So my boy is turning 4 in July!! I can't believe he is getting so big.
Anyway, all of his friends from school have had birthday parties so we thought he might like to have one too.
We invited about 12 friends from school. It was hard because you want to invited everyone (especially since I am a teacher at the school) but I really ad to look at who he truly interacted with on a daily basis.
So here is my question... Is having a July birthday party at Chuck E Cheese a cheesy place or should it be ok? His friends parties have ben at Pump It Up and places like that which is slightly out of our budget. He loves Chuck E. Cheese so I know he'll love it which is what is most important.
Also - on the invitation I was going to state -"parents please attend with your child..." I may be their teacher at school but I don;t want to be teacher at my son's party.
And I am looking for Thomas the Train decorations. Any thoughts or ideas or feedback?
I would skip the second part
I would skip the second part of that sentence and just leave it at: "parents please attend with your child" ...the rest sounds a little...I don't know...not right....
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein
I think Chuck E Cheese
I think Chuck E Cheese should be a fun place to have a party for a 4 year old. Our 4year old went to a party there for one of his classmates and had a really good time. He wants his next party there.
Party City would probably have Thomas decorations but if not, try celebrateexpress.com. They have lots of merchandise and a great variety to themes.
Patricia is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com. She and her husband live in Phoenix and are raising a 4-year-old son they adopted as an infant.
I am sure the party will be
I am sure the party will be great! You probably don't have to request that the parents stay with their child. I would think that 4 years old is too young to leave at a party alone anyways.
Chuck E Cheese will be fine.
Chuck E Cheese will be fine. You throw a party that fits your budget, not what everyone else is doing.
I would definately leave out the "stay with our children" as well. It must be the teacher in you.
There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one!
I think Chucky Cheese is
I think Chucky Cheese is great, and I don't think you are asking too much by asking that a guardian be there to watch their kids too!! I think that is part of parental responsibility on the parents part. If you tried to take this thing on by yourself you wouldn't have any hair left after the experience!!
As far as decorations try Party City or Pretty Party Place. They have cups, plates, napkins, tablecloths, streamers, balloons,centerpieces etc. You can also call ahead to see if they have Thomas the Tank Engine Stuff. I know they are good about having lots of themed stuff, but I can't say if they have that particular stuff.
Lisa - Mom to her spunky little Scarlette
I had my daughters 4th
I had my daughters 4th Birthday at Chuck E Cheese and well I'll just leave it at we haven't been back much .... we did it on a Saturday or Sunday; I'm not sure when you're planning to do his. I will say that the place is nuts .... crazy busy .. it's so loud ... there's so much going on it's hard to round the kids up to eat, do cake, presents, etc. and they are hurrying you to eat and then hurrying you on to cake, etc. because they have another party booked right after yours so they're trying to keep everything on schedule ... it was so busy and hectic we didn't even have the opportunity for my daughter to open her presents there ... we took them home ... there is so much to do there that kids are preoccupied with the games, etc. (and especially that young) that they don't want to sit still to watch someone open presents or eat, etc. I've vowed to never ever do another party there again. I would recommend Peter Piper over Chuck E Cheese ... they have the same set up, but it's not as much and not as over bearing .... there's enough for them to do, but it's not as loud and it's not as hard to get them round up to eat, do presents, etc. I've done both Chuck E Cheese and Pump It Up and personally I didn't think there was much difference in price. I paid about $300 - $350 for both of them ... although I'm not too crazy about Pump It Up either since they are on the same type of schedule with booking parties back to back so they are rushing you to keep you on schedule ... we were at a Pump it Up party last year and they literally told the family they had to leave when the little girl was in the middle of opening up her presents ... very rude & tacky in my opinion!! Another place I'd recommend that is fun and probably along the same price as Chuck E Cheese if not less is the Little Gym. They don't do pizza, just cake and it's almost a given that the parents will stay with their children because they have to sign a waiver for them!!
There is a new place in
There is a new place in Surprise also that does parties. It's called Nutin But Fun. It's sort of like a Pump it Up but I liked it so much better. They really try not to rush you and the owners are almost always there. She stays and does all the parties with the other girls and they are really friendly. They have better inflatables too, with one that is just for little kids that they have in the room all the time. I have only been to Pump it Up a couple times but don't usually hear very positive things, just that the kids like it. When we did my sons party there was a party right after ours but they went into the jump room first so we actually stayed in the party room a little extra and they had no problem with it. I don't like Chuch E Cheese or Peter Piper it's always crazy. At least at the jump places it's just you and your party and you don't have to do pizza which makes it even more affordable. You should check them out.
We attended a Chuck E.
We attended a Chuck E. Cheese party and it was very nice. It does seem like it wasn't a peak time though, so maybe it wasn't as busy as a Saturday. You may want to just go eat there before you book the party and see how crazy it is at your location. The birthday girl at the party we attended did have time for gifts, etc. But it was the moms' jobs to get the kids over to the table to eat, have cake, etc. Also, I think it's OK to say "please attend with your child", or you could say "Parents are invited too"! Have a great party! I'm sure your child will love it.
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.
I also wanted to add that we
I also wanted to add that we did a Peter Piper party for my son one year. It was very nice too, but I really like that the kids are "locked in" at Chuck E. Cheese! One less thing to worry about!
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.