Going to chuck e cheese bday party tonight with my two kids - how to handle

[Anonymous]

We are invited to a Chuck E Cheese birthday party tonight, and I am going with my two girls who are almost 3 and almost 5 years old. It's for a 5 year old girl's party. Now normally when I go with my two girls, I keep us all together, and we go from one game to another. But tonight, I think my older one will want to hang out with her preschool friends. I am thinking it will be alright if I mostly hang with my younger girl, and check in with my older one occasionally. I am a bit paranoid, so want to see if that is how you all handle it. I am thinking I don't need to have my older one constantly in my sights. Does that sound ok? I just don't know logisitically how I can keep them both together and in my sights tonight. Feel free to call me nervous nelly or whatever because I am. But hopefully since they have that check out procedure, it should all be ok.

[Anonymous]

You're a nervous nelly.

OP the place is a nightmare and I, personally, wouldn't set foot in there if my life depended on it, but unless there is something that you are not telling us about your child, you can at least know that she will be safe.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP, and I think it'll be fine, but I did find this article. One more thing to make me nervous.

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/15227938/detail.html

[Anonymous]

Give the 5 year old only a small amount of coins at a time. Then she will have to check in with you often to get more coins. That might help ease your mind.

[Anonymous]

Birthday horror. You will return home with shredded ears, and a generous helping of microbes.

Keep your 3 year old with you at all times, she might get squished by the rabid hordes.

Vaguely keep track of your 5 year old from a distance, who will probably enjoy herself in the playground and little rides instead of the more complicated machines.

Leave as soon as humanly possible.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

They stamp hands at the door so theoretically your child can't leave alone or with anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Can you pair up with another mom to keep an eye on the kids? Other than that, bring earplugs.

[Anonymous]

Don't worry because you will want to leave as soon as
etiquette allows and you will never accept another invitation to any party at Chuck E Cheese.

Don't let either child go down that slide into the bouncing balls. A friend of mine whose son worked there told us that they have to hose it down every night because children use it as a bathroom. Gross, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Yuck. No way in hell i would step foot in that place. Gross, gross, gross. It is dirty, low class, and awful! And, why the hell is a child having a birthday party on a school night?

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with the PPs. There's nothing wrong with CEC and my kids love that place. With that said, I think your 5yo will be fine, OP. You won't be the only parent there and I doubt it will be very crowded on a school night.

BTW, PP, they got rid of the ball pits years ago.

[Anonymous]

The food is absolutely disgusting....

[Anonymous]

If you are going to the Fairfax one, my condolences. Sterling isn't as bad. Bad, just not as bad.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I guess things have changed. When I was a kid, anytime a classmate was about to have a birthday you would pray and pray and pray they would have a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. (Or McDonalds, I remember going to a couple of those where the staff would come out and make a big deal and they had McDonald games, etc) And when it was, you would freak out like it was the best Christmas morning ever and you got a pony. Do they still have the animatronic band? Thinking back, I don't think my parents ever stepped a foot into that place, most kids were just dropped off and then picked back up in an hour. This was the late 80's, though, haha. Good times.

[Anonymous]

Well we went and survived. I was able to keep a pretty good eye on the kids. The only drama was at the end when my older one cried and cried because she didn't want to leave, then my little one cried because she was so tired and really wanted to leave. They had a lot of fun, me not so bad until the end.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the update. i was going to suggest alcohol. i hear they serve it. cheers.