The PERFECT

Party Caper

How to Host a Party Your

Kidsand YouWill Love

When our birthdays rolled around, Mom would whip

up a box of Betty Crocker, holler to the neighbor kids
and serve frosted slabs on paper napkins. Done!

If you have a wee one, look for clues. Does he

love puppies? Elmo? Bubbles? Eureka, theres
your theme!

But over the past (ahem) two decades, the kids

birthday party industry has exploded like a well
stuffed piata, and proper planning can be a total
mystery. Limos? Snow machines? Gift registries?
Whats a newbie to do?

And if you think youre limited to the Frozen aisle at

Michaels, let it go. Consider your kids favorite books,
characters, celebrities, hobbies or vacation spots.
With a little creativity, you can plan a great bash on
any budget.

Heres a clue: you can plan an extravaganza thats as

affordable, manageable and memorable as your own
backyard birthdays, not to mention a total blast for
both you and your kiddo.

Once youve pinned down a theme, Young

recommends booking any performers, facilities or food right away. If you have your vendors and entertainment set ahead of time, she
said, there is so much less stress leading up to
the party.

Stick with Kidsguide as we unlock the secrets to pulling off the Perfect Party Caper.

THE PLANNING. Any great quest starts with a mission, and here it is: to celebrate your little lovey. Thats it!

Planning a party, were not out to win our kids affection, impress the PTA crowd or fuel our Instagram
feeds. Theres no need to get blown up by peer pressure, sucked into late-night Pinterest binges (oooh,
apple donuts!) or tormented by your tab at Party City.
There were many years that parents were trying to
do the most creative or original theme, or party ideas
that had never been done before, said Erin Young,
whos run her own party-planning company, Parties
by Erin & Co., since 2007 (bestpartiesbyerin.com).
But Ive noticed the out-doing the last party thing
has died down quite a bit. I always ask my clients,
what can we do to make your party perfect, and now
the response 95 percent of the time is, I just want
my child to be happy.
So start with a little detective work. Four to six weeks
out, schedule a friendly interrogation. What does the
birthday kiddo really love? Who does she see at her
party? What does she want to avoid? Birthday bliss
could mean anything from a candy-fueled fourthgrade karaoke fest to a trip with a best bud to the
Columbia Memorial Space Center.

Count on an hour and a half to two hours on a weekend afternoon or early evening. And, for everyones
sake, avoid nap time, advises Rachel Fernandez, Vice
President of Operations for Lets Have a Cart Party
(letshaveacartparty.com). She remembers one sleepy
toddler falling face-first into his frosting.

THE SCENE. Youve got your theme, now its

time to set the scene.

HOME, SWEET HOME. For comfort, convenience

and control, theres no place like home. You know
exactly where to find the ranch dressing and emergency baby wipes. Youre not worried about losing a
little guest in the shark exhibit. Need to talk to the
manager? Its you!
And at home, you can choose to keep things dollarstore-easy with DIY food and decorations, or go big
with hired help.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS. If youre not up for a
homegrown party, youre expecting a rowdy bunch,
or your invite list is overpowering your apartment,
think about outsourcing.
When you add up the food and tables and chairs
and bouncy houses and entertainers you might need
to hire for home, a birthday party package at a venue

featurearticle

By Audrey Eftychiou

can be very appealing, said Ken Garcia, manager at

Golf N Stuff in Norwalk (golfnstuff.com), which gives
birthday groups full run of the park, a server and everything from pizza to party hats. Best of all, theres
no mess to clean up.
Your crew can bounce off the walls at Big Air Trampoline Park ($50 off coupon on page 45!), direct a
music video at IncrediFlix, take a spin at East West
Ice Palace, fly a combat mission at Flightdeck
(10% off on page 47), paint a masterpiece at Art
Steps, cook up Pizoukie Sundaes at Lil Chef School
and more.
Basic party packages usually include a party room
and activity, but you can often spring for invitations,
decorations, food, favors and other perks. Sign on
the dotted line and youre done!
THE BIRTHDAY EXPERIENCE. Some of the
very best birthdays arent parties at all. Sift through
nearly any section of Kidsguide to find the perfect
birthday adventure.
Climb aboard the trains at Travel Town. Go horseback
riding. Have afternoon tea and then hunt for ghosts
on the Queen Mary. Learn to fish in Dana Point. Peer
into the La Brea Tar Pits. Take a surfing or fencing
class. Find out whos new at the aquarium or the zoo.
Head to Griffith Observatory (its free!). Work on your
swing at the batting cages. Check out the Kidsguide

Calendar (kidsguidemagazine.com) for an upcoming

festival or concert.
And dont overlook your kiddos all-time favorite
place. Even if it doesnt offer traditional birthday
party packages, most of the time the staff would be
happy to make any birthday wishes come true. It
doesnt hurt to ask.

