3rd Bday- help me plan « Hellobee Boards

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3rd Bday- help me plan

By Mrs. Lemon-Lime Sep 16, 2018

I'm planning LO's first ever birthday party and he is turning three. I have been toying with a Wild Things theme, although LO is barely interested in the book he does enjoy his "claws". The Wild Things theme is more so about the rumpus! Here's what I am thinking so far. What am I missing? What can I omit?

Venue: our home

Activities:
-little gym* set up in our garage (music will play)
- inflatable slide* set up in our driveway facing the garage
-sidewalk chalk
-temporary tattoos
- craft like a Wild Things mask making station printable/ crayons or brown paper bags/ mixed media & glue sticks (the bright colors of the gym & slide clash with the Wild Things color scheme)
-corn holes** would I need to get two? set up in the front or backyard?
- word search**

* suitable for kids 4 and under
** more so for the adults and older kids

Food:
-Chick Fil A nuggets- CFA sauce, Sriracha sauce, and I need a third??
-Fruit tray (I'll either buy or DIY- include melons, berries, apples, pineapple)
-Chips & Dips- yellow and blue corn tortilla chips with 3-4 dips like Guac, Black bean & corn relish etc.
-Veggie tray & Green Goddess dip (MAYBE)- red peppers, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, celery, and carrots

Vanilla birthday cake
Sprinkle cookies
Chocolate chip cookies
Assorted ice cream flavors

CFA Lemonade, crazy straws for the kids
Spiked CFA Lemonade, striped straws for the adults
Beer

Decorations
-balloons tied to golf tees to line the driveway
-streamers at the front door
-garage- LO's name balloon in the garage, more balloons or streams from the ceiling
- dining room streamers for the buffet tables
-somewhere a number 3 balloon (maybe refreshment stand)

Party Rentals
-kiddie table(s) & chairs for eating and craft project (inside)
-refreshment stand driveway (double for tattoo station)
- 2-3 high top tables or cafe tables with chairs for the adults to use in the driveway (or I could roll up our two chaises and lay flat like benches)

Favors
- crazy straws
-balloons
-craft project (if we do one)

Guests
- Co workers and local family their kids range in ages 4-9 (total 7 kids)
- LO's daycare friends, all 3 yr olds (I'm FB friending the mom's of the kids I know LO plays with to invite personally; should be 8 invites, and they may have older/ younger siblings that come)
- Neighbors, I would invite the small kids that would be able to see the party from their house (5 total)
- Other family- all adults

What time would you expect this party to start?
What would be the order of the activities/ party flow?

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32 comments

peaches1038
nectarine / 2047 posts

Sep 16, 2018

This party looks AWESOME. My guy is turning 3 in November and woukdnlose his mind over that little gym and bouncy house. DS still naps so getting to parties before 330/4 is not possible. I actually prefer morning parties, like 9am hahha
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@peaches1038: if it was in the morning say 10 am, how would the menu change?

I’m thinking the menu feels like a 2 pm party, but if you eat breakfast at 7-8 am like LO does then 10 am is a snack.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

If the craft project wasn’t “Wild Thing” there’s still lots of other paper plate monsters the kids could make.
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

For 3 year olds I definitely think a morning party works better. Nap times vary so getting to an afternoon party can be tricky. I would plan on serving lunch at 11:30 and having snacks/ apps out before.

I also think you can definitely cut down on stuff. I’d think about what your LO will like the most, what you care about the most, and then trim down a little. This is coming from someone who tends to go a little overboard
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I love those plate crafts! I think that’s a great idea.
Jennibenni
persimmon / 1005 posts

Sep 16, 2018

This party sounds awesome! Polynesian for your third sauce for sure.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Foodnerd81: hmm,

LO will love the gym, we visit a train museum that has the same climbing train apparatus. He always comes home with something on his arm- I think they are stamps, so the temporary tattoo will be a hit. He gets a kick out of drinking from straws and the crazy straws would be new for him. He likes crafts, but if he had to choose between craft and playing on the gym he would choose the gym. My thought was to usher the kids inside for the craft before opening up the garage door to the gym. Their craft creations would then adorn the dining room for snack and cake making it even more festive in there- that’s a me thing.

In terms of foods, the veggie tray is probably his least favorite. He’ll eat tomatoes all day long, but uses celery and carrots sticks as a vessel for the dip. I could skip ice cream altogether. He hasn’t been exposed to it that much and definitely doesn’t know that “cake & ice cream” go together.

For the older kids, what else could they do if I eliminate corn holes and the word search. The rest of the house and backyard will be open and available for guests to roam. I’d like to avoid older kids just sitting on our couch watching TV especially when we bring the party inside and no one thinks to turn it off and I am preoccupied and cannot do it myself.

As for the decor the garage can get a way with just streamers.

