OT - Have you been to or hosted a Build-A-Bear party?

[fan_of_small_world]

I just scheduled DD's 5th birthday party at Build-A-Bear. They told me I had to choose an amount for each child to be able to spend. I was wondering what amout have you chosen or had at a party? There is one mom who I could see paying extra for her own child to buy more than the selected amount...has that happened to anyone? Any other advice for me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[pixie dust 112]

My DD had a build a bear party a few years ago. She had aboout 15 kids there so I limited them all to the basic bear. I think it comes in 3 differesnt colors. I let them each pick what color they wanted. I think those bears were $10.00 at the time. I don't think I let them get outfits. At the parites they get bows to put on the bears. The kids were fine with that. If she only had a few party guests I would have let them each pick out an outfit as well. I set a budget in my head for my kids parties, if they want to have a lot of kids the party is less extravagant. For one of my others DD's birthday's she just wanted to invite one friend to spend the day with her in NYC. So I took DD and her friend to the city on the train and we had a great day. Went to American girl store and let them each pick out an outfit for their dolls, took a carriage ride through Central Park, went to the museum of Natural History... Did other touristy things (My DDs birthday is Dec 28, so everything was decorated for Christmas so saw the tree etc.), then took the train home

 

[JoiseyMom]

I had my DD10 bday there this past June. We only had 8 kids, and I let them spend $20.00 each. I did spend more on DD though. The kids had a blast.

 

[Lizzy2]

We did this in Sept. with DD plus 5 others and I think I sponsored 20 or 25 for each kid and then whatever else the parents were responsible for. The kids had a great time and just as an fyi, since BAB had no where to have cake I called the Mall office and got permission to commandeer some space in the food court for ice cream, cake, and juice boxes. My DH and DB's went up as the kids were finishing the bears and put up some balloons and tablecloth and the goody bags at each place. It was super easy. Our Mall has a carousel so after cake we took them for a ride. It was the easiest party we've ever done.

 

[dfamily]

My son had a b-day party there a couple of years ago. We had to have a minimum of 6 kids and I think ended up with about 12 (siblings included). I explained to the parents beforehand that each child had a $10 credit with the store. Anything they chose to spend over that was their resonsibility. All the parents had a good time and didn't mind the xtra because they were prepared for it. There were a couple of bears for $10. Not sure if that's the case now or not. My kids still talk about that party. The assistants who helped out were fabulous. They kept all the kids entertained and on-task! It was a very easy b-day party for me.

Good luck!

 

[Kae]

I booked DD6 party online & got a better deal. DD was free. I think are started at 20 but if I went to 25 dd was free. I also got bonus points so I got DS a GC for Christmas. The gals that did the party are very good about keeping everyone at the limit. We did not have any parents buy more for their kid. I agree easiest party I have ever done. And one of the cheapest, we had homemade cupcakes at home 1st then went to BAB.

Kae

 

[flying_babyb]

i would just put on the invation that your spending X amount on each child and if they choose they can bring money for more.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Thanks for all the info! I might look online to see if they're offering any specials right now.

 

[Desnik]

DD had her party there and we had about 20 kids! Anyway I let them pick a bear up to $12. That gives them 5 choices. Then they got to choose a shirt that was $6 or less. Most of the shirts are $5-$6. They handle this very well at the store. You don't need to put anything on the invite. When the kids get there they are told what they can choose. The party person even brought over a bunch of T-shirts in the pre selected price range for the kids to pick from. It was very organized. DD and DS got to pick whatever they wanted. All the kids were so good and were so happy and excited to get anything! Except one kid, there's always one!LOL She was just told what she can get and that was it, her mom left her at the party and she wanted everything! Anyway, she got over it! Most parents didn't see a need to add anything else. It was a great party but can get expensive, especially if you have 20 kids like we did! Also since the store is literally next to the food court in our mall, I was able to decorate a bunch of tables and I had pizza, drinks, chips, and cake for everyone.

 

[DisneyFan09]

One thing I have witnessed as an employee at BAB which was a little sad is the one or two kids that bring extra money and get way more than the other kids. Depending on the ages of the kids, this can be a hard pill to swallow and some that don't have a huge concept of money can't seem to wrap there brains around why they didn't get as much. I suggest that all guests spend the same amount of money and if parents would like their children to get additional items that they shop after the party. Same thing with the birthday child, while everyone understands that the guest of honor will receive gifts it's very nice to see the parents come back to shop after the party.

Just a thought.

 

[Desnik]

That is great advice and so true!! When DS wanted to pick something he did it on his own with his dad. The other kids didn't see him. As for the Bday girl, she just got a different animal, and also only got a shirt, she didn't want anything else! All her friends expected her to get something special because it was her Bday, and they are older 7 and up at the time so I think that makes a difference too.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

I really like the idea of selecting (by price) which bears the children can choose from ahead of time, and then letting them also choose a t-shirt. I know already that DD wants the Ariel outfit, but I think I might give it to her on her real b-day (the day before the party) and let her know that at the party she'll be selecting a tee like everyone else. Or I might tell her that after the party she can go back and choose an additional outfit to take home.

While I can't really stop any other parents from doing their own shopping while there, maybe I can encourage them to go back after the party is over if they want anything else. I'll have to play that by ear at the time...it will just depend on how things are going and how receptive the parent seems to be. I'd hate for any of the children to be upset if others are getting extras. It's like on field trips...the school tells the kids not to bring money for souveniers since someone might not have that ability and would feel left out. I often chaperone, and I have bought educational things for my kids while on a field trip, but I do it VERY discreetly and NEVER let my child have it until he/she is home that afternoon.

