By now you know this about me, I love planning my kids parties. Give me a theme and I run with it. My son, Evan, is obsessed with number blocks. Every single day we get in the car it’s “Mom put on number blocks!” Begrudgingly, I do because my sanity and calm in the car depends on it. We decided to do this party at our house with swimming, bouncy castle and a lot of outdoor activities. It’s all about the small touches so I’m going to walk you through some of my tips and tricks to have a fun at-home party that’s completely doable and still a standout celebration.
1. The Dessert Table– This is always the centerpiece of my parties. I hired Balloons by Butterfly, a Miami company staple to do our ballon arch and cut outs- I pay up for this because it is worth it!!! Now for my desserts- Evan doesn’t like cake. He’s a donut kid, so we ordered a ton of glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme and these acrylic holders which I have used over and over again. I skimped a bit on the desserts this time around and if I went back I would have added more cookies, candies, etc. from Trader Joe’s and Costco. But alas, I’m one human and didn’t hire an event planner so this is what we had and the kids loved it. Doable, remember?
2. The Party Favors– Ready for the best hack of all time? 5 BELOW. Buy a variety of gifts and set them up like a toy store. Have a sign that says the kids can take one and everyone is so happy!!! I bought 5-10 of each toy and different options I knew everyone would love. The games were a hit.
3. Pool Party Essentials– we ask everyone to bring their own towel but many are going to forget. Set up a basket with 10 pool towels, another basket with sunscreen goggles and swim diapers, another with some pool toys and also have pool noodles, floaties and a few small inflatable tubes ready to go. I’d stay away from the giant floats because it takes up too much pool area and little ones can get trapped underneath.
*Don’t forget to hire a lifeguard and make sure a pool gate is up so parents aren’t holding onto their under 2s for dear life the whole party.*
4. Outdoor Activities– If you have a grassy area, set up a slip n slide, the kids LOVED this and was such easy entertainment. Our playground also got some good use which was nice as well as some other little stations I set up like a water table, sports area and jungle gym.
5. Bouncy Castle (if there’s space)– also a crowd favorite and another way to spread out the kids throughout the party so they’re not overcrowding one space.
6. Sticker Station– We skipped a face painter and had a DIY sticker and Lego station. I love the free for all stations, no lines- kids can be creative and play and it’s also cost effective with a similar end product- you can also sub this idea with temporary tattoos. But we know those darn tattoos never come off so I opted for stickers this time.
8. The Grub – I ordered Publix Platters (chicken poppers, sandwiches, veggies, fruit, and salad) for the adults and kids via Instacart to save hours at the grocery store. Always have some food for parents. Fed parents are happy and more fun to hang with. Coffee doesn’t hurt if it’s an AM party. For the kids main grub event, we did a big pizza order with a lot of leftovers, luckily they could be frozen and never went to waste!
9. Get a Photographer – If you’re going to make a party happen, capture those memories. During the party you’re not going to have time to snap pics and compiling them from friends is a b*tch so if you’re in Miami, hire Duno Studios. They’re amazing!
10. Have fun with it– Yes, I like all the little touches but if you’re just a pizza and cake parent and want to call it a day, kids don’t need much to have a good time. And you know who to call if you need some Music 😉
Check out my Amazon Storefront for Evan’s Birthday Party Essentials 🎉
