Do you throw your own kids parties

Bubby

As the title says I am looking for advice on throwing kids parties. My kids have had parties before in play areas and also some at home but my eldest is at the age where she wants a disco type party in a hall:eek::eek: as everyone else in her class has them (I realise that sounds incredibly brat like but she hasn't asked in that way at all) anyway we have said yes and have gone about finding a hall and thats all sorted but we are looking at around £150-£200 for the entertainment:eek::eek::eek:
We can afford it but we are trying to clear our debts and this money could seriously help us out so how many of you brave it? Is it as bad as I think? The hall is already £60 so if we could do it all in for £100 that would be great, we have a cd player and cd's they like but neither me nor my husband are entertainer type people.

Any advice would be great:)

galvanizersbaby

I was just discussing parties with another mum in the playground this morning where she was saying her husband thinks it's all a big competition and won't enter in to it all

My 2 would love a party at home but sadly our accommodation is too small so we have used play areas etc.. in the past.

I did a min disco for my DD last year and did find it quite expensive as you say - hire of hall/food/party bags etc...

For the music my step dad rigging up his laptop to some big speakers and this seemed to sound quite good - do you know anyone that could help?

Having said that it was my DD's 5th birthday so the DJ as such didn't really have to be cool (thankfully)

74jax

I have my daughter's parties at home. i love the preparation, the mess, the screaming kids, the 'oh my god where have they gone' moments. Just love it. Last year we got a pool for the garden off ebay, it was only £40 and about 14ft so had a pool party! My dining room floor was as wet at the pool but wouldn't have missed it for the world!

You can do the food really really cheaply. kids don't know the difference. Turn the lights off, put on the music and get some flashing balls.

A cheap chocolate fountain always wins the day. You can play musical bumps/dead sealions etc.

You could have it themed, we have loads of scene setters which you can pick up from places like Asda/toysrus and they cover practically all your wall.

Ooooo I'm all excited now. WHere do you live, i could come and do it for you!

74jax

Other ideas to pass the time - entertainment some might say - (I'm thinking fo what I've done in the past.....) pizza parties where 2 or 3 kids at a time make up pizzas - only small ones so you can cook them in batches, this also saves on food.

You can get some face paints and do that - even get the kids to do each other.

If they're girls you could paint nails etc.

Decorate a cake/biscuit and then they take it home - it goes in their goody bag...

Penelope_Penguin

Mine are teens now, but when they were little, they had special parties in a hall with an entertainer when they were 5 and 11 (last one with their primary school friends). I did the catering and made the cake and party bags. For other birthdays we had as many as we could comfortably have at home, with party games or a theme (bows and arrows, princesses, castle, make-over, etc).

Once they were at high school, we take 2 or 3 friends for a meal, cinema, sleepover, or skiing (DS's choice twice, and he agreed to a smaller gift ).

I never understood this party-upmanship

mumOf2wonderfulkids

My DD's birthday is 4th jan so as it's close to christmas we haven't thrown her a big party, (just maybe a day out and a tea party at home) however last year she got invited to loads of school parties and got a bit down that she never has one, so we explained to her that she could have 1 big ish present and a party,
i found the most expensive thing was the entertainer however i did finally find a place local to me that do weekly dance classes but also do themed parties, it only cost £130 for two hours which was the room hire and the woman doing lots of activities with the kids, it was a high school musical party (dd is 6 and hsm crazy!) so they taught them lots of different dances with different equipment and pass the parcel etc, we just had to do the food. It was really good and even the boys got involved. You don't say how old your child is so i don't know if she is too old for this kind of thing?

the people i used i think only do plymouth they are http://www.musicmakersplymouth.co.uk/mc/musicmakers/

i know some of the parents at dd school rent out our local church for £20 an hour and put a bouncy castle in it then do all the normal party games.

sorry i can't offer much advice for an older child's party, i don't really have that experience yet

melb

i think the poster has already booked and paid for the hall so wants suggestions of how to provide a disco party cheaply. I've no ideas I'm afraid but I don't think sleeping lions or making pizza and biscuits will be possible. I remember seeing some sites for party games and there are probably quite a few which you could play in a big space that you wouldn't be able to normally. Good luck. How old are the children going to be?

Becles

I've done them with a CD player and traditional party games. It's hard work, but after a round of soft play area and leisure centre parties, the children thought our party was unique :rotfl:

You need to be quite loud and firm though. The children are excited and they run around and yell and some get up to mischief. You need to be able to keep one eye on the game, watch who's going in and out the toilet, and keep an eye on little monkeys climbing on chairs or playing in the curtains.

When they were old we did disco type parties, and did silly party dances - Cha Cha Slide, YMCA etc., and then for other songs we had prizes for the best dancer and things like that.

Good fun though and I really enjoyed doing them with mine.

Counting_Pennies_2

I took my cd player with me to a hall, and it just doesn't reach the levels you need to make a boom boom!

So I would suggest trying to borrow someones.

You could send a class email round asking if anyone has or knows anyone with DJ equipment who wouldn't mind doing a special deal for you!

Failing that, try to borrow some large speakers.

In terms of food, I would take lots of 2 litres of bottle of pop. I never give this to my children, but it is a party, so also offer orange juice and water just in case they don't like it.

Then do filled rolls, crisps and loads of jaffa cakes and the like so you don't have to do anything when you are there.

hth

djdido2

Hi there

Can you get your hands on a Karaoke Machine, this would be ideal to use for music and of course Karaoke if they are the right age?? Most machines come with standard discs that have songs on they can sing too. You can use the Mic to play some games (depending on age) and you could possibly borrow a flashing light or two to make it more of a disco theme.

City_Girl_2

Hi does your daughter have a friend who has a close by birthday so you could then do a joint party on a date in the middle, so half the cost;)

I am just sorting out our twin sons 3rd party and have hired a fun bus of soft play............ I am sooo excited, and saving hard !!

Good luck

CITY x