confused about how to phrase invitations....

[doodah]

This year my daughter will be 5 and have her first "big girl" party....meaning her friends that she chooses to invite, probably a half dozen friends plus her sisters and cousin that have to be included whether she likes it or not

I want to let parents know that they are welcome to drop off....actually this is strongly preferred. If they decide to stay, i dont want siblings there. i just had a baby on the 15th and really would rather keep this small. i dont want people hanging around or a ton of younger kids needing to be entertained or included. Keep in mind that all but one of the kids invited are families that we have known for years. The plus side is probably all will be okay with dropping off but the down side is that they are all so familiar at my house, I could see them ignoring the invitation and showing up whenever or however they want.

Is there anything I can put on the invitation that says it if for the one kid invited only? no dropping off siblings, no coming in and hanging out with the siblings during the party. I dont want to end up feeding 50 people! all the girls invited have multiple siblings mostly

[keen1981]

'Unfortunately we are unable accommodate siblings, at this time! You are welcome to chaperone your child, if you desire, but it's not necessary- we got it covered!'


Or something~ idk. Lol

I personally do not drop my 5.5 yr old with any adults I do not personally know.

[mama_to_DJM]

For me, I think it's pretty clear if the invitation is just addressed to one child. If I get an invite with just one of my kids' names I always ask if it's that kid or the whole family.

[s@hmommy]

That's tough. I am pretty overprotective so I would have a hard time dropping my 5 yo off and leaving, even if it is someone I know other than my parents.

I would just say something like about drop off time and pick-up time for the "invited" child. If I read that it would be pretty clear what your intentions are.

[doodah]

Originally Posted by keen1981 'Unfortunately we are unable accommodate siblings, at this time! You are welcome to chaperone your child, if you desire, but it's not necessary- we got it covered!' Or something~ idk. Lol I personally do not drop my 5.5 yr old with any adults I do not personally know.

I absolutely agree with the bolded. In this case, these girls are all from families that I have known for 10 years (except for one family). I went to all their baby showers and visited their moms when the daughters were born.....so definitely not strangers. Actually, we probably know way too much about each other if anything LOL

Now the one newer family is a girl that is new to my daughters school this year. Her mom and I are on friendly terms and her mom even came and brought us dinner when my son was born. So we all know each other, just not super super close like the other families. I am hoping she will be okay with her daughter coming over to the party because her daughter is actually 7 or 8.

[Mama*Kim]

Originally Posted by keen1981 'Unfortunately we are unable accommodate siblings, at this time! You are welcome to chaperone your child, if you desire, but it's not necessary- we got it covered!' Or something~ idk. Lol I personally do not drop my 5.5 yr old with any adults I do not personally know.

Something like the wording above and maybe VIP passes or tickets with the invitee's name. Make them like movie tickets maybe that say, "admit one only" and have the guests name on it, maybe?

[cdeweese]

Luckily, I've only dealt with that once. And it was a none issue since my hubby was home I'd say, "Help us celebrate so and so turning 5 with her first big girl party! Due to the nature of the party and for planning purposes, please no younger siblings "

[Resellmybelle]

Can you make it VIP only invitations?

"so and so" is invited to a VIP event in honor of "your dd's name here"'s birthday!

I think worded that way it makes the invited child feel special and that should be the intention. She is inviting peers, her age, I would not have an issue with that.

ETA: you can add something like: "We are keeping this a small gathering due to the arrival of our lo, thank you for your understanding!"

[Resellmybelle]

Originally Posted by cdeweese Due to the nature of the party and for planning purposes, please no younger siblings "

We posted the same time, I like this approach!

[luvsviola]

I would add something like...

"Moms, I know you are super busy. There will be plenty of adults to be here with the small group of girls, so you can take the afternoon off!"

All the parties my daughter went to this year (she is 5) were drop off parties. It was AWESOME!!! I can't stand birthday parties where I don't know the other moms. It is just 2 hours of awkward small today. Blech!