If you have a kiddo whose birthday falls in unfavorable weather, you’re in the same boat as I am. I have a real problem with my son’s early January birthday, because even in Texas, it’s just about impossible to depend on the weather to be nice enough for a simple outdoor park or yard party. That sends us indoors for the celebrations, and at least for this season of life, we do not have a home that is fit to host a party.
Which leaves us with the big (and often expensive) indoor play place venues to choose from. My son has been to two Chuck E Cheese birthday parties in the past year and wanted nothing else for his third birthday party. I’m not the biggest fan, but it’s not about me, right? So, Chuck E. Cheese or bust. But when I went to book his party online I just. couldn’t. do it.
When I added up just his cousins close in age and the friends who have invited him to birthday parties in the past year (plus their siblings), it was 24 kids total. Plus food and drinks for adults. No matter how many ways I added it up, the total for the most basic party kept coming to roughly $500. That was just too much for us, any way we sliced it. I felt terrible. But we came up with an alternative and our son loved it.
What we did:
We just had to throw the guest list out the window. We asked our son who his best friends were, and he named two cousins immediately. Done. We took them all out to dinner (our son’s choice), gave them each $10 to spend in tokens at Chuck E. Cheese and they all had a GREAT time.
What did we miss out on with the big party? Of course we missed seeing all the people we love, but in those two hours that you get in a loud crowded place, do you really think your child is spending quality time with each guest? Mine certainly wouldn’t! He was so focused on having his own fun, he hardly played with the two friends he DID bring. (Chuck E. Cheese isn’t the best environment for group play in general, I’d say.) Of course, we didn’t get the special birthday treatment, but I’d say we made him feel pretty special all day long. We also missed the hoards of presents that come with big parties. And I’m okay with that, too. We got him a couple of presents that we know he’ll enjoy rather than twenty $15 presents that will overwhelm him all at once and clutter up my house in a heartbeat. And we still didn’t spend anywhere near that $500.
Overall, when it comes to indoor parties, it’s worth comparing the party price to the cost of paying for all of your guests to attend individually. When visiting our family in Michigan, my parents insisted we celebrate our son’s birthday there too. So they covered a party for him and his seven cousins at a fun indoor play place called Catch Air. I looked at the cost for the smallest party (8-10 kids) and it was $209. What do you get for that? A room for your party, a special appearance from the mascot and admission for all of your guests. No food included in that price.
What did we do instead? We paid the walk-in price (discounted if you buy a punch card) which was $6 for the younger kids and $7 for the older ones. For a grand total of $51. What did we miss out on? A room. That was fine. I watched the official birthday parties going on with either empty rooms, or parents trying to pry their kids away from playing to go into the room for the next part of the party. Our party concluded with a family brunch at my grandparents’ house, but we could’ve treated to lunch or donuts or ice cream after the play place party and still saved money in the long run.
What else you can do:
Ask guests to pay their own admission in lieu of gifts. Or if the adults are the ones driving up the cost of the party, pay for the kids’ admission, but again ask that adults pay their own way (and still not bring gifts.) As long as you state this clearly in the invitation, nobody will mind. (If they have a problem with it, then they have the option to decline your invitation!) As a parent myself, I get how ridiculously expensive birthday parties are and if you really just want the fun experience your child has been dreaming about in the company of their best friends, then I don’t mind paying for my child to attend. It’s probably something I would pay to attend on our own anyway.
Choose a non-meal time and skip the cost of feeding lots of people. Stick with just snacks or just cake and ice cream. Or, have a morning party and serve donuts–it’s dessert and “food” in one! It always helps to share this detail in your invitation so parents know to not bring hungry kids! A simple “cake and ice cream will be served” covers it.
Have your party on a weeknight. Indoor play places will charge the most for prime weekend time, but if you think you can get your crew together on a weeknight, that price will drastically drop.
Consider a fast-food joint with a play place. Especially if your kiddo already loves the place–McDonalds, Chick-fil-A, anyone? Buy all the kids a $4 kids meal (or even just ice cream!) and let them play together! That’s a party, why not?
Rent a lane at a bowling alley–simple, inexpensive and some kids really get into bowling!
See a matinee! Movie theater parties can be done on the cheap with a small number of kids, especially if you see a morning show when the prices are cheapest! I know that the concessions are non-negotiable for many movie-goers, but that’s really what will drive your price up fast. So, while sneaking snacks in is frowned upon, maybe you could buy everyone a small drink and then pass out little bags of chips and candy once you’re in the theater?
Look into local daycares that moonlight as party pads. My favorite birthday party we went to this past year was at a daycare! They had a big multipurpose room with lots of “Little Gym” style activities. These might not always be the cheapest, but they’re worth looking into!
And of course, have a few close relatives over for a favorite dinner followed by birthday cake. Do not underestimate how special a simple family party can be.
No matter what you do, understand that you don’t have to spend a lot of money for your child to have a spectacular birthday. I think there is an undue pressure on parents these days to spend a certain amount of money on gifts or parties for you to be a good parent. I’ve felt the guilt for sure. If you genuinely want to spend the money (and have it to spend) then by all means, spend it! But don’t let the guilt and pressure send you into credit card debt. It’s okay to teach your child from a young age that feeling special is not measured by dollars but by the thoughtfulness of those around us. And that starts with our attitudes as parents.
Happy party throwing, friends! Do you have any other ideas for inexpensive indoor birthday parties? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
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I had no idea some day cares let you have parties there after-hours! After this year, we’re definitely going with a more frugal party for my daughter’s next birthday and these tips will come in handy – thank you!