KID'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
There was one good thing about COVID Lockdowns and rules – no more organising Kid’s Birthday Parties. With lockdowns now a thing of the past, Kid’s birthday parties are back and with a vengeance. You only have to look at the gram and your heart begins to tighten… balloon towers, entertainers, themed party food and decorations, party bags (what happened to the simple lollie bag?), the cake and then presents. I was starting to feel severely unfit to be hosting a Kid’s Birthday party, especially with two years out of practice.
So, whether you’re dreading your Kid’s 1st, 5th or 10th birthday here are my top tips to ensuring a successful event. Where Kid, parent and guests survive and may actually enjoy themselves!
OUTSOURCE THE CATERING
Yes, you will have noticed OUTSOURCE is capitalised. This is because all of those cute little sliders, croissants in the shapes of animals and itsy bitsy vegetables turned into a fantasy creatures are created for people who do not work full-time jobs. And let’s be honest with interest rates, house prices and inflation going up that is seriously a rarity these days. So outsource! Neither will you be ashamed of choosing fairy bread or a slave to your kitchen leading up to the event. Enlisting the handiwork of catering experts, like Soul Origin is efficient and fuss-free.
- 2 x Breakfast Egg and Bacon Sliders
- 2 x Breakfast Wraps – Mixed
- 2 x Breakfast Croissants – Mixed. For the Kids I cut these ones in half, adults had them whole.
- 1 x Ham Benedict Rolls – We cut these in half to spread them further – they were a real hit.
- 2 x Slices – for the kids I cut these in half again
- 1 x Banana Chocolate Bread
I also made some mini cupcakes, cut up some fruit and made some popcorn.
CAKE TINS
I love a good cake but juggling two kids, full-time work and a semblance of a life I do not have time to be making and cutting cakes into crazy animals. So, I found a unicorn cake tin! Then I bought a pack of Betty Crocker vanilla cake mix from Woolies and made this the night before.
The day of the event I quickly mixed up an array of buttercream and iced to my heart’s content playing around with different colours to make the mane. For the horn and cheek I bought fondant from Woolies and coloured them with food dye and sparkles (Woolies again). Voila cake done – no 10 hour ordeal the night before.
TIME OF YOUR EVENT
This is a hard one especially when they are young, but timing is everything. We tend to go earlier when they are younger so aim for a morning tea. But with our eldest a lunchtime event is better so they can crash in the afternoon.
I also try to ensure once everyone has arrived, we get food on the move. Once everyone has arrived, we go full swing into kids’ activities. Then finally, cake so people can feel they can leave without missing out on anything. Also, you can then relax and actually enjoy catching up with people once all the formalities are complete.
DECORATION HACKS
My big thing for kids decorations is a balloon number that can be used on their actual birthday and then the party. I then also blow up a bunch of balloons to have floating around on the floor to which the kids love to play with. I then throw a few garlands up here and there for added effect.
I turn the food into the star event and focus on creating a tiered grazing table with an array of platters of all different sizes. The cake becomes the star of the event and theme for decoration. This way you can focus your attention on one thing and do it well.
ASK FOR HELP
Lastly grandparents love to feel like they are contributing so make sure they have a job. Whether that is big or small. Simply picking up the catering for you is a win. Or even helping to hand out some of the food or capturing those candid snaps. Kid’s Birthday parties are always a family affair so get them involved however you can.
