn never invite them again. Saves a lot of stress :-)

It totally depends on the group and what is normal in that school/area.

At our nursery and primary the default was that the kid was coming if invited, so people would only formally respond if they couldn’t come. Of course you would also get a lot of informal responses and chat, but if you hadn’t heard from someone at all they were coming.

(And please don’t do what another poster has suggested, not inviting kids again if their parents didn’t respond. Really horrible to punish the kids for their parents’ social transgressions.)

This is normal in my experience. Expect that some of the children whose parents haven't rsvp'd will turn up anyway. Also expect a few kids to turn up with uninvited siblings🙄. This has happened at every child's birthday party I've organised. Have a bit of extra food and a few extra party bags just in case.

If there is a class WhatsApp group then that's a good way of inviting kids to whole class parties in the future.

If the invites went into nursery bags you may get a couple of responses once everyone starts going back to work. I inevitably find invites that I knew nothing about under all spare clothes in the bag / in the bookbag for school at the beginning of term!

After years of this I now only send invites via WhatsApp so I find a way of getting numbers in advance

Some are just crap. Some mean well but it will have got lost amongst Christmas.

Did you invite on WhatsApp or paper invitations? Either way, I would use Christmas as the excuse, and quickly send a message/note saying "Just a reminder that I need to finalise details for DC's party on 20th Jan. Details are blah blah blah. I do hope you can make it, please could you let me know by 5th Jan".

And include your phone number.

I expect you'll get a slew of replies of "sorry, Christmas", "sorry didn't see the invitation" and so on.