planning kids’ birthday pool parties

Summer is in full swing and that means all kinds of fun in sun, and let’s not forget the water too! With that in mind, we are so excited to share with you some awesome tips to plan the ultimate birthday pool party for the little people in your life, courtesy of fellow mommy blogger Kaitlin Gardner of AnApplePerDay.com.

Kaitlin started AnApplePerDay.com to further her passion for a family friendly, green living lifestyle. She is married to her college sweetheart and lives in Pennsylvania. She and her husband enjoy going for long hikes, to get out and enjoy nature. She is working on her first book about ways to live an eco-friendly, healthy, natural life.

Happy safe splishin’ and a splashin’ in the water all summer long!

Chai Mommas

Planning a Kids’ Birthday Pool Party

“Mom, I want to have my birthday party out at the pool.” My initial thought was “Yea!”. I took one of my kids to a birthday pool party last year and it was very enjoyable…and looked easy to plan. Put kids together with water and it’s natural for a fun party. But as with any party, there was some planning involved to make sure it’s done the right way. Taking into account all that needs to be looked at such as do I want photos taken? If you do want to remember the day and have pictures of it you can always hire a photographer like olgatopchii.com, it’s up to you and how you want the birthday to go! Anyway, here are the things I had to consider to coordinate a kid-friendly, fun and safe pool party:

The invitation process. When you invite kids to a party at a pool, most of the parents will want to stay around. I think it’s their concern about safety. My son made up a list of kids he wanted to invite and I called each parent to gather addresses and let them know they were welcome to stay. I also very diplomatically confirmed that each child could swim. My son and I picked out some great invitations, and he hand wrote the addresses. He said his friends really got a kick out of receiving a mailed invitation. Here are some great resources with more party planning information:

• Pool Party Planning 101
• How to Plan aCool Pool Party
• Kids Party Planning Guide

Think about the food. When I asked my son what he wanted for food, I knew the answer would be one of two things – pizza or burgers. Without prompting from me, he chose pizza. That was fine by me, although my husband was a bit disappointed since he wanted a chance to fire up his grill. I appeased him by asking if he could cook some chicken breasts and a few burgers for the parents and for the children who didn’t want pizza. It is always a good idea to cater for the parents separately if you can. We also ordered lots of beers and some spirits and mixers so that any parents who aren’t driving can have a drink and unwind in the sun whilst the kids play. If you search for “liquor delivery denver” you’ll find a reputable company who have a wide variety of booze which they can deliver to your door. For the kids, I arranged for a large pizza delivery. When it was time for the food and the guy walked into the back yard with a stack of pizzas, you should have seen those kids – they were all over that food. I had Frisbees and croquet set up in the back yard for after the meal.

Party games. When I told my son I could line up some games for the party, he just wrinkled his nose and said “Mom, we just want to play in the water.” He reminded me of my tendency to over plan. He was adamant he wanted an inflatable water slide and, since this was a pool party, I thought that would be quite fitting. If you find an affordable bouncy castle hire company, most hire out inflatable water slides too. They really are endless fun for the kids, and for the youthful adults! Nevertheless, I kept some games as a backup plan. I read up on games like “Treasure Hunt” where you line the kids up facing away in the pool and throw a bunch of coins in the water for them to retrieve. Of course the old standby is “Marco Polo” where one child closes his eyes and yells “Marco” and the others have to respond “Polo” as they try not to get caught. I was prepared if the kids needed something to do but they spent most of their time making up games that I didn’t understand and seemed to have a lot of fun with that so I just stayed out of their way.

The issue of safety. While the water is a lot of fun, it has inherent risks. I didn’t want to try to corral a rambunctious group of kids, which can sometimes lead to a power struggle as they get out of hand. As well, I would have to be playing hostess to parents, and my husband would be distracted with the grill. If you are going to be renting a pool out for the day, make sure you ask if they have had pool safety inspections brisbane and are certified for their safety. If you have your own pool then there are multiple ways to ensure the kid’s safety but our solution was to hire a lifeguard from the local pool. The kids were used to obeying him – at the community pool, he was like a sheriff who could pull them out of the water. The kids minded him without question and he never even had to blow his whistle. I think the parents were reassured having him there, knowing they didn’t have to be concerned about safety with a lifeguard on hand.

And the best part…”Mom, thank you so much for this party. All my friends had a blast!” Now that was music to my ears after all the thoughtful planning and partying. That made me really smile.