Charlie received two 6th birthday party invitations today for drop-off parties. One is at a car-racing place and the other is at the zoo.
I am fine with drop-off parties at venues. In New York where space is a premium, it seems that many parties from now on will be drop-off!
What age would you be ok with a drop off party at a venue? (I'd feel differently if it were in someone's home that I didn't know.)
squash / 13208 posts
The 6 yr old parties we have been to have not been drop off - not sure when that will happen around here - my DS is pretty reserved though and not sure if he would go to one.
@Mrs. Bee: how does that work - did the invite say "no parents" or "drop off only"
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Never!!
Not really, but this is hard for me to think about, especially given Xander's severe milk allergy. Assuming he doesn't grow out of it, I wouldn't feel comfortable dropping him off anywhere until I felt confident that he knew what he could/couldn't have and how to use his EpiPen OR I felt VERY comfortable with the adult that was going to be there to ensure he didn't eat anything he couldn't have.
6 sounds like a reasonable age to me in general... but I still don't want to think about it.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
@Mamaof2: Yeah, I was wondering that as well!
I dunno, I am actually more concerned about drop off parties at venues, especially since they seem not to stay in the same room (at the bounce places, they move from room to room) and I'd be worried that they're not diligently counting up all the kids.
squash / 13208 posts
@Mrs. Bee: also are these small parties? Like 5-6 kids? I cant imagine 2 parents wrangling 20 kids at the zoo alone!
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
Our almost 5 year old got invited to a 5 year old boy's drop off and camp out slumber birthday party. I just can't imagine. How will all those five year olds get their needs met for 12 hours? Besides, my daughter comes to sleep with us halfway through the night most nights.
I found the invite quite outside the spectrum of typical.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
It started at 4 around here. People have no problem with it and the kids all go.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@Mamaof2: the car party is small, but the zoo party is big. we'd just stay at the zoo with olive so we'd be close by, but wouldn't attend the party.
the invitation says drop-off party.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
i'm so glad your kids are ahead of mine in ages, so i can just follow along on what i need to expect in the future! 
grapefruit / 4321 posts
I would be much less comfortable with a drop off party at a venue than at someone's house. I would worry it would be too much for the parents to make sure no kids go wandering off, that's not really a problem at home. My daughter is only 2.5 but we already have "sleep overs" where she will stay at a friend's house or a friend will stay at her house allowing the other parents to have a big night out and not have to wake up bright and early with their LO. We have three families with whom we are close enough that we do this pretty regularly to give each other a break.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
I attended my first sleepover birthday party when I was six! Though it was just three girls. I'm a long way from these decisions but I guess I would hope I'd be willing to grant my kids that much space/independence by that age. Barring medical issues or major allergies.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@PawPrints: my daughter has allergies resulting in anaphylaxis. But 10 5 year olds for a sleep over seems like a lot to me!
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
Wagon Jr. has already been to a couple of drop-off parties! Parents were welcome to stay but we chose to drop off as did most parents. Both were in public places with staff (a pottery painting place) and it was great to be able to run some errands!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@mrs. wagon: charlie's 5th birthday party was also drop-off optional because space was limited, and several parents did drop off! in general i think maybe i am more on the free-range side when it comes to things like this!
pomelo / 5093 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: Were they just camping in their backyard? Was it some huge number of children? I'm having a little trouble understanding the issue with it. I wouldn't hesitate to throw my (almost) four year old a back yard camp out slumber party with three or four friends. We'd just camp out there with them in a big tent.
Actually, that sounds fun. Now I want to do it for her next birthday.
ETA: wow, I see that you said 10. That's kind of a lot. But still, if there were two capable adults, I wouldn't worry about it too much.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
@sarac: 10 kids, boys and girls, 2 adults who have 2 other little children aged 2 and newborn.
I've never seen a 5 year old slumber party camp out before. I would say it is slightly outside the spectrum of normal... but maybe not to others. I'm not opposed in principle, but our daughter won't be attending for the reasons I mentioned above (allergies and unable to sleep alone all night).
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
5/6 seems like a reasonable drop off age. That's when more school friends are invited versus family and family friends. I still remember my brother's drop off parties at that age and it wasn't all that chaotic. My parents usually kept the invited guest list to under a dozen kids and there were at least three of us aattending to all the kids- both parents at by then a babysitting age teen. At his 8th birthday sleepover one of the kids double checked the hot dogs with me. The child knew to ask if the hot dog was pork before taking a bite. I sometimes find parents are more distracted by having to entertain other adults than they are with the kids.
persimmon / 1379 posts
Around our area most 4-5 year old parties became drop off. At venues, these are smaller spaces that are rented out for one party, and potential for kids to travel outside of the party zone is practically zero. Our older daughter is 5 and we haven't stayed at a party for her in about a year!
persimmon / 1379 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: Wow. A camp out. That is outside the norm for us, and would be outside my comfort zone, for sure!
eggplant / 11287 posts
If it was a close frind, I'd feel comfortable dropping her off now and she's 3 next month. I'm not really sure what there is for me to be worried about?
nectarine / 2173 posts
I don't remember going to any parties as a kid where my parents stayed at the party. I was of course without allergies or issues. But I do think things have changed...
pineapple / 12234 posts
Probably now at 6 for a close friend (as long as I know the parents and feel comfortable).
pomelo / 5093 posts
@Mrs. Jacks: Yeah, that ratio of parents to children would not make me comfortable either. I still really like the idea, but I'd limit it to way fewer kids. 5, max.
eggplant / 11287 posts
@sapphire: same here. I remember my third birthday party and we have lots of home videos from that day. Lot of kids...not a lot of parents!
If you know the parents, I don't get why dropping off would be an issue.
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
When I was a kid, all parties were drop off, from four onwards at least, and they were fun! I think though, English houses are much smaller than American ones, there just isn't room for kids + parents + siblings. I would be okay with drop off now if parents are close friends (2.5) but I think 4 if it's at a school friend's house whose parents I don't really know.
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