One of my favourite things about being a mum (and there’s so many) is planning the kids birthday’s.
I always start planning a few months prior gathering ideas related to their chosen theme. Obviously Leo is still little but Finn is at an age now where he loves to choose his own theme and then I start planning around it (and hope he doesn’t change his mind!). This year was Fireman Sam. Honestly, I didn’t even know he liked Fireman Sam because apart from watching the odd show on ABC Kids, I had never heard him mention it. However, a fireman theme sounded fun so I was all for it.
After scoping out some inspiration on Pinterest, and adding some of our own ideas we brought it all together last month and it was an absolutely hoot of a day. I had so many questions on the day asking me how I came up with the ideas and where I sourced different things so I am sharing a few tips today and also photos of the day.
For any party, I always like to have a dessert/cake table as the main focus. I usually go for a backdrop of some sorts and this year I found a brick backdrop at Lombard’s to use as it went really well with the Fireman theme. I then found the happy birthday balloons at Kmart for $7 (air filled), which was a bargain! I was really hard to source anything Fireman Sam as it isn’t as big here in Australia and a lot of party shops don’t have the licence for them so all I could find was online. I just found a Fireman Sam balloon and a few figurines and had it blown up with helium here for $7.
I outsourced all my dessert items this year from my cake maker Tammy to reduce the stress and it definitely helped. I always choose just a few feature items. We had cupcakes, Fireman cookies (how cute are they?!), cupcakes with cute little toppers from EBay and donuts covered in red icing to match the theme. Finn and I also made up red jelly at his request. Also on the table I added a few cute little pieces that fit with the theme so that the table didn’t look too bare but also not overdone. I found adorable wooden fire trucks and the number 5, which I spray painted red. I also found some white milk bottles and put red fan decorations in them. On the table we also had water bottles for the kids with personalised stickers on them as well and we do them for every party as they are a hit.
For favours, I had two different options. I sourced personalised jars from Pink Frosting online and filled them with jellybeans for the adults. For the kids, I put a small gift and some lollies in red party bags closed with a personalised sticker.
For the kids, I set up small tables and chairs and put their food on their table so it was easily accessible to them when they need it. I chose options like fresh fruit, carrot and dips and sandwiches. For the adults, we did a full on platter on our dining table and decorated it to fit with the theme. We lay a tablecloth down and then Chance just put it all together and it is always a hit. All the food was demolished and the kids snuck some as well.
For our outfits, we did them ourselves to save on money because buying costumes can cost anything between $50- $100 for something you won’t probably wear again. I wore black pants and a top I already had and I just had to purchase red suspenders from a local discount shop for about $3 and then a Fireman hat (around $5). I was lucky that a friend already had fireman pants for Chance and also a little outfit for Leo as she had held a similar themed party a few years back. Finn’s outfit I found online for around $20.
For entertainment, I found Graham from Fire Engine Adventures. There were a few different fire truck rides on offer but Graham was the most affordable and he is a lovely man. We had him for an hour and he took everyone for a ride around the streets for about 10 minutes each time. He then had them use the “fire extinguisher” and they got to play with the horns and sirens in the front. Finn also got to ride in the front beside him and he was ecstatic. Well worth the money spent!
We also had the bouncy castle for the times they weren’t on the fire truck and also afterwards and it was $110 for 4 hours which is super cheap. Again, researching helped me find the cheapest available and it was perfect. We also had a fireman piñata for a bit of fun and that was really all the entertainment we needed, which lasted the three hours of the party.
Overall, apart from stressing in the morning (and day before) putting it all together, I was super happy with how it all looked and everyone’s comments made it all worth it, especially Finn’s. Please let me know if you have any questions and below I have also shared my top party planning tips.
HOT TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR CHILD’S PARTY
- Plan in an advance (at least one to two months) as organisation always makes it less stressful. Look at ideas on Pinterest and start visiting different party stores or looking online to find things as some can be hard to source. Send out your invites a month in advance to give people notice and also put an RSVP date otherwise people will be letting you know the day before and you’ll be scrambling for extra chairs, party bags etc (from experience!)
- Have a source of entertainment that lasts at least an hour. You want to be able to celebrate and enjoy the party as well, not spend the whole time entertaining the kids and young kids always need to be doing something. Have one feature piece of fun and try and relate it to the theme. Do your research and compare prices so you can save where needed. This will always be the most expensive part of the party though.
- Don’t overdo the food-Every time I take the kids to a party, I eat probably two or three bites and never any more. At Finn’s previous parties, there has always been leftovers and I really don’t like waste. Most people have eaten lunch or breakfast before coming and unless it’s advertised as a BBQ lunch, you can expect most people just to graze. A mixture of savoury and a few sweets is great but don’t go overboard. Also, have healthy options! There’s always going to be cake and lollies so make some healthy snacks for the kids like sandwiches, carrot sticks and hummus and fresh fruit. Also, water bottle work a treat for the kids.
- Have a kids table. If you’re having it in your own home like we do, you need to have somewhere the kids can sit (where you don’t mind them making a mess). We always hire out kids tables and chairs as they are really cheap and make it so easy for them (check out Gumtree for hire). Then the adults can utilise the couches and other chairs.
- Research to save on money-If you check out different stores and websites online you can always find the item you’re looking for, for cheaper. Do you research and look at reviews. Also, look at DIY options that you can save on as well! (plus you will have fun doing it!). Check sites like EBay, Gumtree, Etsy and online party stores like Pink Frosting.
- Don’t waste money on party favours the kids will never use. A few lollies are always a great option and I like to do one small gift that might cost a little more but that they will use. For instance, this year the boys all got a Hot Wheels car (you can find them on sale for $1 each!) and the girls mini Shopkins ($2 each). Those little favour fillers like spinning tops never get used and are just a waste of your money. You could also just do a little personalised treat jar or a candy buffet where they can take a bag as they leave.
- Start decorating the day/night before. We usually have Finn’s in the early afternoon and are always still doing something until the last minute (usually cleaning) even after starting the day before so I couldn’t imagine cramming it in on the same day!
- Plan your party time around the kids nap times (especially when young). It might be hard when you have a tonne of kids but if it’s a smaller party, check in and see when they are napping so people aren’t missing out. Also, make sure your kids have had a nap when little as the day will exhaust them.
0
Leave a Reply