Mind Tchotchkes For The Crotchety Millennial

I love planning parties. It’s so much fun, especially when there’s a theme included. Growing up, my mom always made sure we had birthday parties. She’s a children’s entertainer (dresses up as characters and does birthday parties) so, it tracks. We recently did a My Little Pony birthday party for my kiddo.

A few things to consider when you’re planning a party:

Location
Guest Count
Theme
Budget

Location:

We currently rent a townhome so our place isn’t the most ideal for hosting a birthday party. If you don’t have a big space for kids to run around, it might be best to ask a friend or family member, find another location that fits your budget, or reserve a clubhouse space if you have access to one.

We opted for a birthday at one of our favorite places, Chuck E. Cheese. It can be pricey depending on how many kids you have but since we have a small network and my kiddo isn’t in school yet, a total of 5 kids came. We rented a table for 2 hours and chose the Mega Party package. It was just what we needed.

The kids got bracelets to use for unlimited play for a 2-hour time frame. We went on Saturday afternoon and it wasn’t too crowded.

When choosing a location, also consider your child’s personality. My kiddo doesn’t love jumping around or acting too wild. It takes her time to try new things. So if we go to a jump house or places like that, it’s not always a hit.

What I love about Chuck E. Cheese is that it offers games for all ages and rides for the littler kids. There’s enough there for her to do based on her comfort level.

I have so many great memories of Chuck E. Cheese from my own childhood, that even though I know there are a lot of other places like it, I remain a Chuck E. Cheese loyalist.

Guest Count

Obviously, the more kids you have, the more expensive a party is likely to be. I’m really grateful for the few little friends that my daughter has since she’s not in preschool or anything. It’s been great for her to have these connections.

Do you want to invite the whole class? Or just a few close friends? I try to ask my kids for their preferences on it as we’re planning and see what they tell me. For this party, I really felt we had the perfect amount of everything going on.

Theme:

One of the most fun parts! What shows, characters, books, hobbies, etc. is your kid into? Let that be your guide. We went with a My Little Pony birthday party for this year. It’s been a huge favorite lately. Since the party was smaller, I decided to get custom MLP goody bags here and custom shirts here. My daughter’s birthday is close to Christmas, so I don’t mind doing it as a bit of a mashup: My Little Ponies in Santa hats.

The theme is where you get to add all the accent items and you can go as over the top or as subtle as you want. There are so many great places to shop for items, Etsy being an obvious favorite.

Lastly, consider your budget. Write one out beforehand to get an idea of what it’s going to cost you. Include everything in your mock budget: venue, decor, present, goody bags, cake, food. This will give you an idea of what you need to budget and save for and whether you want to make any adjustments.

kids in matching black my little custom pony shirts. Ponies are wearing santa hats and standing in snow.

My little pony custom goody bad. White cloth bag with Pony on it and custom child's name.

Bonus: Hire a photographer to cover the event. I’m a photographer so of course, I’m biased here. But I think it’s super worth it. If you don’t want to hire someone, designate a person to take pics to document the day for you. Maybe someone who’s into photography? Even if it’s just a cell phone, it’s so nice to have the memories of the day and all the hard work you put into it, documented. Not to mention, Chuck E. Cheese is pretty great for photo ops <3 Check these out from our My Little Pony birthday party: