Are traditional Birthday Parties Naff?

Are Traditional Birthday Parties Naff?

These days birthday parties seem to be less and less about the child and more and more centred on what they say about the parent. They seem to be a statement on wealth and how much you love your child. It’s become a competition to perform the best and most expensive party on the street or in your community of friends. You’ve talked to death the subject of baby swings and toddler beds with your friends and it’s now time to discuss spending huge amounts of money year after year on something your little one probably won’t even remember.

Gone are the days of the colourful plastic party bag filled with a slice of cake, a balloon, maybe a hooter and a party hat. Now, the bags are made of finely crushed and dyed paper and contain books, branded sweets, hair accessories and in some very wealthy families, they may include designer gifts such as a Dior watch or an Yves St Laurent hat.

People have gone through various crazes over the past ten years. A couple of summers ago, everyone wanted to hire Bouncy castles, before that was family pubs with huge play areas attached. This year’s craze seems to be the double decker bus which pulls up outside your house filled with all manner of play furniture. You can even pay extra to employ a face painter to remain on board or hire a clown for extra expense and entertainment and dent your pocket even further. This keeps your house from being ruined by sticky fingers but more importantly shows everyone that you’re willing to throw a huge amount of money at a birthday bash and spoil your child rotten for the day.

Certainly the children would enjoy such lavish parties and there’s nothing wrong in celebrating your child’s bash in this way, as long as it’s something you know your child would love rather than idea which you think everyone else would be impressed by. Equally, what’s wrong with celebrating in a more traditional style with a good old fashioned traditional party? Aren’t they just as much fun to a small child?

Well lets analyse.

There’s yummy food, sweet treats, party games, they get to run mad about the house (not so great for the owners admittedly but lots cheaper!) the room gets decorated, the cake is lit and songs are sung. These are all the sorts of things that younger children love to do, yet we scoff at such parties, naming them boring.

It is possible to find a middle ground? Why not employ a face painter or clown to visit your home? Have an activity up and running for when the party goers arrive – maybe get the paddling pool out if it’s fine weather, have a theme; Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties have been very popular this year and fancy dress is always a winner, especially if your child’s birthday is close to a seasonal celebration. Lets not forget that there’s a lot to be said for the parent who painstakingly creates Iggle Piggle shaped sandwiches, bakes and decorates their own cake and is nonplussed about the mammoth cleaning task before and after the big occasion. Now that’s dedication!

There is still a place for the traditional party as long as you keep with the times. Throw in some helium balloons instead of regular ones for decorations. These can also bring the added bonus of acting as gifts to supplement the party bag upon the little cherub’s exit. Decorate your cake with the latest fad, create food treats which are healthy as well as the usual standard fare, put a twist into your party games – find out the new games they play at school. Parties at home don’t have to be dull, dreary and filled with crust-less sarnies. They are as fun and exciting as you make them!

Author Bio:

This article was written by James Anderson who is a proud daddy of 2, gadget freak, photographer and daddy blogger. James has been managing his own blog for a few years now. James enjoys writing articles for mums to be and parents of young children and currently writes for Baby Planet who are a leading UK retailer of baby equipment including pushchairs, booster seats and cots. Use the voucher code profitistic5 to receive 5% off your total order.

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