 

[daisyduck123]

We had a BAB party for my DD's 8th b-day (I think that was it) & I set a $20.00 limit for each girl...we had 8 or 9 girls.

Of course, one girl arrived very late, just grabbed an animal & started accessorising...she went over the limit but I didn't say anything because the other girls did not notice & I didn't want to tell her she had to put the items back. (Mom is also a friend of mine).

I told all the girls to pick the cheap bear so that they could accessorize more.

 

[CampbellScot]

One thing I have witnessed as an employee at BAB which was a little sad is the one or two kids that bring extra money and get way more than the other kids. Depending on the ages of the kids, this can be a hard pill to swallow and some that don't have a huge concept of money can't seem to wrap there brains around why they didn't get as much. I suggest that all guests spend the same amount of money and if parents would like their children to get additional items that they shop after the party. Same thing with the birthday child, while everyone understands that the guest of honor will receive gifts it's very nice to see the parents come back to shop after the party.

Just a thought.

absolutely!! This is the perfect opportunity to teach gratitude that they are invited to a party where they get such a nice party favor, it also teaches them limits and decision making, and the biggest one--Kids need to learn that the world does NOT revolve around them all the time. This party isn't about THEM, it's about the birthday girl or boy. If I were sponsering a BAB party I would ask the parents not to send extra money. I wouldn't want anyone to feel badly b/c their parent didn't send extra money or couldn't afford to.

on a side note--I live in New Jersey where kids parties are so out of control it's disgusting. We actually didn't let my step daughter go to a party she was invited to b/c she flat out said she did not like the girl, they were not friends, but she wanted to go b/c she was having it at a really fun place...good lord, where do you even start with that one?! It's a gimme society and it's really very sad. We later heard that the girls that did go made fun of the "birthday girl" in school the next week and called her party babyish and boring. Lucky they weren't my kid...

 

[mom2alix]

DD4 just went to a BAB party last week. There were 9 kids there total. The kids each got a bear and an outfit, but I have no idea what the limit was. I would never have even thought about letting DD buy extra stuff in front of the other kids. That seems a little rude to me, almost like implying that what the party host has provided isn't enough. If you want to get other things for the bear, go back later.

ETA: In this case the moms were actually told to go have fun shopping so I wasn't even there for the party. The bday girl had her parents and grandparents there to supervise (grandparents volunteer in DD's classroom several times per week so they know the kids pretty well). I thought it was pretty nice to have some shopping time to myself, but maybe that would also cut down on parents buying extra while at the party?

 

[fan_of_small_world]

ETA: In this case the moms were actually told to go have fun shopping so I wasn't even there for the party. The bday girl had her parents and grandparents there to supervise (grandparents volunteer in DD's classroom several times per week so they know the kids pretty well). I thought it was pretty nice to have some shopping time to myself, but maybe that would also cut down on parents buying extra while at the party?

I'm pretty sure all the moms (or dads) will stay, since that is what our group usually does. I freely admit that I'm a paranoid mom myself and wouldn't feel comfortable leaving (just my opinion, I believe that different families make different decisions and I respect that). If it looks like the one mom I'm worried about might start doing extra buying, I'll just ask her to hold off, since not everyone will be doing that, and ask her to join us when we go back after the party to get the special outfit DD wants. I just (a minute ago!) explained that all to DD, and (OK, sorry, a little mommy bragging coming up ) before I could explain why she asked, "So nobody will be sad?"

 

[CampbellScot]

Wow! What a sweetheart your little girl is! Sounds like you are doing a good job! I've found that my step daughter is beginning to gain that sense of empathy for others as she gets older. She's always been naturally thoughtful of others but I'm always glad to see her making these connections herself.

I hope your little girl has a wonderful birthday!!

 

[lindsey]

My niece had her 7th party at BAB in November and I helped chaperoned. The girls were allowed to pick from three different bears. The mom had put on the invitation that they would each receive a bear, but if they wanted to dress the bears, that would be extra. I liked the idea of bear and one shirt for each person paid by the party child's parent better. One child at DN's party did not have any money and could not understand why all of the others were picking out outfits, shoes, etc. I told her I would buy her a shirt, but her mom came to join at the last few minutes and let her buy an outfit.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Wow! What a sweetheart your little girl is! Sounds like you are doing a good job! I've found that my step daughter is beginning to gain that sense of empathy for others as she gets older. She's always been naturally thoughtful of others but I'm always glad to see her making these connections herself.

I hope your little girl has a wonderful birthday!!

Thanks! She is really a sweeite, if I do say so myself !

 

[five_lil_monkeys]

We did one last year for ds who turned 3. It was just family...so there were my 5 kids, my best friends 2 kids and my niece and nephew. I set my limit at $25 a kid (I had it set at $20, but they knocked some off so I could bump it up to $25) It ended up being right around $200. I did it b/c my kids have always wanted to go to BAB but it seemed so expensive...we decided to splurge and it wasnt much more than a regular party and they got the stuffed animals they had been wanting w/ clothes. It was a good experience and the host keeps the kids at the limit you set. They tell the parents if they want anything additional, they are welcome to purchase it seperatly.