THE SUSPECTS. Who to invite? Heres how to

pull together your lineup:

DO consider the classic rule of thumbone guest

for each year of the birthday bambinos age.
DONT be afraid to adjust the number up or down,
but be real: Having a very large group can be
stressful for the parent and keeps them from enjoying their childs special day, said Elisa Zamora
of Blue Submarine. She recommends 20 or less.
DONT feel obligated to invite your offsprings
whole class. For a smaller group, pop the invites
in the mail.
DO consider your venue. A crowd of squirmy firstgraders might be pinched in your parlor, but theyll
have plenty of elbow room at a roller rink.
DO recruit other grownups or a neighborhood teen
to help run games, pass out cake or supervise, especially if youll be walking through an amusement park
or other public venue. Plan on one adult for every
four kids.
DO be clear on your invites whether parents and
siblings are welcome. If not, you can nicely say its
a drop-off party (generally for kids ages 6+), with
a set pick-up time.

THE TOOLS. Your scheme is coming together,

now its time to get your hands on the goods.

THE INVITATIONS. Who doesnt like finding a

neon-bright envelope in the mail? Pick up a pack of
invitations at any discount store, or get creative.
Smilebox (smilebox.com) lets you customize hundreds of templates, and you can email, print or post
your creation to social media, all for free. Cruise
through dozens of free printables at Greetings Island (greetingsisland.com). Or go fancy and order a
set from tinyprints.com or minted.com.
Plan on sending your invites at least two weeks in
advance. Be sure to include the location and street
address, a start and stop time, whether the partys a
drop-off and if youll be serving a meal or just cake.
Should the guests tote a towel and swimsuit, dress
for a mess, or bring a used-toy donation for a local
shelter in lieu of a gift? Say so now. Juggler starting
at 2 p.m. sharp? Clue in your guests so they dont
miss the show.

THE DECORATIONS. Sure, you can load up on paper dcor at the party store, but there might be
a better (cheaper! cuter!) way. To really deck out
your digs, find some partners in crime. Grill your
craftiest friends, put grandma on the case or send
out a call on social media letting accomplices know
what youre looking for. Cardboard boxes for fortbuilding. Tents for a backyard campout. Firewood
for your Paul Bunyan party, with a flapjacks cake.
Empty suitcases for a trip around the world. Swim
goggles for your mad scientists. Orange cones and
caution tape for your construction zone. Old sheets
for mural painting.
Check Kidsguides Parties board on Pinterest.
And dont miss the awesome bloggers who devote
themselves to all things party: karaspartyideas.
com, catchmyparty.com, blog.birdsparty.com or
party-wagon.com, with brilliantly low-cost ideas,
free printables and how tos.
My son wanted a LEGO piata for his birthday party.
I searched online and in stores and came up empty,
said Kidsguide reader Aurora Abt, who turned to the
blogs for help. Lo and behold, I found pictures and
step-by-step instructions. It was easy to make and a
fraction of the cost of a generic piata.
THE EATS. What to serve? Dont overthink it,
advised Fernandez of Lets Have a Cart Party,
which has been serving treats from vintage carts at
Southland events for more than 45 years. Kids are
pretty easy to please.
Choosing just one or two main dishes helps you plan
quantities, avoid waste and save cash, she said. Their
most popular kid items aredrumrollhot dogs,
hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries and handdipped ice cream bars, but she also fields loads of
requests for pizza, tacos and quesadillas. Count on at least two pieces
of the main dish for each grownup and one for each kid, she
said. Include a few safe options,
like fresh fruits and veggies, for
vegetarians/vegans and kids with
allergies.
You can add in some entertainment
by having guests make their own
grub. Set out toppings for a makeyour-own hot dog, mini pizza or nachos bar.
Sketch a menu on a chalkboard and let kids
choose their bread and fillings for a schmancy
grilled cheese. Create a caramel apple station, or
spear banana chunks with straws and let guests
dip them in chocolate and sprinkles. Fill hardwarestore paint buckets with pretzels, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cereal and marshmallows to make prehike trail mix.
And dont be surprised to find that a caterer is totally
affordable.We buy everything in bulk, so we can

pass those savings along to our customers, said

Fernandez, who can help you plan for any budget
(see a coupon for a free cart on page 69).
THE ENTERTAINMENT. For tiny revelers, Uncle
Bob might make a great Batman, but savvy kids will
appreciate a pro. There are plenty of performers,
face painters, reptile wranglerseven ponieswho
will come straight to you.
Flip through the Parties section starting on page 44
and order up your choice of superheroes, fairies and
other eye-popping visitors. Enlist a magician to stupefy
your guests. Order a mini tidepool for your backyard,
where guests can touch live sea creatures and get
their pictures snapped with a shark jaw. Or schedule
a science show full of explosions, bubbling potions,
experiments with hardboiled eggs, and slime to take
home. Have giant plastic orbs delivered and let your
guests walk around on your pool for the afternoon.
Whatever you do, Blue Submarines Elisa Zamora
recommends starting the activity as soon as most
guests have arrived (thebluesubmarine.com). Kids
of all ages will not be as interested if theyve already
found something else to do, she said.
Fill in the rest of your time with simple games and
hands-on diversions. See ideas on page 72.
But again, dont go overboard. Ive entertained at
parties where theyve had a bounce house and a
taco truck and a LEGO guy and a character and a
pony and a magician, Young said. If you have too
much going on, kids dont know where to focus.
Make it easy.

MYSTERY SOLVED. And when the last guest

leaves and your birthday kiddos sitting there grinning, the only mystery will be why you didnt
do this sooner. And whodunnit? You did!