Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. Actual birthday is Aug 8. For a host of reasons, if we delayed we'd be looking at Labor Day weekend, late Sept (ages after the real birthday), or a weekend when only one parent can be present.

I think in this town July birthdays are easier. People go away, but not as much.

I am where I am and just need to make an imperfect choice.

I also don't want to anger the few parents who have said they're coming by canceling last-minute. At the same time, if I don't cancel I'm afraid a couple of kids will change their RSVP due to last-minute Shenandoah plans or something, then things will be really sad!

Party's in a week.

Don't worry about angering parents if you have to cancel or postpone. No parent really looks forward to birthday parties. They're a necessary thing for the kids to have social lives, but if you cancel, you've just freed up a weekend afternoon and excused them from buying yet another present- they will NOT be angry, LOL.

Anonymous wrote:DS's birthday is August 27th. We always had his birthday party the first weekend after school starts.

August 25th kid here and I've never figured out how to do this- you don't yet know the kids in the class! Do you just invite everyone literally on the first day of school?

Op the other thing is that you may have a lot of last minute YESes because people realize they are going to be in town after all. I went to a summer birthday party a few weeks ago that had only 8 kids RSVP (as of a week out) but when I checked just before the party, it was up to 17! The host ran out of party favors.

Our oldest is 26 and I have never hosted one of those huge parties for any of our kids. I personally find it ridiculous. We typically turn down invites to those huge venue parties. I would much rather attend a party with a few good friends hosted in someone's back yard. Cake and Ice Cream, traditional party games, a few balloons and simple decorations, kids running around just playing, ....that's a birthday party! I say go ahead and have it but have it at your house. The kids will have a blast!

Both my kids have summer bdays, so I hear ya. I learned the hard way, too.

One DC has an August bday. I have convinced DC not to have a party, and instead do something really fun with the family, like go to an amusement park or something else that I couldn't take a bunch of kids to. Then a few bday presents of DC's choice. I plan on hosting a playdate with a few of DC's BFFs before school starts.

I agree to cancel the venue (even if you lose the deposit) and do an in-home party. I did this one year. DC still had fun with only a handful of kids. If you have a reasonably sized backyard, give them some water balloons, squirt guns, slip/slide, pinata, bubbles. They will be happy.

You've already gotten 4 RSVPs for an early August Birthday? That's really good. Many (Many!) people wait until the last minute to RSVP. Are you sure that the other 14 kids can't make it?

I have a late August birthday and I always had low-key parties at home. But I also think parties in general were different back then. I do remember being upset that I never got to celebrate my birthday at school, so for a few years my mom brought in cupcakes to school on my half birthday in February. Seems ridiculous now but it meant a lot to me then.

I'd suggest low-key party plans if you want to have his party in August. Or if you want something on a larger scale then do it in September.

Anonymous wrote:It's July 24. You have plenty of time. Contact the folks that have not RSVP'd.

Seriously. You have two weeks, not one. Hand out a reminder to RSVP even if it's much less fancy than the first! Include both your email address and phone number, if you didn't give out both last time.

I wouldn't spend the money on an expensive venue for such a small group. If I got a notice that you were switching to a backyard bday, I'd totally understand and be happy to still go. Good luck. That's a bummer.

Just enjoy it - prepare for the worst so that you all won't be disappointed and now you learned what to do next year based on all this fabulous advice.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. Actual birthday is Aug 8. For a host of reasons, if we delayed we'd be looking at Labor Day weekend, late Sept (ages after the real birthday), or a weekend when only one parent can be present.

I think in this town July birthdays are easier. People go away, but not as much.

I am where I am and just need to make an imperfect choice.

I also don't want to anger the few parents who have said they're coming by canceling last-minute. At the same time, if I don't cancel I'm afraid a couple of kids will change their RSVP due to last-minute Shenandoah plans or something, then things will be really sad!

Party's in a week.

Hate to tell you, OP but that ALWAYS happens. There is ALWAYS a last-minute cancellation. I've taken to offering my kid the money it would cost to host a party and she has used that to buy some pretty awesome things, like a compuer. We also celebrate with her on vacation. Sometimes we vacation with extended family, so we celebrate with them too, making a cake together. Its been pretty fun and low-budget that way!

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. Actual birthday is Aug 8. For a host of reasons, if we delayed we'd be looking at Labor Day weekend, late Sept (ages after the real birthday), or a weekend when only one parent can be present.

I think in this town July birthdays are easier. People go away, but not as much.

I am where I am and just need to make an imperfect choice.

I also don't want to anger the few parents who have said they're coming by canceling last-minute. At the same time, if I don't cancel I'm afraid a couple of kids will change their RSVP due to last-minute Shenandoah plans or something, then things will be really sad!

Party's in a week.

Hey! August 8 is my birthday too - may I come to celebrate?! ( And just so you know - this problem may continue into adulthood -DH had to postpone my 40th birthday party a couple of years ago until September, because none of our friends were in town.)

I'm with the PP who says it is what it is and you are right to teach your child to make the best of it. I have wonderful memories of childhood birthdays at the beach, on family trips, etc. You don't need a party at a venue every year just because everyone else does that, although I realize it is hard to pass that message on to kids.

Take heart in knowing that as your child gets a little older, this is actually a great time to have a birthday. It will be before s/he has to go back to college, for example, and friends then are always up for some late summer fun.

Happy Birthday to your August 8 baby!

Can you invite some neighbors kids and/or allow siblings?

We had low turnout at our Aug birthday last year. This year we moved up to July.

Meh. They are four. Scale down the venue like a PP said.

Signed Mom of an August birthday who decided to have a low key celebration for this very reason.

I would send an email to the people who have not RSVP'd. I was going to do this when we had only heard from 7 of the 15 people we had invited (but then 5 people responded the morning after the RSVP date). People may just have forgotten.

Do you have anyone else you can invite?