I wanted to make Violet’s 3rd birthday extra special. I think it turned out perfectly. I’m going to link all the details in this blog post. This is the most stress-free kids birthday party I have ever planned, so if you are planning a birthday party and need ideas, stick around.
It is the first year I can tell Violet really knows what a birthday party is. She was so impressed with Zoey and Zander’s party, and had been talking about her own ever since. So I wanted to make sure she loved every minute. The inspiration for my whole party was the white bounce castle from The White Castle UT. They are a local rental company here in Saint George, and I only had to browse their Instagram for 3.5 seconds before I knew I wanted them at Violet’s party.
From there it was easy to plan the rest of the party around the castle. I knew that with the bounce castle, I wouldn’t need to plan a lot of activities for the kids. So it was basically food and decorations. This was literally the easiest party to set up and host, and it looked like a ton of effort. It really wasn’t.
Stress Free Kids Birthday Party Plan (5 Tips)
From there it was easy to plan the rest of the party around the castle. I knew that with the bounce castle, I wouldn’t need to plan a lot of activities for the kids. So it was basically food and decorations. This was literally the easiest party to set up and host, and it looked like a ton of effort. It really wasn’t.
Tip 1 – Plan One Main Activity
The key to making your party planning easy is to center it around one simple activity, that takes up a lot of time. Plan something that requires minimal effort on your part, like a bounce castle! The White Castle UT was so great because they came a few hours early and set up the castle, and then came and took it down when the party was over, so I literally had to do zero things other than book it.
I did the same kind of thing a couple of years ago for Zoey + Zander when I hired a magician as the main entertainment. He came and did a show for the kids and made balloon animals. It took up almost the entire party and all I had to do was sit and watch the show. It was the most stress free kids birthday party ever!
Tip 2 – Use Balloon Garlands To Decorate
Simplify your party planning with balloon garlands as the decorations. They come in every theme color imaginable to suit every party, and you can hire someone to put them together too, less work for you! I actually did these balloon garlands myself, using this YouTube tutorial. It was much easier than I expected, but I do have an electrical pump. I did two large garlands and it took me about an hour for each.
The other reason balloons are such a great decor option, other than being simple, versatile and cheap, is they take up a lot of space! All I did was two garlands, but the impact made it feel like I put a lot more effort into the decor.
Bonus, they are super easy to clean up. Grab a kitchen knife and put them in the garbage can before you pop so none of the latex flies around. Party decor clean up in minutes!
Tip 3 – Party Planning 101: Disposable Dishes!
This is the most basic party planning tip, and applies to every party with more than 8-12 people. Don’t you dare use real dishes at your kids birthday party! Find some disposable ones that match your theme, and set up a big garbage can near the party, to keep things clean as the kids mess.
Tip 4 – Get Your Party Catered By A Local Grocery Store
On the topic of food, save yourself even more stress by getting your party catered. Catering is much more affordable than you would think if you choose to go through a local grocery store, rather than a catering company.
For this party, I made the cake, but everything else I ordered! We got Domino’s pizza (almost didn’t because Kris ordered it for the wrong day!) but luckily he caught it in time and we ended up with the food just 45 minutes late. And I got cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy again because they were SO good at Zoey and Zander’s party.
Tip 5 – Simple Party Favors For A Stress Free Party
Usually I go all out with goody bags, and stuff them each with a ton of toys and candy. This time I saved myself the trouble and got the most adorable paper boxes, that fit just one toy each. This was my favorite part of the whole party planning, because they turned out SO adorable.
The boxes are from Minted (use my code ‘RACHAELGIFTS20’ for 20% off), and I stuffed them with the tiniest little teddy bears. Zoey was obsessed with the little bears, and quickly claimed all the leftover goody boxes for herself.
BONUS Stress Free Party Planning Tip – Try A No Gift Party
To really simplify the party, try a no gift party! We had Violet open all her gifts from us before the guests arrived. Then we asked our guests not to bring gifts, but to just come and enjoy food and fun! Gift openings with a ton of little kids is SO hectic and messy. My kids are usually so over-stimulated by the party fun, gift opening just adds to the chaotic atmosphere.
Leaving gifts out of this party made such a difference in the overall feel of the party for me. Of course we still had some guests bring gifts, which was so thoughtful! I let Violet open them immediately when the guest asked where to put them. This also eliminated the present anxiety that kids can get at parties (at least my kids).
Violet’s party was such a success. Especially thanks to The White Castle UT, and all the sweet people we have met in the short time since moving here, who are so friendly and fun! Usually the idea of doing a big birthday party for the kids gives me a good dose of anxiety, but after this party I feel like I can handle it without much trouble. It was so beautiful, especially considering the minimal effort I put in. I hope these tips help if you are planning a birthday party and want it to be stress free.
