DD has started receiving birthday invitations from some Kindy friends but due to shift work the only way we can take her is with the other 2 kids in tow.
One party is a Hungry Jacks one the other one is at a kids play cafe. What's the go at the birthday parties (5 year old)? Are parents supposed to hang around for the 1.5 hour duration? Should we remain in the premises but separate from the party?
How / should I RSVP indicating that DD can attend but due to our other 2 kids we will pick up the tab for them?
You can leave her there if you want to. At that age though I used to stay at Hungry Jacks and sit away from the party with my other kids. With the play centre one I would pay for the other 2 kids and hang out with the parents while the party is on but buy food for the other 2. You don't have to RSVP about the other 2. Mind you, I live an hour away from these places, if I lived closer I would probably drop them off and leave.
I would just stay at the restaurant and sit elsewhere with the 2 other children until the party is finished.
I wouldn't bother RSVP-ing about your other children, as they won't be involved in the party, and you will be paying for them to sit elsewhere with you.
If the party were at a private house, then I would RSVP with a note about the other two children attending and discuss that with the mum before the party. (I have never done this if the other child is a babe in arms)
At 5 I find about half the parents stay, so if you think she would be ok then you will be fine to leave her and quite possibly will give other parents the confidence to do the same.
I usually stay for parties if they are a fair distance from home though, and if I have to take my other kids I just pay them in to the playcentre and buy their food myself.
Best thing wrt RSVPing is phone the mum who is hosting and explain that you will have your other kids. She will most likely respond that it's ok to leave your DD, or ok to include the siblings, whichever is her preference.
I stay b/c most of the time I don't know the parents that well. I just tell DD where I am sitting JIC she needs me but most of the time she is happily playing and participating in the party.
I'd ask if the other kids can come & say that you are happy to pick up the tab for them. I had a lady ask if her son could tag along & I had no issue with it & was happy to pay for him too, but some people might not want the added expense. If they aren't going to be involved in the party then I'd not bother about telling the host they are going to be with you.
Where possible I leave my youngest son with someone else (they spend so much time together I like that they have opportunities to have fun with their own friends), but there are times this ain't possible. So when I've had to take my youngest- I've usually advised the parent I have to bring him.
We have had 2 hungry jacks invites the last few weeks for my 6 year old, I have taken my 4 year old to both because anyone can play in the play area & when they had lunch or games I just pulled him out with us & got lunch for him.
He even got a lolly bag last week because the mother had spares so he was thrilled !
I don't think your other two should participate in the party per se. If every kid invited brought two or three siblings along there wouldn't be enough room. There are usually number limits, and there may be more than one party going on at the same time. I think if you need to stay, sit away from the party as the others have suggested.
We've had this situation heaps of times over the last 18 months and I always take the other DD (and now DD3) but pay for her in the play centre/Hungry Jacks or whatever to enter and buy food etc for her from the cafe. Whoever wasn't invited also knows that they are not part of the party and therefore don't go in the room, have the food, cake, games etc
TBH I think its rude to ask if siblings can join in the party, even if you do offer to pay. One of my DDs it wouldn't have mattered in terms of her temperament how many kids crammed into the party room at the play centre she chose (although space would have been an issue as we were close to the centre's numbers limit), but DD2 had a party this year and she chose only a handful of kids from her kindy class because emotionally she just can't cope with lots of kids around her, especially ones she doesn't know. I would have been really upset if her day was ruined by uninvited siblings.
I stay for parties at this point, although I think DD1 is getting to the point where she would be ok if I left - not sure I would be though because its rarely just the party kids at play centres
I think a lot of it depends on the relationship you have with the parents. I was often in situations where I could not leave DD2 with someone else and at 5yo, there was no way I would leave DD1 ata HJ party (home party yes, but not a public venue). Some parents knew and understood, even saying with the invite that DD2 was welcome, or if approached were fine with her coming along. Maybe it was due to many of DD's friends also having younger sibling
In return I tend to be ok with younger siblings as I understand it is not always practical. Now DD1 is older and can be left easily, it is no longer an issue, but at DD2 seems to be friends with DD1's friends siblings, she often gets her own invite.
At age 5, I leave DS at parties at sports centres, farms etc. It is expected - the parents are very much "hi, hi Liebling, you can pick him up at X time". If he's clingly then I'm told I can stay if I really want - code for I'm not really wanted.
I would not expect siblings to turn up to a party where I pay for places - unless the mother took them off and they didn't join in the party.
When I have done a party at home, siblings are welcome. Because I invited only a few and Liebling knew the siblings. I think now he's at school I don't know if there would be room for siblings, and the only home party he has attended since we moved I was expected to leave him there too.
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Siblings at birthday parties etiquette
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