Time to Start a Party-What Is Too Early for Moms

While I do not think of a 9:30 start time as the norm I do not think it is too early. On the weekend people to tend to sleep in sometimes but on a normal day they should have their kid at school by that time right? It is also probably nice because they still have the rest of the day to do something. The only issue I could think of is if any of the kids play sports on the weekends they are usually in the morning so that might conflict. So if that would mess you up I would reconsider. Otherwise I say go for it.

I would say to do it from 2-4pm. I don't think I would go to a party that starts before 10:30 or 11am. This whole summer we haven't even gotten out of bed until 10am unless we have an appointment. The school year is really tough to get up early and get the kids out the door. We are not morning people, lol!

sorry, It sounds lilke super fun party, but not at even 10 am unless i really knew you and knew you HAD to do it early because you had sextuplets that needed to nap at 2 pm

another thought running through my head would be what the heck woud i do with my 5yo for the rest of the day after all that fun and excitement so early.

I am NOT a morning person and so 9am on a Saturday wouldn't be a party we'd be attending.

Ugh I'd kick you for a morning 9:30 party! :)

I can see the "not as crowded" being true and understand the reasoning behind it. With kids activities/work/school I enjoy not having to move too fast on Sat mornings.

Edit...oops I thought you WERE having it at Chuck E Cheese...which is why I thought you wanted it early. I'd REALLY kick you for having it at your house @ 9:30 LOL :)

Have fun and hope it goes well.

Well, my kids are up and running at 7 am (if I am lucky and it isn't 6 am) it doesn't matter if a school day or a weekend.

Shoot for the 10 am time frame. Just have the folks RSVP. For all the discouraging comments from non-morning folks or "family day" comments, heck it is one Saturday and it sounds like a total BLAST!! I bet a lot of folks will come regardless of their sleep preferences.
Don't get discouraged. It is the way of school age kids. Parties are on Saturdays:) (I am totally ripping off this idea for my 5 year old's next party!)

It would not be a big deal for us because my kids are early birds, even on the weekends. However, I have NEVER heard of anyone having a party at this time. I understand not wanting to provide lunch. If that's the case, then maybe have it from 2-4. I mean, its at your house, not a location, so this shouldn't be a problem. Just my opinion. Good luck.

Yeah, sorry I'd be skipping that party too. Saturday mornings are family time, time to sleep in, have a good breakfast and chill. I get not wanting to do lunch, you could always do it after. If it's a cost thing there is nothing wrong with pizza. We went to numerous 4yr old bday parties this past year and every single one of them served pizza. But finger foods and snacks are fine too. I don't know what kind of finger foods you'd be serving at 9:30am...french toast sticks?? I think 11am is the earliest I would go to a bday party on a weekend.

I've been to Sat parties at 10 or 11. I guess 10:30 or 11 is more common. Do the rest of you really have kids who let you sleep late on Sat mornings?? if so I am jealous!! It depends on what you want, and how upset will you be if some people don;t come because of the hour. I've done birthday parties during Spring break, and it's just fine with me if some cant come because they are out of town, Spring break works for me!

9:30 seems early to me. 10 a.m. or later is more do-able. You can spell out everything on the invite that you want/need to.

"Feel free to drop your kiddo off at 10 and pick up at 12. Light snacks, cake, and ice-cream will be served. Please RSVP by....."

Sounds like fun!

coming from a mom who's done it all...party-wise for kids:

for families wth older siblings, many moms are tied up with Saturday a.m. sports &/or Scouts. Thru the years, I have learned that the 1-4pm timeframe works better for most families.

And as for dropoff, unless you specify it on the invite....at age 6....many parents will want to stay. :)

9:30 AM would definitely be too early for us. We always have classes scheduled on Saturday mornings and even if we didn't our weekend mornings are reserved for family time and chores.
Sorry, but 11 AM is the earliest I would accept an invitation and afternoons are much preferred!
Good luck.

If you are going to do a morning party I'd say 10. I don't know about everyone else's house but on a Saturday morning it's chaos trying to get breakfast in two kids, getting them changed and ready for the day.

I would start it at 10am. I completely understand not wanting to do a full lunch. I never do either! But, I usually try to do mine in the afternoon, say 1pm-4pm. Then I just provide snacks! That might work out a bit better?
L.

We did a few parties starting at 10:00am and always had a great turn out.

Kids are up early even on weekends. It is still not boiling hot. When it is over the families can go on with their day.

Maybe because of where we live, the temperature is what tends to run our lives. We avoid mid day when possible.

I would be ok with it. :)

To be honest, I think most kid parties are a chore regardless of the time. But having a party complete before the rest of my Saturday is blown is fine by me.

Too early for a Saturday party. After lunch would be better. A bunch of 5 yr olds at 9:30 in the morning WON'T be a party.

Not sure what I'd do about a 9:30am party but I know I wouldn't be happy about it. 10:00 I could deal with better. So if you specify feel free to drop off, that's acceptable.

Sorry to say but 9:30 my kids r still sleeping cause of getting up for school during the week. Whats wrong with an evening party say around noonish. U can still have finger foods and it can be over by 3 and still have the rest of the day to do some other things.

way to early, do a 2-4 party to avoid having to serve a full meal

Sports Saturday morning would mean we couldn't come most Saturdays .
Temple Saturday morning would mean half our friends couldn't come (jewish)

Anything befor 10am would be very difficult.

Even at the best of time, any party before lunch time we never went to and respectfully declined. We were more than happy to do an early lunch or nap as needed to make it to an after lunch party or a lunch party. The only morning person in our whole family is my husband. We use the mornings to take care of things in the house, cleaning, I'll throw a load of laundry in to put in the washer to dry when we get home. We will sometimes run an errand or 2 that we need to before the party because a lot of things close early on weekends.
It does sound like you have too much crammed into too short a time. Some kids take longer than others to do things. They will want to enjoy the fruits of their labors with their friends for a while.
You can do an easy lunch like get a bunch of pizzas from somewhere like Costco if you have one nearby.

How about starting it after lunch like 1 or 2. That is early for a childrens party to start.

Too early, and too short, with too much to do. Are you planning on actually telling people to leave at 11:30? I don't think you're giving enough time for the party. It sounds too tight & over scheduled.

Also, people might have their kids in activities, and most weekend activities are on Saturday morning.

We have always done afternoon parties with no set end time. I never liked the idea of pretty much rushing everything & then kicking everyone out. It's always fun when our friends & family stayed late & hung out. So, I think afternoon, and longer time period would be better. Don't forget this is also about your guests and not just what's convenient for you.

9:30am is definitely too early. The kids like to stay up later on Fridays because Saturday is our only sleep in day. 10:00 or 10:30 would be better. I usually do 2:00-4:00pm to avoid a meal.

I had a mom come in and make herself at home at my son's 4th birthday party, and I totally wasn't prepared for that. I said "You can pick him up at 4:00pm" and she says, "Oh, that's OK, I'll stay." Ugh.