With each passing year, kids’ birthday parties are getting bigger and more elaborate. Gone are the simple parties that consisted of inviting three friends over for pizza and cake. Nowadays, kids have all-out birthday extravaganzas, complete with food, games and, of course, a theme! And why not? With the help of Pinterest, your favorite craft store and your trusty glue gun, you can feel like a party-planning maven, ready to take those first graders by storm.
If you’re going all out for your mini-me’s next shindig, you’ll likely be spread a bit thin. By enlisting a birthday party helper, you can relieve some of your stress so that you can sit back and enjoy the party you worked so hard to plan. And do you know who’s perfect for the job? Your sitter!
Here are 15 responsibilities that your sitter can take on as your birthday party helper:
- Babysit the Guest of Honor Before the Party Begins
Decorating is hard enough without the birthday girl bouncing off the walls. Establish some peace and quiet by asking your sitter to take your little one to a non-party staging area, such as a nearby park.
- Handle the Cake
If you ordered a cake, you can ask your sitter to swing by the bakery and pick it up on the way to your house. That way there’s one less thing for you to stress out about. But if your sitter is a baking connoisseur, you might want to ask her to whip up a homemade cake or batch of cupcakes.
- Wrap Presents
Didn’t have time to wrap your presents? Don’t worry! Your sitter can get it done in a jiff. He might even be able to pick up the last-minute gift on your list.
- Grab Balloons
No one wants flat balloons, so it’s essential that you pick them up just hours before the party. If you’re swept up in preparations, you can prepay for the balloons and ask your sitter to run out and get them.
- Entertain the Early Guests
There’s always that one kid who shows up 15 minutes early — when you’re still in the process of finalizing the décor. Your sitter can keep the early birds entertained and out of your way as you complete the finishing touches.
- Take Pictures
Of course everyone will be snapping photos on their phones, but wouldn’t it be fun if you dusted off the ol’ camera and put it to work? Better yet, if you put your sitter in charge of taking pictures, you can actually be in some of them! Neat, huh?
- Run Party Games
Not that you wouldn’t love to help 20 kids pin the tail on the donkey, but an enthusiastic sitter may be better equipped to play fun games with the little ones. You can just sit back and enjoy the show.
Need some ideas for games? Check out 8 Easy Birthday Party Games.
- Serve the Snacks
If you’re offering finger foods or special snacks during the party — hello, ice cream sundae buffet — your sitter can man the snack station to help prevent spills, double dipping in the chocolate fountain and other birthday party faux pas.
- Make Goodie Bags
Are you preparing a goodie bag for each partygoer? Sounds like the perfect task for your helper to take on. Your sitter gets bonus points if she can use her calligraphy skills to personalize each kid’s dollar-store train whistle.
- Run the Face Painting Station
Kids love getting their faces painted! If your sitter has a knack for painting butterflies and lions, he’s perfect for the job.
- Watch the Baby
Want to make sure that you can focus all of your attention on the guest of honor? Ask your sitter to keep an eye on your other kids.
- Be the Entertainment
Does your sitter know how to juggle, make balloon animals or perform magic tricks? These hidden skills can be a major hit at a birthday party!
- Run the Craft Table
Kids love to participate in craft projects, especially if they can take their work of art home with them as an extra special party favor. Unfortunately, some kids will finish up in 30 seconds, while others may take a full 30 minutes. Ask your sitter to watch over the stragglers at the craft table so that you can usher the rest of the kids to the next activity.
- Clean Up
Don’t be afraid to ask your sitter to stick around and help you clean up after the party, or at the very least watch over your kids while you polish off that last piece of cake — a well-deserved treat after a hectic day.
- Write “Thank You” Cards
After the party is over, your sitter can help the birthday boy write “thank you” notes to his pals. And don’t forget to ask your party helper to take notes during the gift opening — once the wrapping paper starts flying, it will all be a blur.
How does your sitter help with your birthday parties? Tell us in the comments!
Need some extra help organizing or setting up the party? Hire a babysitter or housekeeper to help out for a few hours.
Victoria Georgoff is a freelance writer and psychotherapist who enjoys writing about parenting, helping other parents and, of course, being a parent herself.
