Kids Parties Stress Mums Out
Three quarters of British mums find organising a child’s party stressful and 26% feel under pressure to throw bigger, better parties each year according to a recent survey undertaken by children’s party organisers Les Enfants.The survey investigated what mums think about a range of party-related issues, from how much to spend, to food, and the thorny issue of party bags, with the intention to provide guidance to stressed out mums who are unsure where to start.
Of the respondents, full-time working mothers find party organising most stressful and feel the most pressure to throw better parties each year, in comparison to stay-at-home mums or mums who work part time. Full-time working mums are also more likely to spend more on parties and they’re least in favour of party bags.
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The survey revealed that the average cost of a child’s party is in the region of £200. Given that 64% of respondents said they hold birthday parties every year and 70% had more than one child, the costs start to add up. Most parents (44.9%) spend between £100 and £200 per party while 35.8% spend less than £100. However, 11% spend up to £300, just under 5% spend up to £500 and almost 3% are willing to fork out up to £1000 per party.
Other key survey findings were:
Party bags: Despite environmental pressure to reduce waste and the vocal debates on parenting forums on this subject, the majority of mums are still in favour of party bags (53.2%). However, 34.6% only give them out because everyone else does and 12.2% don’t give them out and believe them to be a waste of money and tend to be filled with junk.
Party food: Move over jelly and ice cream and make way for carrot sticks. The healthy eating message is making an impact with 82.1% of mums feeling that party food should offer a good mix of healthy options alongside regular party treats. Only 15% think parties should exclusively feature traditional – and less healthy - party foods like cakes, ice cream, biscuits and sweets.
Parental supervision: The age parents are willing to leave their child at a party without staying with them varies wildly, with ages ranging from three to eight. The majority (32.7%) feel comfortable leaving their child at a party from age five, with 26.3% happy to leave them at age four. But roughly the same number (24.4%) felt six was the right age with a surprising 7.8% and 6.3% saying age seven and eight respectively are the right ages.
Party venues: Despite the potential for ruining carpets, holding parties at home ranks in top spot with 39.1% while village halls or community centres come in second with 23.2% closely followed by indoor softplay centres (20.3%).
Who to invite: 61.3% feel that you should only invite your child’s close friends, but 35.8% feel it’s fairer to invite everyone in their class.
“Each of these issues is yet another decision mums need to make when planning a child’s party, so it’s hardly surprising that most mums find it stressful,” explains Katie Burnett, founder of children’s party specialists Les Enfants. “It can be difficult, especially if you work fulltime and don’t get to spend much time chatting to other mums, to know what children like and what will work. Mums feel under pressure to make sure their children have a good time, but also to be doing the right thing in the eyes of other parents. It gives a whole new meaning to party politics.”
To help parents plan their next party, Les Enfants has created a free Complete Guide to Successful Children’s Parties, which can be downloaded from www.lesenfants.co.uk or a printed version can be posted out to you. For party ideas or help in planning your next party, contact Les Enfants on 020 8502 9988 or email info@lesenfants.co.uk
19 November 2007
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