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Following on from my last question about where to host a "3 small kids joint birthday party", we have decided on Gymboree, it seems like fun, can accomodate both the 2 and the 4 year olds at the same time and is reasonably priced.
So my next question is: any ideas how many of the invited kids will show up for a Saturday late morning or afternoon party? I know there are many variables such as winter weather and bugs going around, but what is your experience? Most of the invited will be my three kids playschool classes (30 kids), and then a few others (cousins, neighbours, kids of my friends, kids from my boy's therapy clinic- he has SPD). I am worried regarding food and goodie bags etc that either we get no rsvps but everyone shows up and brings siblings so we end up with too many (in my other thread, someone mentioned inviting 50 kids and 62 coming), or on the other hand people wanting the weekends to themselves and hardly anyone showing up.
Also, how long in advance does one normally send out invites?
Last edited by Penguin_ie; 10-30-2011 at 06:50 AM..
Once you start getting RSVPs make goodie bags for everyone who says "yes" and people you don't hear from. Put names on the goodie bags so you can keep track of who got theirs. Make a few w/o names for siblings who might show up. There is really no way to know how many will come. I'd say out of 35 invited, you might get about 25. Send invites about 2-3 weeks before the party.
Maybe it is a location thing but no one around here would show up at a birthday party with extra kids and especially without RSVPing. This is even more true when dealing with BD parties at places like gymboree where there is a limited number of people available.
That's what I like about this forum. You get a wide range of experiences, from all over the country, with all types of families, and learn all sorts of things.
I know many people here (NW Arkansas) don't rsvp for adult parties unless you chase, so I kinda assume I am going to have the same issue with the kids' birthday party. The only local mom with smaller kids that I asked about this said only 50% of kids showed to her daughter's 5th birthday, she had lots of left-over cupcakes
Maybe it is a location thing but no one around here would show up at a birthday party with extra kids and especially without RSVPing. This is even more true when dealing with BD parties at places like gymboree where there is a limited number of people available.
Weird.
We've had people show up with siblings simply because the other parent wasn't available. The moms have never assumed the extra kids could stay but if there is room, they seem to always be welcome. I've had my younger one be invited to stay when I was expecting to just drop off the older one and leave.
We've had people show up with siblings simply because the other parent wasn't available. The moms have never assumed the extra kids could stay but if there is room, they seem to always be welcome. I've had my younger one be invited to stay when I was expecting to just drop off the older one and leave.
If someone just showed up with another kid or two in tow I would "let" them stay too ourtof politeness but it is sort of annoying when the check comes. Around here it is between $10-15 for each extra kid at various party venues (gymboree, movie theaters, bowling alleys, etc.). But if a few parents did that it could be over $100 extra dollars. That is sort of a lot to be polite.
If someone just showed up with another kid or two in tow I would "let" them stay too ourtof politeness but it is sort of annoying when the check comes. Around here it is between $10-15 for each extra kid at various party venues (gymboree, movie theaters, bowling alleys, etc.). But if a few parents did that it could be over $100 extra dollars. That is sort of a lot to be polite.
Last fall my son's b-day party was 2 weeks after school started. We invited the whole class and barely knew any any of the kids at that point. One mom came with the classmate and 2 younger siblings. She didn't want to leave the older one because she didn't know me, but she didn't know what to do with the other kids. I told her they were welcome to stay and join the party, but that we were at our max number, so she'd have to pay at the front desk. As I type this, I'm feeling like that was rude, but at the time it seemed completely reasonable. They stayed, but I have no idea if she paid for them or not. I wasn't charged anything extra.
Last fall my son's b-day party was 2 weeks after school started. We invited the whole class and barely knew any any of the kids at that point. One mom came with the classmate and 2 younger siblings. She didn't want to leave the older one because she didn't know me, but she didn't know what to do with the other kids. I told her they were welcome to stay and join the party, but that we were at our max number, so she'd have to pay at the front desk. As I type this, I'm feeling like that was rude, but at the time it seemed completely reasonable. They stayed, but I have no idea if she paid for them or not. I wasn't charged anything extra.
I don't think it was rude, I think it was a great answer - especially when put on the spot. In my experience, it isn't too unusual (especially in the younger elem grades) for parents (usually moms) to come with younger siblings in tow. By the time the kids are in the upper elem years, the parties tend to be smaller (not the whole class but some friends) and the parents usually know each other.....
^^I agree. I must say, I live in the same area as rkb0305 and maciesmom, and I've never had that happen to me.
A friend once had a mom arrive at a birthday party at a Chuckie Cheese or someplace similar who said her daughter wasn't allowed to be in public w/o a parent and could the parent stay. My friend said "yes", but to this day, about 20 years later, I wonder why that mom couldn't have taken care of that before the party instead of just trying to crash it.
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