When you’re hosting a birthday party for your child, you’re likely to experience emotions on every end on the spectrum. From high stress to total happiness when you see their little face having the time of their life, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster. Here’s a few tips to hopefully cut out much of the stress, and leave you to enjoy their special day with them.
1. Discuss the theme
Picking a theme makes preparation much easier. You can tailor the decorations, entertainment and even the food. For some parents this is a breeze – you know what they love so you can guess their choice right away. If your youngster is a little trickier to predict, let them help to pick – it is their day after all! Put some choices forwards to them and let them choose, or work together to think of fun ideas and draw them out of a hat.
If your child’s birthday falls in the winter, throwing an ice-skating party can make for a fun and exciting way to celebrate their birthday. Kids will have a blast playing on ice and then drinking a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows when they get cold. Invite the children’s parents, too, so there will be more people to keep an eye on your little guests. Don’t forget the party essentials for an ice-skating-birthday bash, such as winter-themed invitations, decorations, menu, and party favors.
2. Pull together an invite list
Once the theme of the party is decided, next it’s onto the invite list. This can be the bane of many parents’ party planning, because the list has to end somewhere. It’s difficult to whittle a long list down if you’re hosting it at home and can’t accommodate everyone.
3. Write up and send out the invitations
You can make this a fun DIY job, or buy some that match with your little one’s chosen theme. Making them together can be a beautiful way to bond and let them get creative, and it makes it more personalised for the guests you’re inviting.
4. Organise the entertainment
Booking entertainment of course depends on your child’s preference. It also depends on the theme of the party (it’s got to be consistent, right?). 
For example a princess theme and a visit from a little girl’s favourite Disney princess goes hand in hand. Find something to suit your budget, and find something you know your child will love. Of course, you might be going for something a little more relaxed and might not have a direct form of entertainment in place. That’s also fine, but make sure you’ve got enough planned to keep them occupied!
5. Make a schedule
Planning ahead mitigates the risk of any hiccups on the day. Plan how you’re going to decorate, plan the food you’re going to make and plan for any fun activities that will be taking place throughout the party. In terms of food, it’s worth preparing some that you can freeze earlier in the week, to stop a mad rush as the time of the party get closer.
6. Buy your supplies
It’s always better to over-buy than to run out. Depending on how old your child and their guests are, you could end up catering for parents as well as children. For this reason, you should sufficiently stock up on enough food and drink for the duration of the party. A full toddler is definitely better than a hungry one! If you’re doing party bags, you can buy pre-made or prepare your own.
7. Clean the house twice
It’s obvious to most that you want your home to make a good impression on guests. A tidy kitchen, pristine wood flooring, and glistening windows – they make all the difference. However, a big clean the day before – or even worse, the day of – the party can be stressful. If you do a thorough clean a week or so before, you’ll hopefully only need to give it a once over before guests begin to arrive.
8. Practice ‘thank you’s’
You little one is likely to be receiving presents. It is their birthday, after all. To make sure they’re polite to their friends, practice saying thank you and make sure they understand its importance. This is obviously worthwhile generally, but it’s especially significant at their birthday party.
Most importantly, try and have fun with it. Don’t take it too seriously and enjoy spending time with your little one and their friends.
And finally if you need some budget friendly inspiration for gifts check out Motherhood the Real deals post here