The booze definitely stay. Is vodka still good mixer with the lemonade at 10 or 11 am in the morning? The sidewalk chalk is NBD. I could create Twister dots with the chalk and the big kids could play that. Do you have some trim down ideas?
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Foodnerd81: wait, am I doing too much with the chips and dips? This was definitely more so for the adults as I figured the kids would eat the tortilla chips without the dip. Initially, I was thinking Sun Chips, but that’s the same color as the chicken. Goldfish is for sure a treat for LO, he’s had it school and twice with us because we had to get snacks from a vending machine. Man, he wouldn’t let me forget that he still had some left over.
Portboston
persimmon / 1281 posts

Sep 16, 2018

This all looks amazing!!!

Our friends all have youngish kids, most of whom still nap. All the parties we go to/have start around 3pm and it’s never a problem.
meadow
persimmon / 1272 posts

Sep 16, 2018

Oh my gosh....do you own that gym equipment....it looks unreal!!
crazydoglady
nectarine / 2431 posts

Sep 16, 2018

I don't think the word search is necessary. I teach middle school and the kids won't touch them. Even older kids will love sidewalk chalk.
Madison43
persimmon / 1483 posts

Sep 16, 2018

I agree that for 3 year olds, a morning party is best. 10:30 am - 12:30 pm is usually the window around here - for that reason, I’d probably not buy a ton of alcohol (and we are definitely social drinkers). Even when I’ve served mamosas at that time, they are barely touched. When we do house parties, I always rent a bounce house and it’s a huge hit. A word of caution though - my girls and their friends are all very close in age (3 and 5) so the bounce house works. They can be brutal if the ages are mixed - little kids always end up crying and it can actually get a little dangerous. Also, for the party rentals, if you plan on having a lot of parties at home, you might want to consider buying a kids table and chairs. We bought an adjustable table on Amazon (it goes from a kids table to a regular height) and a bunch of mini folding chairs and it was cheaper than renting them, and we’ve used them a lot. I’ll figure I’ll just sell them whenever my youngest has outgrown the chairs.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@meadow: no! An ad popped up on my Instagram feed and I crossed my fingers the company was local and they are!!

@crazydoglady: ok, thanks I’ll omit the word search.

@Jennibenni: thanks, that was my old favorite. One time I let LO dip in into and then he bypassed the chicken and just wanted to drink the sauce.

@Madison43: Yeah, I definitely don’t want boo boos and tears. We don’t have to invite the coworkers and local family. 2/3 coworkers invites LO to their kids parties, the other coworker has not. The local family has not invited LO to their three kids’ parties, but I have a feeling if my FIL comes they will know about the party/ want to come. As for my neighbors, the one with three kids, I’ll let the mom know it’s really better suited for her youngest.
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I just mean to pair down on what you have to do so you can relax and enjoy the party more. But I also know you love hosting and I’m pretty sure a casual get together for you is still a well thought out affair, not the thrown together stuff I end up with.

So personally for me, I would cut back on what you need to do the day or the party. I opted not to get any helium balloons for our last party because I didn’t feel like dealing with that the morning of. Same for outside decorations- I tried to keep t to things I could put up the night before. So in your case, while I love the idea of balloons lining the driveway, I probably would run out of time. (Which is another reason people do like afternoon parties, but my kids are too grumpy in the afternoon so oh well).

I agree with you on keeping the craft- I think that’s nice for kids to do when they arrive and are warming up and for when they need a break from running around.

Does CFA deliver the nuggets hot or do you have to cook them? Make sure you have plenty of ketchup for the 3 year olds.

Oh and i decided not to do ice cream because I didn’t feel like scooping it. It’s hectic enough cutting the cake fast enough. But I have seen on Pinterest where people pre scoop and freeze in cupcake trays to make t faster on the day of.

It sounds like your LO will have a blast!
DesertDreams88
grapefruit / 4361 posts

Sep 16, 2018

I agree with the others about timing at age 3, you will have guests ages 2-4 it sounds like so a lot will still be napping 1-3, give or take an hour. So I would do 10-1, serving a lunch, and then menu can stay the same.

I think your amount of food sounds fine as long as you guys are cool with eating the leftovers for lunch and dinner the next couple of days. Or be ready to send home some of the food at the end with family.

I would ditch the word search, I don't think any kid would do it with all of the other options, which all sound great. I would keep the corn hole for adults and older kids. You need 2 to play.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@DesertDreams88: what would you tweak on the menu to reduce leftovers?

CFA nuggets
Fruit tray

Chips & dips could be subbed for Sun Chips and Gold Fish (I’m thinking of the serving dishes I have would accommodate both)

The adults will eat the Veggie Tray, right?

@Foodnerd81: pre-scooped was my plan You bring up a good point about having to slice and serve up cake quickly. I did have a thought to let LO blow out candles on a small smash cake and then serve cupcakes. We would have the cake for dinner. But, then do I buy cupcakes just for the kids or all the guests? The adults could have a cookie if they really wanted a sweet.
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I have been to two parties that has both cake and cupcakes (including my LO’s 5th bday) and the majority of the kids wanted the cake anyway. Mine was hectic because Dh ordered the pizzas for half an hour later than I said!

