Has anyone had a birthday party at Build-a-Bear?

[moonsky]

How was your experience? How much should I set a budget for each guest? We will have about 15 kids?

TIA!

[daniele_ut]

We had DD's 5th birthday party there in February. it went really well the kids had a lot of fun and everyone was really happy to bring home such a cool party favor. We allowed the kids to pick from the $10 and $12 animals and did not do any clothing or accessories. I was worried the kids might be disappointed about that but no one seemed to mind at all. DH talked to the store associate when we planned the party and he didn't realize that they had relatively inexpensive t-shirts available or we probably would have added the t-shirts too. In the end it worked out for the best since we had a handful of unexpected guests because we had family come to stay with us at the last minute for a funeral a few days after. Honestly i spent more on DS's at home Ninjago birthday party back in October and this was much less stress. DD's bear was also free with the amount we spent.

The bear choosing and building took about an hour and 15 minutes and then we took the kids over to the mall food court for cake and ice cream. they dont allow food of any kind in the store. It was really the perfect party for our DD who loves stuffed animals. i would definitely recommend it.

[jerseygirl07067]

Funny you posted about this, I posted a Build A Bear party related question about 1-2 weeks ago. We are planning DDs birthday there in about 2 weeks. I am budgeting $25 per child but our numbers are much smaller. Other than my own 3 kids, there are only 5 other kids coming. I kept the numbers smaller so I could allow them to spend more. At this age, they are really into picking the outfits, etc. When I booked online, they said if I upped it to $30 per child, one kid is free, so did that. So I guess technically we have $30 to spend for each child.

We are then going back to our house for pizza and cake, so that part will be very inexpensive. I'm making a homemade chocolate chip cookie cake, per DDs request, lol...i will probably get the Aldi Frozen Pizzas, they are cheap but good, so spending at BB aside, the rest will be under $20 bucks. :)

I am just so happy that I don't have to do those stupid goodie bags!! Yay!

[Gracemom]

We did a girl scout party there and it was great! I would recommend scheduling the party on a weeknight if you can so the store is not as crowded as it is on the weekend.

[lalasmama]

My sister did this for DNiece's birthday several years ago. I think she did $20 per kid, to allow for a cheaper animal and a piece of clothing, or a more expensive animal with no clothes. DD still remember's DN's party there, and talks about it every time we pass by! Like others, we did cake and ice-cream at the mall afterwards (and presents too).

[scrooks]

We haven't had one there but I went with DD to a classmates party there. It was very well run. The got to pick between 2 of the cheaper bears and from a rack of sale outfits. The kids loved it. The store did a great job of keeping the party moving. The did cake and presents in the mall food court. It seemed so easy I am considering it for DD's birthday this summer.

[moonsky]

then we took the kids over to the mall food court for cake and ice cream. they dont allow food of any kind in the store. It was really the perfect party for our DD who loves stuffed animals. i would definitely recommend it.


Did you reserve and decorate the table at the food court? Where did you put the cake when they were at the store?

[NewfieNat]

For DD's party in November we reserved a table at a sit-down pizza restaurant in the mall. Instead of cake I made bear cupcakes and gave them out (wrapped) as the kids were leaving. It was great! I think we spent $20/kid + pizza but some parents stayed and bought extra accessories for their child.

[jamesmom]

We had a really great birthday party at BAB for DD two years ago. We used both a Groupon and another coupon, which resulted in a nice discount. Although our party was a bigger one with 12 kids, the sales associates handled it really well and kept things moving. The kids loved picking their stuffed animal and dressing them. A few parents even bought extra accessories for their kids' bears after the party.

I consider it one of our more successful and less stressful birthday parties. It was nice not to have to deal with food and drinks (some of the guests had severe food allergies), and the kids got a really nice takeaway from the party. If your kids are into stuffed animals, BAB would be a good place to have a birthday party.