Calling Mums of 4 yr old boys - would they hate a princess party!

[SuperSaint]

DD is 4 in May and wants a princess party. We have decided to invite 10 of her friends and do it at home. The only problem is that 5 of the friends are boys!
DD has chosen the Disney Princess paper cups, plates etc for the party and is so excited about it. Her favourite colour is pink and so far everything she has requested is pink and sparkly!
Should I buy different plates etc for the boys or will they be ok using them knowing that it is a girls party? I'll put on the invitations that handsome princes are invited too!
It is the first time DD has been really excited about her birthday and I want her to have what she wants but am worried the boys will hate it.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?

[Clary]

we did princesses and knights for DD's 5th party last year.

Plates were plain gold or silver IIRC so that wasn't a prob. Did colouring sheets with princesses, knights, dragons and castles, games on the theme (musical thrones...) and most dressed up. Tried to avoid the Disney princess thing a bit but it was hard to source cheap knights bits for the party bags.

That apart it worked well.

DS2 is havign a pirate party on Sun tho I know at least one girl is coming as Belle

F&Z bless yr ds with the necklace! DS2 would be the same.

[indignatio]

Last summer ds (turning 4) had a knights and princesses party - we had a dragon pinata, all dressed up and tiaras or knights helmets as prizes - which they got to take home as their "party bag" - CAT me if you want website addresses for these - or I think I have some left over...

[pinkchampagne]

My DS2 (just turned 4) would hate a princess party! He has an older brother though, so is a little influenced by him, and turns his nose up at all things pink & girly!

[SuperSaint]

Thanks for all the replies. I really liked the idea of the knights for boys and DD liked the idea of it too (once I'd explained what a knight is!) I said we could decorate the room like a castle and she could have a throne to sit on to eat her tea. I have been looking at some websites and loved the idea of playing "pin the fire on the dragon"!

She's only inviting 5 girls and 5 boys and I know all the girls are very into dressing up in pink sparkly outfits so they all love it. This way DD will get her princess party but the boys won't hate it!

[Hassled]

DS3 (4.5) would absolutely hate it - sorry
The boys in his Reception class are all into pirates, power rangers etc - but kids need to learn sooner or later that not everyone has the same tastes or interests and you have to accommodate that - it's your DD's birthday, she wants pink princessy stuff so tough if the boys don't like it!

[franca70]

ds would probably like it. I say probably as since he started school (in January) he is all of a sudden aware of gender stereotypes etc. But at home he still dresses up as princess aurora

[MintChocChippyMinton]

At DD's princess/fairy party, her brothers were knights/princes and decorated crowns instead of pointy hats. I bought gold plates to avoid any scenes Mind you at a recent party they had hot pink food boxes and didn't bat an eyelid.

[bozza]

gdg are they the Ikea beakers? We have them and DD who is 2 has just realised that she is supposed to like pink (got it from nursery I think) and insists on having the pink cup. When she was younger she always preferred red.

[bozza]

I think it is your DD's party and the boys have to fit in tough. I think at 4 they are old enough to realise that. Are you doing fancy dress? Because if you are it would obviously (IMO) be a bit unreasonable to expect a boy to dress up as a princess against his will, but if it is just plates etc I wouldn't worry. Although maybe try and theme any party bag contents slightly.

DS had a football themed party, but the girls (were only 3) had butterfly plates etc, but that is because I had them left from DD's party and would have had to buy another pack of the football stuff. So just me being tight.

[tortoiseSHELL]

My ds1 would not have really objected to a princess party, but something he did really enjoy was a 'fairytale ball' that they did at school - the idea being they all dressed up as someone from a fairytale. Most of the girls did the obligatory princess/fairy (but it does leave room for girls who hate pink to be something a bit 'cooler'), ds1 went as the third little pig (ironically in pink...), lots of boys were pirates, robin hood etc. It's just a bit less prescriptive than 'princess/prince'.

[chipkid]

in my experience the boys will probably run riot in such an environment! especially at 4! the princesses will probably be taken hostage!

