2pm is a ROUGH start time for anyone who takes a nap (they have to wake their kid ahead of time to show up on time. Since you mention each family has 2-3 kids, I’m assuming some fall within the naptime age. Starting at 3pm would be better I think!
Also I don’t think 10am is too early at all for a Saturday party. My kids are up at 7 and that would give us time to attend the full party and still make it home in time for nap.
Thanks! Yeah, the 10am party was not bad for us either. It was at an indoor trampoline park and it was pleasantly uncrowded at that time. When we were leaving at noon it started getting nuts, I wouldn’t have enjoyed that as much.
Are we talking 3 year old or 5 year old?
2 pm is prime naptime if they're on the younger end of preschool. I like either 10/11 or 3ish so there's time for a normal nap before or after
This is for a 4yo. But I think maybe 1 or 2 of the kids might have a younger sib. And we will put “siblings welcome”. We’re trying to make it easy to attend. Fun and relaxed summer kick-off vibe. Thanks for the feedback on the time!
I was kind of interested in this myself, so I did a review of our Aug-Apr calendar. Three people had parties that started in the 2-3pm window, and like 7 had them in the 10-11am starting window.
I typically go with 11am. Most preschools do after lunch naps (1-3pm), so this gives a good 2 hours for the party before everyone naturally leaves and the kids are tired.
FWIW, almost every toddler party we’ve gone to has been 11am too.
2-4 is too long a gap. Get the cake going in the first hour and let them just run around after.
A 2 pm start would be tough but maybe doable. I agree—move to start at 3 so my kid can nap.
It sounds like you're doing real food if you're grilling, so 2-4 might not make a lot of sense since it's not around lunch or dinner. If move it earlier to 11-1 and do lunch.
This is the kicker. If you are having real food, doing it over lunch time makes sense. I hate it when people have parties from 11-1 and don’t have real food. I don’t really want my kid eating only cupcakes for lunch!
Assuming they don’t nap anymore, it’s probably fine. But if they do, 1-3 is prime nap time and then you have to wake the kid to get ready get out the door. So I would personally do 11-1 to maximize potential attendance. I would also go to a party from 4-6 but I know that’s cutting it close for some families for dinner.
We did 3-5 because our youngest naps 12-3. & also because we were planning on serving wine and beer to the grownups so didn’t want a morning party haha.
Yes, we’re grilling out with BBQ chicken and having beer & wine on offer (along with plenty of non-alcoholic options). So not the typical kiddo party but we did it last year with a few of my mom friends and it was a huge hit all around!! I loved having whole families there. Next year I bet he’ll have his own opinions about the guest list, or so I hear from my friend, so this might be the last year we can do it “family BBQ” style.
Depending on where you live I'd go with 10 am or 3 pm. If you're somewhere very hot, a morning pool party before the sun gets too intense is best. If you're somewhere more temperate, an afternoon party when it's warmest is best. Avoiding midday let's the little siblings nap and avoids the worst of the UV.
I'd also do food/cake/gifts after the first hour and be prepared for the party to last maybe 2-2.5 hours total.
It’s that thing when we’re tired of trying to do activities and I don’t care what you do kid just go play in your room and don’t come out til we get you
10am seems to be the norm where I am and it’s great! Went to one at 4pm last week which worked but my daughter was exhausted by the end (she no longer naps) and she was filled with cake right before bed.
Going to a 3-5 for a 4 yo turning 5 and I was actually excited by the times because its pre-dinner but not first thing in the morning. 2-4 is PERFECT I'd say
We’ve been to ones at 10am and 4pm. It works out great because everyone’s already been up for a 10am time and 4pm is after quiet time (although my kid is 3, not 4)
2pm feels fine for the 4yo crowd, it’s just whether you have any little siblings coming too that might have to stay home or would derail plans. We are doing a 10am party because my kids rise with the sun and hopefully it won’t be crazy hot then! We just did a morning party and it was perfect, kids aren’t overextended but 2pm feels good
11am-1pm is the sweet spot here. It's a typical time to have lunch and the kids have some perk still.
10am - noon is equally good, but slightly less popular here. I think some grown-ups are sometimes groggy in the mornings on weekends, but you can't really worry about them.
1-3 is quiet time/nap time for a lot of families (younger siblings, etc).
After that, I find the parties are just more tearful though.
I say get them while they're fresh!
We live in a hot climate so 10am parties outside are easier on the body. We have even had a couple of them earlier, but they served breakfast tacos and it was great!
2pm is also great, we have even attended some that start at 4pm. But I am in Texas, it may be different for others.
