boys sleepover party

[sophy]

DS2 is having 3 friends for a sleepover for his 7th birthday. So, including DS1 there will be 5 little boys here.

I thought we would have a cooking session (make pizzas) then eat them for tea, and a bit later watch a dvd with home-made popcorn.

Anyone got any good advice for me please - never done this before.

Thanks!

I think you got a good night for them planned

Thanks.

What's the best way to handle bedtime. I suppose they are not very likely to go to sleep anyway, so is it better to let them stay up late, or send them to bed at a normalish time and turn a blind ear/ eye?

Stay up late-no hope of any sleep!! (unless you are very lucky).

Oh sophy, I'll be watching this! I'm doing this for ds1's 10th birthday next month. he's very excited. I've told him (and will tell his friends' parents) that I'm not going to be making them go to bed ('cos they won't anyway) but they musn't make lots of noise (). I will go and be a bit firmer about going to bed at midnight. Tbh, even ds1 is usually flagging by then.

Good luck (to both of us)!

We normally do bed at normalish time, then they can chat, etc for a long while, maybe have a small midnight feast (not necessarily at midnight and then sleep!

If you do want them to go to sleep, then it helps if you sit very quietly in the room until they all drop off.

I would actually send them to a bed at a reasonable time.

Then give them an hour MAX to giggle/muck about, eat their 'secret' midnight feast and then say goodnight FIRMLY and lights out (if they aren't already and they have been playing in the dark).

They are quite little still (are some of them still 6?) and if they get very overtired you might go beyond the point of no return...

Also, they will be much more pleasant the next day and their parents will thank you.

They will have had a lovely evening already so don't feel you are being a killjoy by saying bedtime.

That way, when they all thunder downstairs at 5 am the next morning you won't be so stressed

At this age, kids still like to know boundaries (even if it doesn't seem like it!)

Thanks all for some very helpful advice.