question about birthday party day and time

[CloudBee]

I'm trying to decide between a Saturday and a Sunday.  Per a previous post I'm leaning towards a party that starts at noon, and providing a sandwich tray, pasta dish, etc.  The theme is "little red wagon".  We'll order a tray of wraps sliced into wagon wheels, and have a wagon wheel cold pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes.

Anyway, DS will be turning 1.  There won't be a ton of kids.  Just a handful, ages 1-3.  Most people attending will be elderly.

Is noon the best time to aim for to avoid windows of time when kids nap?

Is it tacky to set a specific time frame on the invite?  If not, is 12-2 too long?  The party will be pretty simple.  Mainly time to mingle.

[karinothing]

Isn't noon a tough time? 12-2 is like prime nap time no? For one year olds anyway. I avoid 1-4 due to naps. Most parties we go to are sometime between 10-1 and 4-6.

ETA: I think 2 hours is a fine length.

[Brie]

12-2 is prime naptime for most kids who take one nap a day (so probably most of the ones in the 1-3 set you referenced).

[curbsideprophet]

I agree that noon would not be an ideal time. That sounds like nap time.

[ryry]

12-2 would be tough. For DD1's 2nd birthday we did 11-1, because she usually napped from 1-3 then. I don't think putting an end time is tacky.

[lindyanne]

I would probably do 11-1. That will give you a two hour window without totally pushing nap times and will still allow you to keep your menu.

[CloudBee]

Awesome, I'm happy I asked. 11-1 is, unless someone comes in here with a better idea.

So do most 1 yr olds eat lunch around 11:30?

[whereintheworld]

From ages 1-4 my kid have been on an 11:30 lunch schedule with a 12-2 nap.

[CloudBee]

Would 2-4 be better so people aren't rushing to get home with their kids?

[Ashley&Scott]

Feb 14, 2014 21:54:19 GMT -5 lindyanne said:

I would probably do 11-1. That will give you a two hour window without totally pushing nap times and will still allow you to keep your menu.

I agree. M is two & his naps are generally 12-2pm. We can push it back an hour without the day being a failure. If we push it back much further he either doesn't nap, has a total melt down or doesn't sleep well that night. Or all three, it's not a pretty sight & usually takes a few days to get back on track.

[speckledfrog]

We did 11:30-1:30 for DS's first birthday.  He was still taking two naps at the time and it was right in between the two.  People did not leave right at 1:30, it was more like 2.  11:30 gave people time to trickle in and mingle a bit before we got lunch going.   

[karinothing]

Feb 14, 2014 22:03:26 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Would 2-4 be better so people aren't rushing to get home with their kids?

No, i tihnk 2-4 would be hard, because a lot of kids nap past 2. Nap time at daycare is 1230-3. If we went to a party at 2-4 it would be a no nap day for us. I think 11-1 is fine.

My kid eats lunch at 1230 or so.

[frlcb]

11-1 would be best, lunch at 11:30 would be fine

[CloudBee]

How far out should people RSVP by?

I know nothing about parties, obv.

[Ashley&Scott]

Feb 14, 2014 22:11:03 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

How far out should people RSVP by?

I know nothing about parties, obv.

A week or two in advance if you're putting a date. On M's invites this year I just put "RSVP to Ashley (phone/email)"

[stealthmom]

Feb 14, 2014 22:03:26 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Would 2-4 be better so people aren't rushing to get home with their kids?

this is what I did for ds1's birthday.

[curbsideprophet]

I would prefer 11-1 over 2-4. 2-4 would require us to eat lunch before coming and we would most likely either have to cut nap short or show up late.

[CloudBee]

Thanks. I just sent the info off to the local stationary shop. 11-1, and no RSVP date.

[starlily]

I'd start no later than 11am for that age group, maybe even 10:30.

[shellbear09]

I am thinking our party will be about 2pm to avoid the 12pm nap time. I like to just specify start time. If it was just a kids party I would put start and end time.

Theme is cute!

[pugz]

I think we did noon, cannot recall. 11-1 is better. We decline invites to parties at 2pm, that is guaranteed to be during nap.

[chickens987]

I'd have trouble with 11-1 because driving home we'd be playing the "don't fall asleep in the car!" game. We did 2-5 for that reason. People who needed to come late did and it was very relaxed.