Unsecure chicken perches

[AJuff]

How much do people spemd on their kids birthday parties? My daughter would like a Deluxe bear party at a cost of £130!!! Is this too much or am I just being tight?

 

http://www.bearfactoryparties.co.uk/parties/Deluxe_Bear_Party/index.html

[Chucky Mama]

I am afraid that I have always been a complete Scrooge and have never 'bought' a birthday party. When my children got old enough I asked them whether they would like the money spent on a party and a small present or a party at home and a larger present. The present always won. The bear party does look lovely though and does look good value. I might be tempted

[patsylabrador]

This is about 15 to 20 years ago but we only had traditional parties with games and jelly etc for our kids then I realised I hated spending all their birthday working and preparing for the party and we opted for family days out followed by a little BBQ. In fact we probably spent more than you're planning as there were six of us to pay for, so if you're happy with your plan go for it.

[Torrin]

I've done arranged parties and cheaper parties at home but tbh they always seem to end up costing a fortune once you've done party bags (which seem to be expected nowadays) etc. At least with this they end up with a nice teddy to take away instead of all the party bag rubbish which costs a fortune but you know is gonna break / get thrown away within a couple of days !

[Busybird]

It is expensive but the toys look very cute. Do you hold the party at home? If so then presumably you have still to provide food and a few games or other entertainment. Are the kids she wants to invite good friends?

 

We have done a huge variety of parties over the years. Some have been as expensive as this but included food. Those held at home were cheapest but work best now the children are older and more or less entertain themselves.

 

I am usually willing to allow an expensive party if I feel that my child is inviting true friends who will appreciate the experience. One of my children is very selective in who he will befriend so we generally give him a special day out (he is going to Thorpe Park with his Dad this year - just the two of them) and allow him to have selected friends round just for tea rather than a full blown party.

 

My other son wants to go karting this year with friends - expensive but he only invites true friends so we will consider that.

 

I think it depends on whether you can afford it and whether you think your daughter will get more out of a big party rather than going to the Bear Factory with a couple of good friends followed by a special tea.

[Seagazer]

I've done parties at home but found that YS really didn't like them too much and would always come down with something in the week before, bless him.

 

He much prefers to have a day out doing something with us and a couple of his friends. He went go-karting last year and it was expensive but he said it was the best birthday he'd had. He wants to do paint balling this year I think I'll let his Dad take him to that one seeing as his birthday is in December.

 

I think the bear party looks a great idea

[Old Speckled Hen]

I only ever had one party at home.

My daughter wanted Punch and Judy and I found a really great old fashioned seaside entertainer who did magic tricks with the kids. However I got berated by some of the mums for the violence upsetting their little girls.... They were six at the time so I never did it again

In subsequent years my DD would take four or five close friends out. we went swimming,karting,climbing,camping, and paint balling. She was at a girls school and I can remember she didn't have many close girlfriends by the time she had finished with them

Going out to Pizza Express was the kindest on my nerves and pocket

[fluffyfeet]

I have done the Wacky Warehouse, bowling, laserquest parties but last year because OH was out of work and DS wanted a party we decided to hold it at home.

As it was in July we did a simple BBQ, I made a home made pinata, and we played a couple of the more traditional games, pass the parcel and pin the tail on the donkey, and the kids spent the rest of the time kicking a ball in the garden or playing on the trampoline/climbing frame/swing.

 

One of the kids - who comes from a rather affluent family - turned around at the end of the afternoon and told me it was the best birthday party he'd been to in ages and could he come round again!!!!

 

I did do goody bags but the whole thing probably came to around £50 so thinking about it again for this year.

 

Dawn x

[chickenNutter]

No you are not being mean, depending on how many kids you are having, £130 is not excessive these days, my own daughter was obsessed with a Build a Bear Factory party which cost about that much and didn't include food or anything. But you can do DIY parties at home or even cheaply out (adventure picnic with treasure hunt or mystery trail at local beauty spot, swimming party where you just pay for the swimming and do the food at home etc), but these days of commercialism you have to factor in peer pressure and hard sell advertising which a child doesn't understand bumps up the cost of a party. They just want to have what is the current party trend.

 

I have done both, but am slightly biased towards home made parties as in addition to my day job I am also a Face Painter and do face painting at home parties in which I am the entertainment, (£65 for 2 hours) facepainting for all ages (I have even done 21st parties) including body art and hand drawn temporary tattoos, and all the parents have to do is provide the food and some music. I have definitely seen an increase in home parties - not sure if it is to do with the recession, or just a fad, but if you are imaginative you can make them really different and trend setting. Our kids had both home and venue parties, but some of the best were the home ones including an outdoor wet and wild custard pie (shaving foam ) party, picnic adventure and iceskating/home party, all of which were done on the cheap.

 

We all had home parties when we were kids, but that was only because there wasn't really anywhere else to have them, and I bet some parents went to town with the entertainers/food/going home bags then too!

 

What ever you decide, I hope your daughter enjoys it!

[Cinnamon]

Going out to Pizza Express was the kindest on my nerves and pocket

 

My local branch does a 'make your own Pizza' party for children (or adults,I guess!),which sounds like fun

[Old Speckled Hen]

Going out to Pizza Express was the kindest on my nerves and pocket

 

My local branch does a 'make your own Pizza' party for children (or adults,I guess!),which sounds like fun

Now that does sound like fun.

Do you think they'd do a 60th for me next year?

