You may know me as a business owner, but I’m also a mom! My girls are (mostly) grown up now, but when they were little I always held their birthday parties in our home. I spent way too much time planning the theme, trying to find the perfect goody bags, and ensuring that I always had a new game or craft for guests to play. We went all out, and it was exhausting.

Now, after hosting over 490 birthday parties at Cut & Paste, I’ve got a whole new perspective on what makes a successful party. We’ve learned a lot about what makes the birthday kid happy, what keeps the guests busy and what will reduce your stress!

Here are My Top Tips for a Fun and Stress-Free Party

1. Keep the guest list short. This is the hardest thing! Kids want EVERYONE to come, schools say you have to invite the whole class, and there is pressure to invite all the kids who’ve invited your kid in the past. But, if there is any way to keep the list short, do it!! We’ve seen that the smallest parties usually have the most fun, the least stress and the fewest meltdowns.

2. Go somewhere! While home parties can be less expensive, taking the party to a business that specializes in parties can save you so much time and trouble. First off, you don’t have to clean your house twice (before AND after the party). Secondly, you’ll get a party host who can run the whole show for you. Thirdly (and best of all), your party will have a definite end time, meaning you won’t have kids hanging around long past the time the party ends.

3. Forget the Goody Bags. I know it’s a bold idea, but consider it! The moms of the guests will thank you for it. If you’re having a party at Cut & Paste, the craft IS the goody the kids take home! If you are doing the party at home, there are a lot of fun alternatives to the classic goody bag. Buy a bunch of mylar balloons, write each guest’s name on a balloon and tie something cute like a bracelet or a Lego mini figure to the balloon to weigh it down.

4. Keep the food simple. After nearly 500 parties, here are the things I’ve found kids like and dislike.

They love: cupcakes, donuts instead of cake for morning parties, a choice of chocolate or vanilla, sprinkles and simple flavors.

They don’t love: dark red, blue, hot pink or dark purple icing, fondant, flavors they’ve never heard of, and non-pareils (those super hard round candies).

If your party is right at a meal time, kids will often eat up pizza or chicken nuggets, but if its 3:30 in the afternoon, chances are, they just aren’t that hungry. Warn the parents of the guests if you plan to serve a meal, so they don’t feed them beforehand.

5. Don’t make Uncle Joe sit through the whole party. Unless you are having a family party, don’t force the extended family to sit through the whole party. At Cut & Paste, we recommend inviting the uncles and grandpas for the last 30 minutes. That way they get a slice of cake but don’t have to stand around watching kids craft for the first hour. This is especially important if there is limited space or seats for adults.

6. Only open gifts from the kids. Present opening time can really drag on if the guest of honor is opening the gifts from all the relatives AND the party guests. The guests may get a little stir crazy if they’re young. I recommend keeping present time short and sweet and open the family gifts later in a more personal setting.

7. Make a plan for siblings and parents. This can be a touchy situation. If you invite a classmate whose parents you’ve never met, they may not feel comfortable just dropping their child off with you and leaving. That may mean that they need to stay, and they might have other children with them. If it’s not financially feasible to include the siblings in the party, you might put a note on the invitation that outlines what their options are. For example: “Cut & Paste has many reasonably priced options for you if your family would like to stay and craft while John attends the party.”

8. Find a sitter for siblings. This is another touchy subject. Families like to be together to celebrate a birthday. But if you are holding your party at a venue, think about how much attention your other children are going to need. If the kids are skating, and the guests need a little help, you may find it hard to juggle your toddler and your guests. If your daughter wants a Spa Party, her older brother may get very bored. While it’s great, in theory, to include the whole family, sometimes it’s not practical

I hope this helps you plan your next birthday party!

If you’d like to book a party with Cut & Paste, give us a call at 859-223-0114.

And keep an eye out for our new Spa Parties, coming October 1. We’ll also be announcing new options for boys and teens.

Laurie