Birthday Parties 101:How to Keep the Guest List Down (Part 1)

It’s your little one’s special day just once a year, and ideally, you want to include all of his best pals and loved ones during this once-a-year bash. But what if you want to keep things simple so that your kid doesn’t just have an awesome birthday party but a meaningful one, one where he remembers each guest—and not because they all brought presents!

Often, keeping the guest list down during a birthday party is one of the most tedious tasks to undertake. Here’s how to take the pain out of the cuts so that you can really pare down your kid’s party guest list.

1. Plan your master guest list as early as possible. It’s easier to pare down a long list of possible guests than to remember people later on and add them to your list as you plan the party! Start planning your potential guest list early on, such as two months before you decide to send out invitations. Remember to also ask your child (if he or she is old enough to understand) whom he wants to invite and consider his guests. Once you have all the potential candidates for the guest list, start paring things down. Be involved as a family when you do this so that you’re all in agreement over who stays and who gets cut.

2. Consider your child’s age as a factor in keeping the numbers down. Let your child’s age help you determine the kind of party you’re planning, whether it’s a big, venue-rental affair or a simple, themed party at home or in a restaurant with just a few friends. Big kids might want a party with just their closest friends. Parties of younger children, such as one- to three-year olds, may involve just a handful of your close friends who have children of similar age, or maybe your siblings and their kids.

3. Make it a kids-only affair. An off-shoot of the previous suggestion, this is really something that will help keep your guest list down. Not only do you eliminate the need to entertain adults (which counts for more than 50 percent of a guest list, especially in the Philippines!), but you’ll be able to focus more on the details of the birthday party.

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