Mmmmmmm I could take over the restaurant and get uproariously intoxicated ...............................on pizza

[chickenanne]

Oh dear! I think I would be scrouge-like in this situation..... It does seem like a lot of money for a kids birthday party. Perhaps asking which she wants: this party and a small present, or a party at home and a bigger present - though am guessing it depends on her age as to appropraiteness of this. I always feel a bit funny about the idea of expensive kids parties - it's so much pressure for parents to return the favour, particularly if they have more than one child.

 

But I've no kids so.....!

[bluekarin]

My other son wants to go karting this year with friends - expensive but he only invites true friends so we will consider that.

 

I notice you are also in Wiltshire We took our DS karting last year at Matchams. Its outdoor, so your beholden to the elements, but we were lucky and it was dry (beginning of September). There is also Wessex raceway but is much pricier. The Matchams one was about £110 for an hour I think, but check, and the idea is you have 10 kids altogether and they all have a turn in the kart. We however, took 5 so they all got to race for the entire time. They loved it! Unfortunately, DS's knees got bashed about on the steering column so go well padded, all over really.

 

 

But, back to the original post. I don't think that is too much, if that is all in and you don't need to fork out for anything else. We have done home parties and away parties. Boys are very boisterous together so I prefer away parties, where someone else looks after the kids. As for girls, I find they are easy whatever.

[Aimee]

I think it partly depends on the age of the child on how much to shell out.

 

I've not resented paying more for parties as my son has grown older but I wasn't really into spending a lot when he was young as I sensed it was more about 'impressing' other parents than giving the kids a great time. I always had parties at home until he was 9 I think, but by then the children seemed to want to do their own thing rather than engaging in my quaint idea of a party. The last two years were Laserquest parties which were great for tiring them out and were reasonably priced (about £70 for 14 children, plus a few drinks and snacks provided by myself).

 

My only worry with spending £130 would be setting a precedent for years to come - if you do this (which I think looks great ), will next years plans be even more pricey...

 

Mind you, my son turns 13 this summer and he has fanciful ideas of cruising around in a stretch limo before hitting the bowling alley and pizza joint....I'm praying he rethinks before I crack and agree

 

If I was in your position I'm sure I'd end up going ahead with it!

[AJuff]

Well after a chat with DD we have decided to go for the Bear Party at home. She had a picnic at a National Trust house and garden last year so an expensive one this year will be OK.

[Clur]

I turned into a meanie a while ago when I realised how much pressure there was to spend money on kids' parties. For my son's party he had some friends at home for hotdog, chips and cartoons before we took them to the local woods where they built camps, ran around and generally got filthy. They all wanted an egg from the girls to take home in their goodie bags, and had a fantastic time.

 

This year, for both DS and DD's parties, we took them and their friends to a local roller disco, followed by a McDonalds. For both parties and goodie bags it came up to about £90.

 

Because both my two have their birthdays during the same month, I've sworn off mega-bucks parties, and have realised with some time and imagination you can create a memorable party for not very much. The children who came to the parties still talk about them, and the kudos at school for DS was lovely to see

[chickencam]

We have done a mix of parties over the years.

 

We had a couple of truely awful discos, one with a young guy and his dad, the lad had been a pupil at their primary school and had started out doing discos with his dads help, but he had no organiazation or charisma and we ended up with a near riot. The next disco we got someone who was supposed to be experienced and he electrocuted himself 10 minutes before he was due to start with his own equipment. He managed to do the disco with the help of his mum and I spent the whole time trying to keep the kids away from the eqipment and we had one boy who spent the whole time prentending to be Sadham Housein being violent and abusive. (boy did that make me apreciate how nice my kids were)

 

We have also done karting, the kids loved it but we spent the whole time worrying about their safety, because it was so poorly run. That was proberbly the most expensive party.

 

In recent years we have had days out or sleepovers much easier on the nerves because they only invite their real friends.

 

We have done build your own pizzas at home with some hilarious results, a good way to kill some time and keep them happy, you can also get them to decorate their own ice creams or gingerbread men that is fun too.

 

Ou kids largely go for more presents less party these days

[The Dogmother]

Same here; when she was a smallster I started to have Rosie's parties at home, but the organising, mess etc was too much as I was having to work full time, so I had them at the local sports centre - they would do the activities, food, play games and do the clearing up - result! We've had indoor carting parties, swimming parties. I took her and a friend to the Rainforest Cafe in London.

 

No she prefers just a couple of friends, bowling or a film, meal in then a sleepover - suits me.

[Cinnamon]

Going out to Pizza Express was the kindest on my nerves and pocket

 

My local branch does a 'make your own Pizza' party for children (or adults,I guess!),which sounds like fun

Now that does sound like fun.

Do you think they'd do a 60th for me next year?

Mmmmmmm I could take over the restaurant and get uproariously intoxicated ...............................on pizza

 

Yo! Sushi also do a Sushi making one.We saw one in action once & it looked like loads of fun

[sadietoo]

amazingly our best parties were always the ones held at home with traditional (silly games) and as they got older and more sophisticated, we added on videos and sleepovers...there was never a shortage of guests, and the more ridiculously silly the games the more they wanted to come back next year....I think a lot of the attraction was because we did such unfashionable parties we were so out we were in!

 

When they got too "grown up" for at home parties we did a Pizza Express party (my DD was 16 at the time) that was very good, but I didn't fund it all because my DD wanted about 10 people... so I put about £100 towards it and the guests funded themselves for the balance...(about a fiver each I think) we didn't have party bags as I don't thing they are necessary after the age of 11...sorry if I am mean....the next year they were back with the silly party games and the sleepover!

 

DS has nearly always foregone any sort of party in favour of an activity -