Karin: “My toddler’s birthday cost me €220”

Karin’s son gave his first children’s party. It turned out a bit more expensive than expected. “You let yourself be influenced by what you see in others.”

Our son just turned five and it’s great fun to see how much he looked forward to his birthday party and how much he enjoyed it. He already had real birthday wishes, knew exactly who he wanted at his party and what he wanted to give.

High demands

Over the past few months, I’ve observed a bit of what other kids are treating and how other kids’ parties are being handled. It’s a whole new world I’ve been sucked into. I had no idea what the other kids were waiting for. And what happened? When it comes to birthdays and treats, a lot has changed since my own childhood.

Bouncy castles and gift bags

I still remember when I had a kids party at home and the activity was ‘Balloons coloring’ was. And a scavenger hunt or something. Luckily, I still see these kinds of wonderfully comfortable and inexpensive activities going on around me. But most pull a little more. Many children’s parties come with costumes, lots of candy, all kinds of prizes to be won, and huge birthday cakes with half-dinosaur parks on them. A bouncy castle in the garden is certainly no exception.

You know what surprises me too? Nowadays, all children also get something to take home. A bag of sweets or a bag of goodies with a toy, for example. As if they had gone to a high class event. By the way, I think it’s really sweet and kind that parents put so much effort into their children, let that be clear. But… I feel pressure.

The treat

Then there’s the school treat. My son attends a public school with children from all walks of life. Now the school is located in a neighborhood where everyone is relatively well off. In fact, behind the school is a real residential area with huge houses. (Haha no, we don’t live there.) But that might give a distorted picture of the average candy handed out at school. You can’t get away with a Mandarin with a face drawn on it.

Every week Mr. comes home with a toy. And some leftover candy. And that made me feel like I couldn’t stay back. Not so much because I’m afraid of other parents’ opinions, but because I don’t want him to be stared at by his classmates if his kindness isn’t enough.

That’s why last weekend I was very reluctant to fill thirty Batman cups with candy and a present instead of coating thirty tangerines. Now I put in the minimum amount of sweets and opted for a very simple gift, but it’s still quite overkill and I lost a weird amount of money.

Children’s party expenses

I admit: I got completely carried away with his anniversary. We even hosted a kids party outside in an indoor playroom. It was mainly because we couldn’t mentally handle the idea of ​​a full activity program in our own home for all those kids. But because of that, his fissa cost us 150€. This included food, drinks, cakes and tips. The treats for school also cost us around €70! That means his birthday party for his school buddies cost us €220. (Not to mention our own gift and party for the family.)

My intention? Next year I won’t get so carried away by outside pressure and we’ll see how we like a house party. Because it should be (much) cheaper, right?