As a parent of young children i'm always looking for new ideas and thoughts about birthday parties. Due to having 2 sets of in-laws and my family we have to plan parties very carefully. My family doesn't get along with in-laws 1 and in-laws 1 and 2 don't get along.

For those out there who have to split up different family members:

• try having a party in the park or some other free location where the families can spread out but still be together - families can keep to themselves, kids can play and clean up isn't in your home.

Other locations could be - beach, river, swimming pool ( parents pay their own ways), etc. ( please feel free to leave more suggestions)

Having parties in your home can become crowded, noisy, frustrating and very messy. This is a pure recipe for an overloaded mummy to lose the plot. I know i lost the plot with our daughters first birthday.

• have 2 seperate parties but ask each person to bring a food dish - this keeps down your own costs.

or if you are feeling particularly brave, tell them all to grow up and get along. if they don't like that idea politely tell them that they don't have to come if they don't want too. Most times they will behave.

• One important thing to remember is this - if you choose to split the families, be sure to keep it fair. Each family should get the same amount of time and effort. You will hear about it if one family thinks they didn't get treated fairly. Been there, done that. Not pretty.

Now for the fun stuff. Once you have sorted out your family its time to make it a great time for the kids.

Invitations are just the beginning. Instead of just sending a pre bought invite with pooh bear or spiderman on them try something new.

For those adventurous kids - try a treasure map. Print up your own invites, be creative. The front is more for the parents, when, where etc. But the back is for the kids. Draw up a treasure map of the place where you will be holding the party, ie your house, and lead them to a special surprise when they first arrive. Make up different maps for each child. Keep spares for those who forget to bring theirs. This is a lot of fun for the kids and keeps them busy while the rest of the guests arrive.

How about a puzzle? Write out your invites like normal but again make them interesting, maybe a big dinosaur. Then stick the invite to some card board and cut into a puzzle, put in a envelpope and send. The kids will love to see what it makes and will be really surprised to find its an invite.

Try blowing up a balloon, writing the invite details on the balloon and then deflate it. This might be a 2 person job. Or as an alternative put the invite inside the balloon. So that when the child gets it they have to blow it up and pop it to get the message.

For the little girls - Try creating your own princess crowns and putting the details on the back. This gives little girls a huge smile when a letter they get turns into something they can wear.

This has become a little lengthy so i might do this in a few stages. I hope some of these ideas are of use to someone. Please add some more ideas to this. I'm always looking for something new.

Parties can be expensive, but they don't have to be if you can be a little creative and think outside the box.