https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:48:28 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884475 Tue, 14 May 2019 13:03:50 +0000 PinkElephant 2884475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: haha, I get it!! Kids parties are no joke! This is one of the first kid birthday parties we’ve done at joke that isn’t a glorified play date....I’m having fun planning but after it happens I may feel more like your parents/my husband. And I’m totally considering hiring my sitter to come help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884474 Tue, 14 May 2019 13:02:44 +0000 MaryM 2884474@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is it a drop off party or are parents expected to stay?</p> <p>If parents are expected to stay, I'd invite the younger ones. That way it truly is "families" that are hanging out together. </p> <p>But if the 7 year olds are being dropped off, I'd say 0 or 1 friend for the younger sister. Otherwise she is also getting a "party" and that's not fair. </p> <p>And I say that as a younger sister ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884473 Tue, 14 May 2019 13:02:24 +0000 PinkElephant 2884473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Madison43: Thank you! Yeah, she gets forced to allow her siblings to tag along a lot, and is a really good sport about it. She’s asking for something kind of tween-y (turning seven), and I want to give it to her. I’m splashing out on nice favors, crafts, etc to be part of the whole spa/craft experience (since there’s no venue cost and it’s only 10 girls total, max), so I just didn’t feel right throwing s bunch of 4&amp;5 year olds into the mix. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884471 Tue, 14 May 2019 12:58:59 +0000 Madison43 2884471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: agree. My girls are two years apart and sometimes they are invited together and sometimes only one of them is. Sometimes I invite siblings, sometimes I don’t, it totally depends on the type of party. I think you were planning a sort of intimate drop off party for your older daughter and I’d totally stick with that and limit the guest list accordingly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884469 Tue, 14 May 2019 12:57:36 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2884469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: my parents totally ditched my one epic sleepover party for a date night...not a separate boys night/ girls night. My god mom was the adult in the room and I think it solidified her decision to be child-free lol. Anyway, you made the right decision. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884466 Tue, 14 May 2019 12:49:16 +0000 PinkElephant 2884466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: @ALV91711: thank you for backing me up. DH still thinks I’m being mean/rude, but I just let DD2 invite her original friend choice, and I don’t think anyone is mad at me 😛. I told him he has zero involvement in party planning so he has no idea about protocol...also, it turns out he was secretly hoping to go out to dinner during the party (umm, wth?!) with that girl’s dad!!! I shut down that idea fast!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884070 Fri, 10 May 2019 18:40:45 +0000 ALV91711 2884070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you need to stick to one friend for DD2. Your DH will just have to get over it! It would be different if you were having a big venue party, but your not. </p> <p>If I were the mom of the kids I’d understand just the one being invited. They are all going to have to learn at some point that to some ev bra only one sibling gets to go. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884067 Fri, 10 May 2019 18:00:05 +0000 erinbaderin 2884067@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that your younger daughter gets one friend and that’s it. Especially since it seems like the only one who feels strongly about her coming is your husband. I would definitely not feel slighted if my younger child wasn’t invited to a party like this even if I’d invited both your kids earlier - it’s apples to oranges. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884065 Fri, 10 May 2019 17:37:09 +0000 PinkElephant 2884065@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bhbee: I'm kind of thinking this, but DH seems to really think that the 5 year old of our "family friends" really should be invited, because our 5 and 2 year olds were invited to their 7 year olds' party. I disagree with him, because that was a venue party with 25 kids, and this is a small party at home. So I don't think it's fair to tell DD2 that a circumstantial friend can come, but her real friend can't...so maybe I just need to work on DH.</p> <p>The plan is definitely for the younger girls to do the same crafts; I may just seat them at a different table with my mom to oversee them while I oversee the 7 year olds. In which case, maybe I just invite all the littles and stick them in a different room entirely... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884064 Fri, 10 May 2019 17:33:02 +0000 bhbee 2884064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Could you just go back to no guests for dd2? I realize she won’t like it but it seems like that is opening the can of worms. Maybe you could say that instead she can do all the big girl activities (if appropriate) as long as she acts grown up like them. Or just go back to one friend, end of story. </p> <p>For me, trying to invite extra kids to say a play date to keep out of the older ones’ hair never works! I still end up policing it. But you may have better luck than me :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-party-guest-list-help-please#post-2884060 Fri, 10 May 2019 17:06:41 +0000 PinkElephant 2884060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD1 (turning 7) is having a small birthday party at our house. I'd like to keep it at about 10 guests, including her and her younger sister.</p> <p>I had told DD2 (5) she could invite one friend, who is the sibling of one of DD1's guests, to keep her out of the big girls' hair. DH then told me that he thinks we need to invite the younger sibling (also 5) of another one of DD1's guests because "we always do things as families with them" (I totally disagree, but whatever). So that brings the total of 5 year olds to 3, and 7 year olds to 7. Fine.</p> <p>However....a third 7 year old guest really needs to be a girl we will call K. K and DD1 have known each other since preschool, and though they aren't in class together thisyear, they will spend a lot of time together in summer camp, and will be together at the same "neighborhood elementary school" for grades 2-5 (our schools break out after 1st grade). DD1 was just invited to this girl K's party, where there were only about 6 kids invited (no siblings).</p> <p>However, K also has two little sisters - DD2 is good friends with one of them (5), and the other one (just turned 4) really likes DD2. All three of my girls recently went to K's littlest sister's party (big party venue), and K and both her siblings recently came to DD2's 5th birthday.</p> <p>So. I think we should invite K (and DD1 is happy to do so), but I'm torn on asking her little sister(s). The 5 year old could hang, but I think the 4 year old is too young for most of the activities I have planned for the 7 year olds, and having both of these girls would mean we had 5 little girls, and only 5-7 big girls. It doesn't seem fair to DD1 to dominate a small, in home party for a 7 year old with that many 4 &amp; 5 year olds.....For reference, it's a sleepover-themed, evening party. </p> <p>Thoughts? Am I over thinking? I was planning to talk to the mom; the only reason I feel kind of jerky is because it's not like I've said there can't be ANY younger kids...I"m just trying to limit it. K's little sisters will definitely know about the party. I could invite K's 5 year old sister and not her 4 year old sister, but I almost think that's meaner....help! :) </p>