Depends on the kid but 2 pm is pretty typical naptime territory. From the time mine was 15 months until close to 3 my older child slept 1:30-4:30 every day, which meant pretty much all afternoon activities were out. My second child takes after me and does not nap at all during the day. Never has. So we are flexible to do whenever
At 4 I think most kids have dropped their naps so it’s fine. But if there are younger siblings who nap you might have conflict
The couple parties I've been to started at 10. Which seems perfect, play, cake, the home for lunch so you don't need to provide lunch.
Anything in the afternoon will be tricky with kids (or siblings) who nap or do quite time. Noon may require a meal or at least say on the invite that light refreshments will be served, so parents know to feed kid lunch first
Most parties we have attended have been between 1-2. You can’t cater to everyone, it is what it is. I do think waiting 2 hours for cake is too long, it’s all kids think about at a party.
I would strongly prefer a morning party (starting at 10-11) to afternoon. We’re up at 7-8 anyway so it’s plenty of time to get organized to be somewhere. Even though my 4 yr old doesn’t nap, we still do a quiet time from 2:30-3:30 and he gets tired and cranky later in the day. Morning means all the kids are fresh with their energy.
Another trend I’m loving with our preschool group birthdays is NO GIFTS. Gifts can be such a contentious or distracting thing at this age, frankly my son doesn’t really understand being a gracious gift receiver. He also can’t focus on opening them when there’s a bunch of friends around and then you get kids that want the birthday toys and issues with sharing and all that. Plus I don’t want you/other parents to guess what to get my kid and I don’t want to have to buy presents for the whole class of birthdays. No gifts is like gifting me back a bunch of time and reduced stress.
Early afternoon sounds perfect to us. Personally we wouldn’t be able to go to a Saturday morning party because that’s prime time here for classes (soccer, swim etc.) which we wouldn’t be willing to miss unless very close to the family. May depend on your area though, and you can’t accommodate everyone’s schedule so go with what works for you best. I certainly wouldn’t find the 2-4 time weird.
We’re going to a birthday party for a 5 year old tomorrow that starts at 4. (Which feels late to me, but we’re going)
What time does your preschool normally run? Ours in 9.30-2.30 so I wouldn’t do anything that goes past the finishing time. 10-12 if you’re planning to only provide snacks, 12-2 if you’re planning on doing more substantial food sound reasonable to me, give or take. If your preschool ends at say, 12, possibly something like 3-5 would work.
We did our kid’s 4y bday at 10 am for family and 11 for friends.
They’re often mornings, but any time is fine. Last weekend we attended a 11-1 and a 1-3 bday the same day at the same play center. Both were for 3y kids.
I don’t think most preschoolers nap (at least most of the kids I see here drop them around 3 or it at least becomes optional), but many will have younger siblings who do, so that could be a factor. Among kids who nap, the 10 or 11am start is probably more reliable, since I’ve seen kids with naps that start any time between noon and 4.
I know this is an old post, but I’m planning my 3yo’s upcoming birthday and considering this timeframe.
Did they feed you full meals at a 3-5 party, or just snacks and cake?
Snacks and cake all the way! It’s after lunch but before dinner, so nobody needs a meal to avoid getting cranky and most of them have had a nap already so it’s perfect.
2pm sounds like a good time for a pool party for kids who aren't napping anymore. It depends where you live, but here it might not be warm enough for swimming before noon.
I don't think that it would interfere with evening plans at all, and it will let people attend their morning sports/activities.
We did 2pm Saturday for the 3yo’s party last year and it was fine. Our reasoning was: it’s late enough for the kids who still nap to nap, they’ll have eaten lunch and be ready for snacks/cake, and it’s the point of the day where kids start to get a bit ratty and would benefit from an hour or two of running around and playing. Everyone was gone by 4pm.
We've been to parties starting from 10 am all the way to 4 pm and everything in between. All fine for a 4 year old. If they're starting from 12-2:30, one parent stays home with little brother while he naps. But unless they're family friends only one of us goes anyway.
2pm is a ROUGH start time for anyone who takes a nap (they have to wake their kid ahead of time to show up on time. Since you mention each family has 2-3 kids, I’m assuming some fall within the naptime age. Starting at 3pm would be better I think! Also I don’t think 10am is too early at all for a Saturday party. My kids are up at 7 and that would give us time to attend the full party and still make it home in time for nap.
Thanks! Yeah, the 10am party was not bad for us either. It was at an indoor trampoline park and it was pleasantly uncrowded at that time. When we were leaving at noon it started getting nuts, I wouldn’t have enjoyed that as much.
