b-day party for 2 yr old at 8pm?

[salsah]

Really? i can't be the only one who thinks that is crazy. my neighbor just called to tell me that she is having a birthday party for her 2 yr old this Friday night at 8:00 pm. i am not even complaing about the fact that this is so last minute. i just want my kids in bed by 8, not up and eating b-day cake! friday isn't even her ds's b-day. his b-day is saturday so she could have the party on saturday during the day, not after bed time!

[BabyMine]

That would be way to late for us. M goes to bed at 7:30 and he is 4.5yo

[scrooks]

That's just weird....I think most 2 year olds are in bed by then! Very odd!

[Melaine]

Really? That's crazy.

[Melanie]

That's odd. I wouldn't go.

[elliput]

Maybe she meant 6-8pm? If not, that is crazy.

[hillview]

Um WOW. No. Unless it is just for parents with lots of alcohol.

DS #2 is 2 and is in bed ASLEEP by 7. DS #2 is 4.5 and in bed ASLEEP by 8. That is NUTTY IMO.
/hillary

[bubbaray]

THat is insane. I would send regrets -- no way would I feed my 2yo (or my soon to be 3yo) anything remotely involving sugar at that hour! Heck, she's supposed to be in bed at 7:30, not headed out the door to a party!

[DietCokeLover]

I can't even believe someone would consider this. My DCs go to bed at 7.

[Corie]

I wouldn't go.

My kids are in bed at 8pm. (and my kids are 8 yrs. old and 5 yrs. old!!)

[MMMommy]

That's way late for a 2 year old's birthday party, not to mention for a 6 year old even. Why so late?

[SnuggleBuggles]

Well, maybe that is a good time for her little one. My little guy would still be going till 9 or 10. Dh doesn't get home from work till 6:30-7 and our family is made up of night owls. So, for a 2yo party that is often small, family only or close friends I think 8 must just work for their needs. If it doesn't work for you then it's perfectly ok to skip it. Just offering a different perspective. I know my kids have among the later bedtimes of kids on the boards. :)

Beth

[WatchingThemGrow]

Totally odd. Do you think maybe she said Friday the 8th? I bet that will be the last time she invites other 2yos over at 8pm if she does it. Can you imagine the pandemonium?

[infocrazy]

Well, maybe that is a good time for her little one. My little guy would still be going till 9 or 10. Dh doesn't get home from work till 6:30-7 and our family is made up of night owls. So, for a 2yo party that is often small, family only or close friends I think 8 must just work for their needs. If it doesn't work for you then it's perfectly ok to skip it. Just offering a different perspective. I know my kids have among the later bedtimes of kids on the boards. :)

Beth

You are not alone. :) I would be surprised by it, but it's a Friday night and we'd have no problem going--I'd even prefer it to a middle of the day kills your weekend party... We are night owls too, though. Normal bed time is 9 or so and they sleep until 8:15 or so.

[jacksmomtobe]

That's really late for 2 year olds. As other posters said even for my 5 year old that would be too late. What are they doing for the party???

[salsah]

i know that it works well for her (and not too bad for her dc) and that is all she is thinking about. this is my selfish, inconsiderate neighbor (the one who brought her sick kids over) so i don't think that she thought about choosing a time convenient for her guests too. (she once tried to change the time for something at my house.) i get that you can't please everyone. i'm just complaining because it doesn't work for me.

i actually thought about calling a few other people who she might have invited that might also feel like it is too late, and convince them to decline too and tell her that is too late. :icon_twisted: don't worry, i'm not going to do it.

i told dh that i think we should tell her that we can't make it because it is too late. he wants us to go for just an hour. all her invites are late so it is an ongoing problem.

[nov04]

Nope, never. Our kids start bath/quiet time at 7pm. Lights out at 8pm, sleeping soon after.

[salsah]

That's really late for 2 year olds. As other posters said even for my 5 year old that would be too late. What are they doing for the party???

nothing. the parents will hang out and talk, the kids will run around and play, and cake will be served.

[Fairy]

Really? i can't be the only one who thinks that is crazy. my neighbor just called to tell me that she is having a birthday party for her 2 yr old this Friday night at 8:00 pm. i am not even complaing about the fact that this is so last minute. i just want my kids in bed by 8, not up and eating b-day cake! friday isn't even her ds's b-day. his b-day is saturday so she could have the party on saturday during the day, not after bed time!

No, Salsah, nooooooooooooo. I'd be sending regrets and a gift. I don't get that at all. Maybe he has a very late bedtime, I mean, hey, their family their choice. But to visit that way out of norm thing on other kids? Nope.

[ThreeofUs]

That's crazy-late!

My 15 mo is in bed by 6:30, his 5 yo brother by 7:45.

[kijip]

Totally nuts. Toddlers in social setting at 8PM? Not my kid. Imagining it makes my head hurt a little.