If you personally would rather the chips and dip, and it’s not too much work for you, do that. Although you can’t go wrong with goldfish. We did the rainbow goldfish in the goody bags for our rainbow party. But for me I would have no problem doing blue and yellow corn chips with store made guacamole and jarred salsa and calling it a day. Veggies, yes adults will at least pick at or put on the side of the kids plates even if the kids won’t eat it anyway. And definitely fruit!
DesertDreams88
grapefruit / 4361 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: can't really tell from your original post, how many invited adults and kids?
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@DesertDreams88:

If I invite everyone that I listed above from the different groups- coworkers, daycare friends, neighbors...

22 kids, 14 would be age 3 or 4, the target for the gym and slide.

20 adults, assuming 1 parent only for the daycare friends, assuming all family that would have to drive 5+ hours or fly would come.

The list can be shaved down. For instance LO has only ever played with one of the neighbors although their are 5 kids that could potentially get the invite.
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I would rather include everyone in the neighborhood than potentially offend one of them- like the parents might understand why you didn’t include their older kids, but the kids might still be hurt. And parents will use their judgment about bringing older kids to a 3 year old bday party.
Madison43
persimmon / 1483 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: one guest list question. Are you sure that only one daycare parent per child will attend? That could dramatically increase your headcount if 2 adults per kids (and maybe younger siblings came)? I have found that at that age, you tend to get the whole family at a party, as opposed to just one parent and one child.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

You all have been so helpful!!! I also reached out to LO’s God mom, she’s around kids all the time to tweak some details.

Start time 10:00 am, hopefully wrapped up between noon-1 pm.

Menu-
CFA nuggets with CFA sauce, Sriracha, and Polynesian
Fruit Tray
Veggie Tray with Green Goddess dip
Rainbow Goldfish
Yellow & blue corn tortilla chips with store bought Guac, homemade black bean & corn salsa, and mix of storebought Pico de Gallo & salsa (chunk it up a bit!)

Vanilla birthday cake
Sprinkle cookies*
Chocolate chip cookies*

*will also package for taking home too! Baggie with monster sticker.

Party/ order activities
- As people arrive: Sidewalk chalk, Temporary Monster tattoos, Slide for the LOs
-Monster paperplate & popsicle craft
- -Chips & Dip out, Lemonade w/ crazy straws/ booze out- -
- Open garage door to Climbing Gym for LOs
- Big kids can do Corn Holes and Twister (might even do this solely in the backyard)
- Serve lunch (nuggets, fruit and veggie trays, Goldfish)
- Slide “parade”
- Sing Happy Birthday, eat cake
- Play more, go home.
crazydoglady
nectarine / 2431 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Sounds perfect!
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Madison43: no, that was definitely an assumption on my part. I don’t know how many of LO’s friends are only children. For liability purposes I will have the unfront convo with all the parents that the activity is intended for smaller children. Although I’ll have stuff for the bigger ones to do I don’t plan to advertise it since this party is truly planned with LO in mind. If there’s more daycare related people it’s not a big deal, but certainly I’m going to try my best and get a firm headcount.

For the OOT family, I plan to give them a Save the Date around Thanksgiving and that’s 11 adults.
meadow
persimmon / 1272 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: gotcha!! That's awesome!
Foodnerd81
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts

Sep 16, 2018

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: that schedule and menu sounds great!
peaches1038
nectarine / 2047 posts

Sep 16, 2018

Sounds perfect!
CatchAFallingStar
nectarine / 2806 posts

Sep 16, 2018

Wow! Lucky kiddo. When my daughter turned 3, we had 4 family members over and cake & ice cream. Ha! I’m feeling a bit inadequate.
Mommy Finger
pomegranate / 3272 posts

Sep 17, 2018

The only thing that I would add is that I've noticed that parties at the home never end when you think they will. Usually people are just hanging out and having fun so some things will take longer than they would at a party outside the home. For instance, my friend just had a party that started at 10 am. Per the invite, it was supposed to end at 12 and lunch and cake would be served. She didn't get lunch out until 11:30 since that was the flow of the party. So if you want things to end at a certain time, you'll need to keep things on track. If you're fine with things going long, no worries, just enjoy!
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 17, 2018

@Madison43: ha! Just read the fine print on the rental company. I doubt I have enough items to rent to meet the delivery requirement. I’m going to scour FB and see what I find.

@Mommy Finger: I’m okay with lingering guests. We have the climbing gym and slide until 2 pm. The longer people stay the more they’ll eat up the finger food.
Hypatia
kiwi / 500 posts

Sep 18, 2018

Can you get a platter of CFA chicken minis? They're nuggets wrapped in a sweet bread. It's my favorite breakfast ever.
Mrs. Lemon-Lime
wonderful pea / 17279 posts

Sep 18, 2018

@Hypatia: yes, those are available on the catering menu. I love those too! For this party I want more of a lunch menu.

I know it’s super early to plan all this, but I’m excited and need to think everything through to utilize my “new” help. My dad used to help me execute dinners and parties. I have already jotted down wording ideas for siblings/ safe play/ parking.

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