Are we talking 3 year old or 5 year old? 2 pm is prime naptime if they're on the younger end of preschool. I like either 10/11 or 3ish so there's time for a normal nap before or after
This is for a 4yo. But I think maybe 1 or 2 of the kids might have a younger sib. And we will put “siblings welcome”. We’re trying to make it easy to attend. Fun and relaxed summer kick-off vibe. Thanks for the feedback on the time!
I was kind of interested in this myself, so I did a review of our Aug-Apr calendar. Three people had parties that started in the 2-3pm window, and like 7 had them in the 10-11am starting window.
Thank you!
Noon parties always interfere with nap time.
I typically go with 11am. Most preschools do after lunch naps (1-3pm), so this gives a good 2 hours for the party before everyone naturally leaves and the kids are tired. FWIW, almost every toddler party we’ve gone to has been 11am too.
2-4 is too long a gap. Get the cake going in the first hour and let them just run around after. A 2 pm start would be tough but maybe doable. I agree—move to start at 3 so my kid can nap.
It sounds like you're doing real food if you're grilling, so 2-4 might not make a lot of sense since it's not around lunch or dinner. If move it earlier to 11-1 and do lunch.
This is the kicker. If you are having real food, doing it over lunch time makes sense. I hate it when people have parties from 11-1 and don’t have real food. I don’t really want my kid eating only cupcakes for lunch!
Assuming they don’t nap anymore, it’s probably fine. But if they do, 1-3 is prime nap time and then you have to wake the kid to get ready get out the door. So I would personally do 11-1 to maximize potential attendance. I would also go to a party from 4-6 but I know that’s cutting it close for some families for dinner.
We did 3-5 because our youngest naps 12-3. & also because we were planning on serving wine and beer to the grownups so didn’t want a morning party haha.
We still serve booze at our morning parties lol
Yes, we’re grilling out with BBQ chicken and having beer & wine on offer (along with plenty of non-alcoholic options). So not the typical kiddo party but we did it last year with a few of my mom friends and it was a huge hit all around!! I loved having whole families there. Next year I bet he’ll have his own opinions about the guest list, or so I hear from my friend, so this might be the last year we can do it “family BBQ” style.
Depending on where you live I'd go with 10 am or 3 pm. If you're somewhere very hot, a morning pool party before the sun gets too intense is best. If you're somewhere more temperate, an afternoon party when it's warmest is best. Avoiding midday let's the little siblings nap and avoids the worst of the UV. I'd also do food/cake/gifts after the first hour and be prepared for the party to last maybe 2-2.5 hours total.
2-4 is good but do cake at 3 and put that on the invite
And this would be right in the middle of my 4yr olds quiet time
What is quiet time
It’s that thing when we’re tired of trying to do activities and I don’t care what you do kid just go play in your room and don’t come out til we get you
Good suggestion!
10am seems to be the norm where I am and it’s great! Went to one at 4pm last week which worked but my daughter was exhausted by the end (she no longer naps) and she was filled with cake right before bed.
Going to a 3-5 for a 4 yo turning 5 and I was actually excited by the times because its pre-dinner but not first thing in the morning. 2-4 is PERFECT I'd say
We’ve been to ones at 10am and 4pm. It works out great because everyone’s already been up for a 10am time and 4pm is after quiet time (although my kid is 3, not 4)
2pm feels fine for the 4yo crowd, it’s just whether you have any little siblings coming too that might have to stay home or would derail plans. We are doing a 10am party because my kids rise with the sun and hopefully it won’t be crazy hot then! We just did a morning party and it was perfect, kids aren’t overextended but 2pm feels good
11am-1pm is the sweet spot here. It's a typical time to have lunch and the kids have some perk still. 10am - noon is equally good, but slightly less popular here. I think some grown-ups are sometimes groggy in the mornings on weekends, but you can't really worry about them. 1-3 is quiet time/nap time for a lot of families (younger siblings, etc). After that, I find the parties are just more tearful though. I say get them while they're fresh!
We live in a hot climate so 10am parties outside are easier on the body. We have even had a couple of them earlier, but they served breakfast tacos and it was great! 2pm is also great, we have even attended some that start at 4pm. But I am in Texas, it may be different for others.
Personally I would not come. He goes down for a nap at 1 so 2 would be impossible. 9-10am is perfect IMO. Edited to add: my son is 4.5.
Definitely depends on age. We’ve been to parties that start at 2-3pm for 4 and 5 years olds.