[boolady]

Nope. Even though DD goes to bed 7:30-7:45, would I keep her out until 8:00 or a bit later for a special occasion? Sure. Would I take her to something that starts at 8:00 p.m.? No way. She'd be done before things even got started. DH and I both WOH, so I get that they may not be able to start it that late on the kid's actual birthday, because this happens to us. So we have special dinner and cake with her that night ourselves, and her family/friends party on the closest weekend.

[elephantmeg]

yeah my kids are in bed at that point too.

[JTsMom]

DS has night-owl tendencies, but even I wouldn't attempt that- it's just insane. Ending at 8 I could live with, although I would likely leave early. Starting at 8? Heck no.

[viba424]

That is weird. Even if it was only an hour long, that would be up too late! Do you think the other kids wont go either? I wonder if someone should tell mom it might be too late, so that her kid doesnt have a party with no kids.

[Melaine]

My only theory is that maybe her child is a night owl and she is having family or adults mostly and not many other kids other than the OP's. Maybe that was the only time she could work out a party.....still seems very strange.

[MoJo]

Nope. Even though DD goes to bed 7:30-7:45, would I keep her out until 8:00 or a bit later for a special occasion? Sure. Would I take her to something that starts at 8:00 p.m.? No way. She'd be done before things even got started.

:yeahthat:

[jent]

Nope. Even though DD goes to bed 7:30-7:45, would I keep her out until 8:00 or a bit later for a special occasion? Sure. Would I take her to something that starts at 8:00 p.m.? No way. She'd be done before things even got started.
:yeahthat: I would politely send regrets. My feeling would be that whoever was hosting wouldn't *really* want to experience DD when she is overtired and cranky.

If that timing works for them b/c they are nightowls, so be it, but then they'll have to accept that it may not work for all invitees. It's not the end of the world if the kids miss a bday party.

[salsah]

i think that she is having it at a time that she doesn't need to serve a meal. last year she had a potluck dinner for his birthday. and her kids do sometimes sleep late not because they are night owls but because they don't stick to a schedule or routine for naps or bedtime. if one of the kids falls asleep at 4 and naps till 7, they let him. and then complain that he was up until midnight. and they don't think that it is a big deal to keep kids up. dh is like that too. he doesn't even believe me when i tell him that it is easier to get the girls down earlier than later. even 30 min. late is enough for dd2 to become overtired and consequently too worked up to sleep. my girls even sleep better when we stick to a schedule/routine.

i told dh that we shouldn't go and tell her that it is too late for us but he thinks that we should go for just an hour. it's just one night and i don't want to push it since dh already blames me for us not socializing enough. and this neighbor wouldn't understand and would just get upset and think that there is some other reason that we don't want to come.

would it be rude to leave before the cake?

[LexyLou]

No way! That's crazy. My kids are in bed (or at least close to it) at 8pm.

[mytwosons]

We have friends/neighbors who are from a different country, and we've chalked such things up to cultural differences. I'm thinking maybe we should just chalk them up to differences.

I think the 3rd bday party started at 7 pm, but it is common for those in their social circle to be at least one to two hours late. We were the only ones there at 7 and only two out of 10-15 families had arrived by the time we left at 8:30.

It works for them and their social circle. I do envy them whenever they mention how late their kids sleep in!

[vludmilla]

Totally nuts. Toddlers in social setting at 8PM? Not my kid. Imagining it makes my head hurt a little.

I feel the same way. No way would I attend.

[newg]

I don't think I could even get DD out the door for a party at 8pm.........she'd be on the floor throwing a tantrum as soon as I walk towards her with a coat.........
.........now if the party starts before that the stimulation would keep her going for a while............she's been awake 'till 9:30 once..............but she's in bed between 7:30-8pm almost every night.

[maestramommy]

That's nuts. No other way to say it.

[mom2binsd]

Although we're night owls and my kids handle staying out late easily (bedtime on school nights is about 8:30ish) I think any type of party (child or adult) starting at 8pm is kinda strange (except if you're a college student)....if you want to avoid serving a meal a 7pm start time works. If it doesn't work for you guys I'd simply decline and maybe let her know that your little one is just too tired at that time to attend.

[ha98ed14]

I think the 3rd bday party started at 7 pm, but it is common for those in their social circle to be at least one to two hours late. We were the only ones there at 7 and only two out of 10-15 families had arrived by the time we left at 8:30.


Not to hijack OP's b!tch, but THIS drives me nuts! We have some international people in our family (married in) and they just conceive of time differently. There is never a rush, which is nice, but they are never on time either. Drives me nuts when we go to visit because when/ if we make reservations to go out for dinner, they do not show up 'til half way through dessert! I know it is not particularly culturally sensitive of me, but when in Rome, People, do as the Romans! This was a huge issue over our Thanksgiving visit when we were visiting all our family and had other "appointments" to keep.

[carolinamama]

WHAT?????????

We wouldn't be able to go. I wonder what kind of turnout they will have.

[alirebco]

There's no way we'd be going. I would just say, sorry we can't make it - bedtime is 7:30 in our house. We've kept DS up later than his bedtime by an hour but we were already somewhere before his bedtime and not going somewhere where a party just started.

[viba424]

I just hope the poor kid gets SOMEBODY to show up!