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View Full Version : Birthday parties - do you invite mindees?



sophiestars
24-08-2009, 10:44 PM
I have my little boy's 3rd birthday coming up in October and have just booked his party (I know.. still early!!). It's on a Saturday when i don't work.

I was just wondering if you all invite your mindees to your children's parties or keep it separate?

I have had 2 mindees since March (a 3 year old and an 18 mth old) and 2 since May (an 11 month old and a 17 mth old). The 17 mth old has a 4 year old sister who I don't look after but gets on really well with my older son and plays with him at pick up for about 20 mins so would have to invite her too.
I could possibly get away without inviting the 11 month old because of his age but his parents are good friends with the 3 year old's parents so they would inevitably find out, plus I would feel guilty about inviting the others and not him anyway! My ds gets on well with all my mindees so they are his little friends really.

I get on really well with all the parents but i'm just wondering if they would think it was a bit strange me asking their children to my ds' party. Mixing business with pleasure?

What do you all do?

peanuts
25-08-2009, 05:43 AM
most parties now you are limited with numbers so you may be invinting friends of your child and that may take you over or near the numbers. my youngest will be 8 in november and i have booked a disco for her already. every year there is always her and another girl in her class that have a party on the same day, with nearly everyone going to both. a couple of years ago all the kids had 45 mins to get from my dds to the other girls, both soft play parties so they were all done in by the end of the second one.

depends on what type of party you are having that will be suitable for really small ones as they may need adult supervision as well.

Daftbat
25-08-2009, 06:30 AM
I have done in the past and now that my children are older they have invited children i care for as they have become friends from spending time together here.

I see no issues with it - i think you can keep business separate from these type of occassions and the parents of mindees have been pleased to receive the invite in my experience.

pinklady
25-08-2009, 09:20 AM
My son is 3 in September and I've invited my mindees. As he doesn't start pre-school till September he doesn't have much of a circle of friends anyway (2nd children always seem to miss out!) He calls the mindees his friends anyway and as long as he's having fun that's all that matters.:)

MissTinkerbell
25-08-2009, 10:15 AM
When my twins were 3, I invited my mindee - they wanted her to come when I asked who they wanted to invite. Her mum was really thrilled that she had been invited. DD1 wanted to invite her to her party but we said no because DD1 was 6 and mindee only 2 so would have been a bit boisterous for her.

I see no problem with it as they were 'friends' anyway and played all day together.

Toothfairy
25-08-2009, 05:09 PM
Two of my mindees get invited but thats because they are also friends of the family and they are in my DD's class at school.

FizzysFriends
25-08-2009, 06:04 PM
My mindees were invited to DD's party as she wanted to invite them, I wouldn't invite them if she didn't want to.

tammerisk
26-08-2009, 07:48 AM
all my mindees are coming to my birthday party!!!!!
it is my birthday this thursday and i am doing a childrens party just for them and my friends little ones to!!!

dressing up and everythign(can you not tell i just a big kid really!!!)

i went to tescos yesterday to get the stuff for there party bags and the cashier ask when the party was thinking it was my daughters and i said it was for my birthday on thurs and i was having a children birthday party for all the little ones he raised his eyes and my hubby told him i was a big kid really!!!!

avril
26-08-2009, 07:51 AM
I only mind pre-schoolers so they are also my youngest sons friends/playmates they all came to his party but not to my oldest sons as he has all his school friends.

Louise_Oaktree
26-08-2009, 05:41 PM
I am reading replies with interest as in the past I have always invited mindees but this year my son will be 4 so the age gap is growing (new mindees since last year).

I really wanted an after school party as I have plans for most weekends and it is quieter at the soft play centres if you book 4-6pm but I am worried as I will still legally be minding until 6pm and I think parents might take advantage and just turn up at the party at 6pm even though they usually finish at 4pm. I really don't want to be left running a party at a soft play centre AND minding 5-6 kids when friends will be there with their kids too :panic:

I have decided I will probably do a small one at home on a weekend so parents are there to supervise and don't just drop them and leave! I can be choosy about who I invite then too and keep it small :D

Mollymop
26-08-2009, 05:52 PM
It depends.....
I would invite them if we had a party in a "hall" for example and you can invite something like 20 -30 kids. (don't worry about numbers, as you won't be working so they will not be classed as your minded children that day but as friends)

My DD had her latest party at a playcentre where it cost £10 per child. So I limited it to 8 friends (her and bigbro included came to £100 and I wasn't going to pay more than that). It wouldn't have been fair on her to have any of the mindees there, 1 mindee equals one less school friend..
She gets on really well with one of my mindees and I thought of inviting her, but then I would feel bad - if she came I would have to invite the others.

So I drew the line at none. Only dd's friends.

Sometimes my dd and ds can't wait for the children to go home, some days they dont' want to play with them - they are round most weekdays. So I would hate for them to spoil her party.

My son is too old for parties now, well until he reaches 18 anyway!

sophiestars
26-08-2009, 08:47 PM
Thanks for all your replies it was interesting to read them. My little one is only going to be 3 so doesn't have a huge circle of friend. Even with the mindees I think I'm only looking at about 15 children. I have booked his party at the creche where I work occasionally - it's £50 to hire the room with a ball pool and inside and outside toys to play with. It's just right for that age group and you bring your own food and arrange party games if you want so I might do pass the parcel.
I think i will invite the mindees as he gets on really well with them and I think the parents will appreciate it.

brightstar
27-08-2009, 09:46 AM
I was invited to my mindees party, I had a great time. Think of is at an advertising exercise, you are showing other parents how great you are with your mindees etc. People talk and personal recomendation is the best form of advertisement.