Birthday Parties

Almost everything written about children’s parties is for the host. This is the other side: what to bring, when to turn up, and what actually helps.

Cheaper, simpler and half the weekends spent hosting. Also a fast route to one child feeling overlooked. How to tell which you are heading for.

Almost nobody enjoys party bags and almost everybody hands them out. What is genuinely expected, what gets thrown away, and what works better for the same…

Stay or drop off is the question every invitation should answer and most do not. How to decide as a host, as a guest, and what…

The guest list is the part parents agonise over most. How to decide who comes, what an invitation actually needs on it, and how to handle…

A first birthday is a party for the adults, held in front of a one-year-old. Planning it around nap times, short attention spans and parallel play…

How to plan a party for a child who finds busy rooms difficult: fewer guests, a quieter slot, a place to retreat to, and a gentler…

The questions worth asking before you pay a deposit, including the awkward ones about cancellation, capacity and what the time slot actually includes.

A complete planning guide for children under eight: the timeline, the guest list, the budget, the food, and a run sheet that survives contact with actual…