By Tricia Berwick

These days, it seems like there are more party ideas for birthdays than ever before. With so many resources to choose from, it’s easy for moms to get overwhelmed in the planning process. However, selecting the right option for your child’s next birthday fiesta doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Before any preparations are made, decide if you would like to host the celebration at home or invite guests to your child’s favorite party place. Once this decision has been determined, the other details will automatically fall into place.

First, it’s best to figure out how many children will attend the party. If the birthday boy wants to have fun with his entire class and neighborhood friends, think about whether or not your home is large enough to comfortably accommodate this type of guest list. Even with a long list of family members and friends, Neptune mother of three, Aimee Lomerson decided to have her twin sons’ birthday party at home last year.

Check out more places to have your child’s birthday party.

“When trying to find a place to have a party, we always need to look into something that caters to a wide range of ages and can be suitable for boys and girls, since we have a lot of cousins within a few years of each other,” says Lomerson. “There are a few places that do this, like McDonald’s or indoor jungle gym places. But, once you have attended several parties at each of these places it becomes boring. And it’s very expensive. So for my boys’ fourth birthday we decided to have an at-home party. We didn’t have $350 to spend on a birthday party and we felt like the old-school home party is actually something new and exciting to many kids. Having it in a place has its perks – they usually do everything and all you have to do is send invitations and show up. That is great! But sometimes having fun with a theme and needing to be creative is also great.”

Once the Lomerson family decided to throw a home party, they created a plan to keep the kids busy and entertained. Having organized activities keeps the party flowing smoothly, the kids out of trouble, and the sanity of the parents maintained. To reduce her level of stress, Lomerson kept the menu simple so she could channel her energy and concentration into entertaining the children, which was her top priority.

“We knew that we would have a packed house and that we needed to care for adults as well as kids,” says Lomerson. “So we kept it simple with the food. We served a sandwich platter for adults and had kid-friendly foods that matched our combination Wiggles and Spider-Man themes, like ‘Dorothy the Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets,’ and ‘Spider-Man Macaroni and Cheese.’ After the kids ate, we had arts and crafts projects set up on a big table and then played ‘Wiggles Freeze Dance’ and ‘Pin the Web on Spider-Man’ using a Spider-Man poster and webs that I printed from the computer.”

If you have the time to plan activities and can accommodate the guests in your house, home parties can be very rewarding and meaningful for your child. All it takes is a little creativity and preparation ahead of time.

“A person can have lots of fun creating an at-home party,” says Lomerson. “The ideas you can find on the Internet are endless. And if you can afford to spend a little more, there are all types of fun parties to have in your home – carnival themes, a petting zoo and pony rides. I think that switching it up each year keeps it exciting.”

Another advantage to having an at-home party is that the schedule of younger siblings does not need to be affected. Whenever it is one of her older girls’ birthdays, Brick mother of four, Penny Chandler always chooses this option because it works better for her little ones.

“A big advantage to having a party at home is that babies can nap in their own cribs and they’re not off of their schedules,” says Chandler. “Also, at home you don’t have to worry about any of them slipping off with someone else. You know all of the kids are safely inside your house. Plus, the party can last as long as you want and you’re not restricted to how many children can be invited. The more the merrier!”

Of course, all of this sounds gre

at, but the important thing to realize is that after the party is over, all of the mess needs to be cleaned up—by you! This factor alone is the main reason Howell mother of three, Tracy Hill has all of her parties outside of the house.

“When my sons were younger, it was nice to have parties at home, because we mainly had family over,” says Hill. “But now that the twins just turned five and my younger son is three, I prefer having it somewhere where they can run around, play with their friends and I can simply enjoy watching them laugh and have fun and not worrying about cleaning up the house. Having three boys means finding a place that fits their high energy levels and lets them feel special playing somewhere new. We are home every day so having a birthday party at the house seems like the same old routine. Plus, having it outside the house usually means a meal, the cake, and goody bags may be included. That’s one less thing for mom to worry about! The kids seem to really enjoy being at a birthday party and playing with new things and taking part in different activities.

If you decide that having the party out is your best bet, look into hosting the celebration at a park, family fun center or restaurant. If you’re not sure of what may be a hit with the kiddies, ask friends and family members for ideas about which places deserve a call and which ones you should seriously avoid. Most birthday party establishments offer discounts for weekday events,

so it might be worth it to plan the party on a Tuesday and save a few dollars. The beauty of having the party out is that other people will take care of the activities and food, but you should still be able to infuse some of your child’s theme into the event.

So, grab your calendar, pick a date and begin the planning process. Remember to include your children in the party details, too. Who knows? Your child could surprise you altogether and choose not to have a party—either at home or at a favorite place.

“This year we skipped a party all together and gave the kids the option to go to Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania instead,” says Lomerson. “They were thrilled! Variety is the spice of life!”