Guest List

Now that you have decided how you want to handle invitations, let’s think about the guest list.  Remember to consider the age ranges as you put the list together. 

Birthday for 1-3 years old

For very young children (1-2 years of age), it is a good idea to stick to relatives and friends or cousins with whom they may already have a relationship. This will cut down on the stress and chaos of the day and ensure a happy party. You see, a party for a one or two year old poses very specific problems, I will address these parties in a bit more detail:

• A birthday party for your one year old often includes family and friends of YOURS, rather than other one-year-old children, you will want to plan activities that suit the guest list.
• Keep the party short (60-90 min) so your baby doesn’t get overtired or cranky.  Consider your child’s usual naptime and schedule the party so that they will be rested.
• Late morning parties are great, and late afternoon parties will work too if your baby doesn’t nap too late in the day.
• Since most of your guests will be adults (or adults bringing other 12-month-old children), you will probably want to hold the party on a weekend when it is easier for everyone to attend.
• Keep the guest list small.
• If you are inviting other young children, be sure the parents stay at the party to help you manage the group and their child in particular.
• Serve adult food to the adults and plan on some small finger foods for 1-2 year old children, but don’t worry about feeding them too much. 
• Small pieces of fresh fruit or cheese, small crunchy cereal bites and other little finger foods are idea. 
• A few bites of cake is probably all they will eat during a party where they are likely to be surrounded by lots of strangers and activity.

Birthday for 4-6 years old

For children ages 4-6, you can invite a FEW of their close friends from pre-school or play groups OR neighbors with whom they play with. In short: Keep it simple!

As you count your guests, don’t forget grandparents, chaperones and other adults you are inviting.  You will need to plan for space and food for these people too!

Once you have your ideal guest list on paper, look at it realistically to be sure you can fit everyone in your home or in the location where you plan to hold the party. Consider work or school schedules that may conflict and leave these people on the list only if you can give them enough lead-time so they can plan to be there. At the very least, don’t tell your child you have invited them until you have talked to them to find out whether they can come. 

Other considerations

There are three primary considerations in developing the guest list:

1. First, can you afford to feed and provide space for all of these guests?
2. Second, is the count too large to control with adequate supervision for the age range of the children invited to the party.
3. Lastly, are there possible conflicts among the children?  If there are two children who are both friends of your son’s, but they do not get along with each other, you may have a problem inviting both of them to the party. 

Print a copy of this and post it on your refrigerator or bulletin board to keep track of guest counts and RSVPs.