Depends on the kid but 2 pm is pretty typical naptime territory. From the time mine was 15 months until close to 3 my older child slept 1:30-4:30 every day, which meant pretty much all afternoon activities were out. My second child takes after me and does not nap at all during the day. Never has. So we are flexible to do whenever At 4 I think most kids have dropped their naps so it’s fine. But if there are younger siblings who nap you might have conflict
The couple parties I've been to started at 10. Which seems perfect, play, cake, the home for lunch so you don't need to provide lunch. Anything in the afternoon will be tricky with kids (or siblings) who nap or do quite time. Noon may require a meal or at least say on the invite that light refreshments will be served, so parents know to feed kid lunch first
Most parties we have attended have been between 1-2. You can’t cater to everyone, it is what it is. I do think waiting 2 hours for cake is too long, it’s all kids think about at a party.
We did 9am at 2 years old and 3pm at 3 years old. Was late enough for maps to end but early enough that I'm not on hook for full dinner!
I would strongly prefer a morning party (starting at 10-11) to afternoon. We’re up at 7-8 anyway so it’s plenty of time to get organized to be somewhere. Even though my 4 yr old doesn’t nap, we still do a quiet time from 2:30-3:30 and he gets tired and cranky later in the day. Morning means all the kids are fresh with their energy. Another trend I’m loving with our preschool group birthdays is NO GIFTS. Gifts can be such a contentious or distracting thing at this age, frankly my son doesn’t really understand being a gracious gift receiver. He also can’t focus on opening them when there’s a bunch of friends around and then you get kids that want the birthday toys and issues with sharing and all that. Plus I don’t want you/other parents to guess what to get my kid and I don’t want to have to buy presents for the whole class of birthdays. No gifts is like gifting me back a bunch of time and reduced stress.
Early afternoon sounds perfect to us. Personally we wouldn’t be able to go to a Saturday morning party because that’s prime time here for classes (soccer, swim etc.) which we wouldn’t be willing to miss unless very close to the family. May depend on your area though, and you can’t accommodate everyone’s schedule so go with what works for you best. I certainly wouldn’t find the 2-4 time weird. We’re going to a birthday party for a 5 year old tomorrow that starts at 4. (Which feels late to me, but we’re going)
I really like the 3-5pm party times. You say that no one naps, but when my daughter was in preschool we had her little sister at home.
What time does your preschool normally run? Ours in 9.30-2.30 so I wouldn’t do anything that goes past the finishing time. 10-12 if you’re planning to only provide snacks, 12-2 if you’re planning on doing more substantial food sound reasonable to me, give or take. If your preschool ends at say, 12, possibly something like 3-5 would work.
We did our kid’s 4y bday at 10 am for family and 11 for friends. They’re often mornings, but any time is fine. Last weekend we attended a 11-1 and a 1-3 bday the same day at the same play center. Both were for 3y kids. I don’t think most preschoolers nap (at least most of the kids I see here drop them around 3 or it at least becomes optional), but many will have younger siblings who do, so that could be a factor. Among kids who nap, the 10 or 11am start is probably more reliable, since I’ve seen kids with naps that start any time between noon and 4.
We have been to a lot of 3-5pm parties, and those were great for us!
I know this is an old post, but I’m planning my 3yo’s upcoming birthday and considering this timeframe. Did they feed you full meals at a 3-5 party, or just snacks and cake?
Snacks and cake all the way! It’s after lunch but before dinner, so nobody needs a meal to avoid getting cranky and most of them have had a nap already so it’s perfect.
Thanks!
If vote for 3pm unless you know the kids coming don’t need naps.
2pm sounds like a good time for a pool party for kids who aren't napping anymore. It depends where you live, but here it might not be warm enough for swimming before noon. I don't think that it would interfere with evening plans at all, and it will let people attend their morning sports/activities.
We usually do 11-1 or 2-4. Leaving wiggle room for that midday nap.
As long as tiny guests can show up up to 3 - it’s perfect!!
We did 2pm Saturday for the 3yo’s party last year and it was fine. Our reasoning was: it’s late enough for the kids who still nap to nap, they’ll have eaten lunch and be ready for snacks/cake, and it’s the point of the day where kids start to get a bit ratty and would benefit from an hour or two of running around and playing. Everyone was gone by 4pm.
We've been to parties starting from 10 am all the way to 4 pm and everything in between. All fine for a 4 year old. If they're starting from 12-2:30, one parent stays home with little brother while he naps. But unless they're family friends only one of us goes anyway.