DS invited to a Build a Bear party: what to expect $$-wise?

[jpeka65844]

Hey all! DS was invited to a BAB party by a classmate at preschool. I'm excited about it b/c it's not a Zonkers, Monkey Business, or Pump It Up party where he'll be miserable (he hates loud noises and bouncers....).

What should I expect money-wise? Am I going to have to shell out $$ for a bear? Has anyone been to or thrown one?

 

[WDWAtLast]

We have had BAB parties and been to BAB parties - they are fun! Usually the host has a set amount that each child can spend and the BAB party host will show the guests what they can pick from. Sometimes it is a bear and an outfit, sometimes just a bear. Or if your child choses a more expensive animal, they may not get an outfit. Most moms at the party just pay the difference in what their child picks out. So maybe they pay for the shoes, or the outfit if the animal their child chose was more expensive. Have fun!!

Most outfits are $10-$15, shoes are about $5 (for 2 shoes) but if you pick a dog or a horse, you might need 4 shoes!! Prices and selections are on the website!

 

[Bren's Mom]

I would hope they wouldn't be looking for you to pay for anything! If it wasn't clearly stated on the invite I could see kids arriving with no money and being disappointed that they couldn't participate. That wouldn't be any good. I'm pretty sure, by reading the website, that the parents of the birthday child decides what kind of bear, how many outfits, etc., if any, they want to purchase for each guest and they pay for everything. (And I'm surprised, this actually seems to be reasonable compared to some of the prices for b-day parties I've seen!)

 

[luvmy3]

You will not have to bring any money, the bear will be a gift to the party goers, and depending on the package the parents picked, your child may get a tee- shirt or an outfit for the bear, ior just the animal.
Of course, you will probably not get out of there without your child asking for a ton of other stuff for their bear, and that stuff you would be responsible for.

 

[ireland_nicole]

When my DD went to a BAB party, the host paid for the bear and outfit. We didn't pay anything oop (except the gift, of course LOL)

 

[Hannathy]

Whenever we had one or my DD went to one what usually happened was you told them each child can spend say $15. then they could do with it what they wanted. If they had an animal at home they would buy clothes. If they didn't have one then an animal. Often the kids would bring extra money so they could buy more, so you could send your child with an extra $10 or just let them spend what will be given to them. We had kids do both.

 

[ScrappyRN]

In my BAB party experience, the host picks the amount per child anywhere form the price of the cheapest bear to $20. Before the party I prepped my son to pick one of the cheapest shells(he had been there a few times with us) and when we got there he was able to spend $20. He still picked the cheapest shell and was able to get an outfit and shoes with me only paying a few dollars OOP. So you could either take your child to BAB or show him on the web the possible choices and encourage the least expensive or you could contact the parent and ask her if you will need to bring extra money for an outfit and she may then tell you what she is paying per child.

 

[pasofan]

We had a BAB party for our DD last year. I set the price to include a bear and either a shirt or outfit depending on the bear they picked. The bears start at $10 and go up to $18 or $20. A couple only spent the limit, but others did buy extra stuff. They do a cute ceremony where everyone at the party makes a wish for the b-day child and put the hearts in the bear. All the kids loved it and we will probably do it again for our younger DD gets older.

 

[anabelle]

The workers there are pretty good at helping the kids stay within the host's budget. If your child doesn't have an animal already and you want to make sure that it gets some clothes, I would send at least $10. Call the host and see what the budget is to get a better idea. Some only pay for the basic bear.

 

[wmharley]

call the place up and ask, or ask the classmate's parents..

We've been to several and as other state, the parent picks a pricepoint which includes a bear and possibly the outfit to that price.

You can sign up at the BaB site to get coupons and such. We have gotten several $10 coupons which we just used a few months ago for a party..

 

[jpeka65844]

This sounds very cute! I think DS will enjoy it. What if I want to gift an outfit/shoes to our host? Should I just buy a giftcard prior to the party or tell the little girl there that we'll buy her something for her birthday gift? Do they have a "registry"??

 

[disneymami]

I always think the gift you give should match what the parents are spending on the party. The last BAB my DD attended, she was given a bear that with accessories cost over 50! I was astounded. This was way too much. I like to give only in the $15 to $20 range for gifts.

 

[dormouse72]

What they've done here is that the party parent usually picks the bears the kids can pick from. The main activity of the party comes from all the things you can do to "make" your bear. They play little games surrounding each "task" - picking, choosing a heart (or extra options like music or a voice recorder), stuffing, and washing. Then you're given a choice of clothes - for my daughter, I picked a couple of t-shirts, a variety of hats, etc. If the parents wanted to buy a full outfit that was up to them but no bear left "naked" All the kids had the same bear - Johnny didn't sit and watch while Janie loaded up her bear with the music insert and voice insert, etc.

Our bears ended up to be $20 each (cheap for a bear) - that was the $10 shell, plus about $10 for extras like the shirts, etc. Make sure you don't expect your child to eat at the party - most Build-a-Bears in malls don't have licenses to serve food. The big Build-a-Bear here in Manhattan could host a full party but it was considerably more expensive. I found very cute, extra-large "Chinese take away" boxes - into each one I put a cupcake, a juice box, and a napkin. Following the party, the girls grandfather led the kids singing through the mall up to the food court - where my friend had ran ahead and snagged a bunch of tables. We moved the tables together, opened up the take-away boxes, and Grandfather sprang for small, kid-cups of ice cream. It was actually a very cute party.

 

[disney67]

My dd went to a BAB brownie party she was told she had a certain amount of money like 25.00 so hypathedically the bear costs 17.00 she had 8.00 to buy an outfit . And of course the outfit DD want from head to toe costed and extra 10.00 that we had to pay . but it was sooo much fun and well worth it .

 

[ZPT1022]

This sounds very cute! I think DS will enjoy it. What if I want to gift an outfit/shoes to our host? Should I just buy a giftcard prior to the party or tell the little girl there that we'll buy her something for her birthday gift? Do they have a "registry"??

Both of my girls have gone to BAB birthday parties and we usually buy the birthday girl a gift card to BAB. I figure if they are having their party there, it's a pretty good sign that they like the store


The parents of the birthday child usually pick an amount for the kids to spend and the party hosts at BAB are really good about making sure the kids stick to it. I didn't allow my child to spend more and me pay the difference because I didn't feel that was fair to the other kids, especially the birthday child. We did go back after one party was over and buy a pair of shoes to complete the outfit but it happened after the party time was over so there would be no hard feelings