soft play party

[familyfun]

ok have decided to do softplay party for dds 5th birthday, party bags/invites/balloon for each child and food is all included so dont need to worry about that and siblings can come but parents would have to pay them in for normal playtime.
my question is how many to invite? min is 10 allowed. i can afford to pay for 15 max including my own 2 dds so 13 friends and that would be pushing it a bit.
it is on teacher training day midweek in summer so may be awkward for working parents?
It is 5 miles from school so difficult for non drivers.
some people will just have other plans or too many other kids to think about.

so if i want 15 ish how many do i invite?
dd originally said all her nursery class which was 13 but 2 left but realised this excluded a couple of good friends she likes this year.
then she said all the girls but have counted and then are 19 girsl in her class and she loves 2 of the boys, 1 is a very close friend who comes over to play.

so do i just let her list 15 friends and hope most come? do i consider friendship groups/ people who have invited her over/to parties, people whose parents i chat to daily? or do i need to invite 20 and be very worried if they all say yes.

help a party newcomer please.

invite 15, but they need to rsvp, if they dont call round a week before and you have time to offer places to others then if need be.

ask your dd to write a list, also ask her teacher if she has any special friendships etc.

its always nice to invite kids whose parents you know! but it needs to be her friends/social group.

have spoken to moms of her 2 closest friends and they said they will come.

surely i cant wait and see if some say no then invite others, wont they be put out at the last invite?

For DS1s 5th birthday party on Saturday I invited 13 of his classmates to softplay. they needed exact numbers.. 8 replied to my RSPV deadline. 2 replied afterwards (but thats ok they just forgot and my deadline was a bit premature cos I knew that might happen) One little girl turned up after him mum completely forgot to respond and I was quite annoyed about that (especially as she was just left with us and I had no contact details due to her never responding), but of course I let her stay and paid the extra for her.

I let him choose the friends he wanted as there are 44 kids in his year. I didnt invite anyone extra to 'fill' the places of the 2 kids that couldnt attend as I did think that might be a bit insulting.

depends, if you hand the first lot of invites out discreetly enough some might not know they havent been invited. and i think most parents would understand that number are limited and that sometimes?

or do you have any family etc that can fill spaces if they arent all taken. it depends as if you book say 15places at the soft play they may make you pay if they arent all taken, some places just make you pay for however many turn up and you always get a few taht dont rsvp and then just turn up anyway.

This is in the summer? And you've already asked two people? Have you booked it already?
I usually book 3 weeks before

you have to book in advance where i am, you wouldnt get a place if you tried to book three weeks in advance, i just booked a church hall for ds4's bday and left it a bit late to book and his party is now two weeks after his bday bad mummy!

2-3 weeks notice is about right here, too. People's plans change closer to the date, someone is ill last minute, car breaks down, sudden money woes & they can't even buy a gift, your child falls out with their previous best mates & has completely new ones. Do not try to plan who comes more than 4 weeks in advance.

oh i wouldnt tell the parents about a party that far in advance! but you do need to book them that far in advance. i am pretty sure i had to book the soft play for ds3's bday about 2 or 3 mths before his bday, its very popular and always booked up. but invites go out 2-3wks before the party, which reminds me i need to write the ones for ds4's bday!

no im not inviting people yet, its not even booked, i have enquired about availability at the sift play and they are free, its 3 months time, then i just asked the moms of her 2 close friends if they would bring their dds if i booked a teacher training day and they said yes. i am going to book this month as it gets fully booked quickly, then i will do invites 4 weeks before.
will check if i can pay for how many turn up rather than 15 in advance.
going to get dd to choose 13 plus 2 dds then we should meet 10 min.

I did invites 4 weeks before, it was half term the week before followed by inset day, so I thought otherwise people would either have to respond the week the invites went out, or just 4 days before. I find the vast majority told me in person in the playground. Most told me before half term, one texted at end of half term, one in the few days before, one when I texted 2 days before. Out of 19 invites, one refused but then 4 days before could come, one was ill on the day. So 18/19 attended.

We invited 4 boys, other 12 girls from her class, 2 other good friends who vaguely knew others at party and friend for dd1. I said to her that either she invited just 8 girls or all of them, I felt unfair to leave just one or two out. Her best friends are boys.