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Members' tips: children's birthday parties

For certain alpha parents, children's birthday parties are the perfect opportunity to showcase their amazing parenting talents. For most of us though, the children's party can be a thing of terror. Here are more members' tips on how to survive the annual bash.

Creepy crawlies

My nephew had a party in a local hall with an animal man who brought along a very large snake, an Eagle Owl, a Barn Owl, a tarantula and a tiny baby tortoise. The kids thought it was fantastic and so did the adults.

Thanks to Raisingkids' Member Libelus

Helping hand

Get as much help as you can. Look online, there are loads of mums out there running small companies providing cakes, party bags, and catering. Order a good takeaway for the evening so you can relax after all the hard work and noise!

Thanks to Raisingkids' Member Emerson

Bag a bargain

We've done lots of silly things like fancy dress, or making paper masks and letting them draw their own designs. It's more fun to have a video and make ice-cream cornets at home (with me dressed up as an usherette with a torch and a tray!!) than to make little ones sit still in the cinema.

Thanks to Raisingkids' Member Allie

Spot the ball

My ES just turned 4 and his party went really well. I did hot dogs with lashings of ketchup, microwave popcorn in little paper cups and soft scoop icecream in cones. All really easy & cheap! Kids never eat the sarnies at parties so why bother? We played a "Pop Jr" CD in the background and the party (9 kids including ES) was in the back garden. We had a football contest (best footballer got a football shaped clock from the Poundshop) - everyone else got a medal (£1 for 8 I think from Asda) and did "Pass the parcel" (football sports bottle - Poundshop again). Party was for a specified 2 hours and the time flew! Football themed party with everything from Asda or the Poundshop.

Thanks to Raisingkids' Member Simisiime