A few questions - planning 8yo dd's birthday party

[Dana in OR]

1. How many children to invite - is there an optimal number?

2. All girls or mixed girls and boys?

3. How long shall the party last?

Any other tried-and-true advice is much appreciated.


I want to avoid any and all melt-downs. :lol:

[Brenda in FL]

The answer to all your questions is "It depends":tongue_smilie:

Have you asked dd what type of party she'd like? That would determine if girls only or mixed. Does she have an idea of who she would like to invite?

I'd pick a number that you are comfortable hosting and that the location can handle. Keep in mind that most birthday party merchandise comes ion packages of 8.

Personally - I go for smaller parties than larger. Larger parties being where a child's whole class has been invited to the party (yikes!!).

If I have a party at home I usually plan 2.5-3 hours, depending on the activities and ages of the kids. (Younger kids - less time). If you have a set plan of activities than make sure you plan the timing wisely. You don't want a bunch of kids running wildly thru the house for the last half hour, because you ran out of activities.

My dd is turning 8 this summer, she's having a Polly-Pocket themed slumber party - so all girls, there will probably be about 8 invited. Dinner time to just after breakfast.

Have FUn!!

[Dana in OR]

The answer to all your questions is "It depends":tongue_smilie:

My dd is turning 8 this summer, she's having a Polly-Pocket themed slumber party - so all girls, there will probably be about 8 invited. Dinner time to just after breakfast.

Have FUn!!

Brenda, you're a braver woman that I am to have a slumber party for eight 8-yr-old girls! I can't get my dd to commit to a theme so I'm getting ready to make some executive decisions so I can get the invitiations out. We are probably going to have a small party unless some of the guests' siblings end up staying. I got a multitude of items from Michaels when I was in Arizona last week to use for game prizes and goody bags. I just hate having to pull this all together when we just got back from a long trip.

[Tracey in TX]

1. How many children to invite - is there an optimal number?

2. All girls or mixed girls and boys?

3. How long shall the party last?

Any other tried-and-true advice is much appreciated.


I want to avoid any and all melt-downs. :lol:

2 hrs
mixed is fun with activities which hold boys' interest
adult-child ratio (minimum 1:10)

I do parties in stations, and rotate through. Have an itinerary w/ 15 minute intervals. Several extra activities in case one is a bust! We've had as few as 4 other kids, as as many as 45 extra guests at home.

[Jenstet]

I like combined brother/sister birthday parties with lots of kids as long as it is not at my house. They can be expensive but going to a Bounce U or Chuck E. Cheese is worth the extra cash if you don't have to deal with all the set up.