[Gobbledigook]

My ds would have a fit if he was presented with anything pink. His friend is the same. I have no idea where it comes from because it's not me. One of our plastic beakers is pink and he refuses to have it. When I gave it to ds1 the other day he was saying 'eeew, ds1 that's a girrrrrrls cup'. Ds1 was like 'eh?'.

So, I guess some boys not bothered but my ds2 and his nursery friends seem to have a real aversion to it!!

[mamatres]

my friends dd had a princesses and pirates party when she was 4 so the boys were kept happy too. is that a possibility? though like the idea of knights

[princessmelTingChoccyEggs]

My ds would probably say I don't like princess plates etc but when we were there he'd have a great time. He'd go as a pirate though. He always dresses up as one.

If you don't mind getting diff plates they'd like it but then they'd prob be fine with normal princess ones too. Actually I'd be a bit cross with ds, if he made a fuss about a plate at a party!!

Keep to the princess idea. Have fun!!

[Anchovy]

One of DS's (female) friends' 4th birthday party was called a "sparkly party" which I though was quite clever. All the girl were in full princess regalia and the boys wore something sparkly which they also enjoyed, but didn't actually have to be princesses.

[HotXMum]

I dont agree that at the age of 4/5 they dont notice these things.

One boy at our school was ripped to shreds because he had dressed up as Robin Hood and was wearing tights.

It was the reception class kids who were fast off the mark labelling him a ballerina!

[HotXMum]

Why not a princess and pirate party?

[saadia]

I got Winnie the Pooh tableware for ds2's third birthday party and accidentally got Princess cups. It was nearly all boys of around 4/5 yrs old and none of them cared.

[fennel]

You could consider providing an alternative to the princesses - then the guest boys OR girls who don't particularly like princesses could be knights, or pirates, or something else castle related. At least one of my dds never wants to dress up as a princess and doesn't much like pink. (dd1 cried at a recent party as the girls were supposed to decorate pink tutus and the boys got cardboard surfboards, both my dd1 and dd2 wanted surfboards instead of tutus).

[SuperSaint]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses. It's great to know not every boy would hate it. Getting the boys to be knights is a great idea.

Greenshoots - I agree with you about the Disney Princesses but DD is obsessed! We don't know where she has got her "girliness" from as I was never into pink sparkly things (and DH swears he wasn't either )

[Ladymuck]

I have a boyish boy and a boy who loves lipstick, dressing up, Barbie etc. Both would be fine with a princess party, though I would possibly extend the theme to knights. Disney has been promoting princess and pirate parties, but I have managed to persuade my eldest (and rowdiest) that a knight is mean to protect the princess, not try to steal from them!

[FrannyandZooey]

Well my ds (4) would like it. He was really sad yesterday when he got a plastic horse during pass the parcel and some of the girls got a pretty bracelet. Luckily my smart friend had put a necklace in his party bag, which he loved so much he wanted to wear to bed

I think at this age they are old enough to understand that if you don't like the host's theme, that is tough luck - it is your turn to choose when it is your birthday! I think the Princes and Princesses theme is fine and it is hardly going to shock any 4 year old boys that some people like things pink and sparkly. It's nice for your dd that she has such an equal mix of male and female friends as well.

[Greenshoots]

My two boys would be fine with it, in fact they would love it. I think it's a bit of a shame that people assume boys don't do fairies/dolls etc, and girls don't do diggers/footy/pirates. I know kids of both genders who love all of it, (especially female pirates ) and don't see certain things as being off limits to them because they are girls/boys. Ds2 spent most of yesterday's toddler group in a feathery tut and boa from the dressing up box

And anyway, the boys will know it's a girl's party anyway so even if they have been conditioned into thinking it's naff they won't mind.

Personally I can't abide Disney princesses, the whole thing sets my teeth on edge, but then it's not my party either

[Morgan]

My son is going to a princess and pirate party this afternoon. Don't think the pink plates etc would be a problem.