If it is all too much...do what quite a few of the parents of children I have taught tended to do when overrun/ exhausted/ just couldn't think of anything worse except maybe extracting their own fingernails! They used to organise with me ( the teacher) so that they could bring in a cake just before lunchtime. Some parents also came equiped with balloons,party hats, individual bubble mix, pass the parcel etc.... The whole class sung happy birthday, indulged in cake and then went outside to play and have lunch. It is also wise to check with the teacher to ensure no children in the class have any food allergies that may have to be taken into account! This is a much better option than trying to supervise them all  yourself. Your child will be ecstatic at having everyone at her "party". ( The only one to suffer really is the  teacher who gets to  enjoy the children on a bit of a sugar high depending on the goodies supplied!) You could then have a quiet "family do" that evening.

I would be making sure that I had another adult there with you. But if you have it an Maccas or HJ's, they have their own party people anyway.

I was really astounded, when I had birthday parties for my youngest now 6, at the amount of parents that do want to stay. I find it offputting. I never had parents stay with the older boys parties -  it was a rare person that asked. Now, the last party I had, parents brought their own chairs etc.

Just pull these kids out of the activity and make them sit down and not participate if their behaviour gets out of control. Make sure that you have a whistle to blow too.

From every party I have seen at Maccas or Hungry Jacks they have a party leader so therefore I thought that they did most of the work cause they play games with them etc. This is the beauty of parties at these places. Granted you do have to help somewhat with disapline but that is what is good about having it there. Things wont get out of hand as they have managers etc and the public are around so it would be heaps better then at home.

Ya always going to get parents that wanta drop and leave their kids at parties. I always recruit a few mums that are going to be there to help me manage the hoards of kids and look at it like running playgroup all over again except I don't gotta do it every week.

Find a fenced playground, playhouse, etc; and let the kids run amuck and time ya activities and stuff to haul them back into line when needed with a few other adults to help. If ya can get a ratio of 3 kids per adult ya doing really well. I got stuck with 12 kids and 1 other adult once, but was very lucky that me and the other mum had it together enough to cope. I wouldn't recommend that unless ya got a really good pre-school teacher with ya! lol

Just make sure that anyone that drops the kids and runs is fully aware that they're leaving the welfare of their kids in your hands and if one of em needs to be disciplined, you'll do it without hesitation, and if you can't manage all the kids, you'll recruit a volunteer that will, and if the parents don't like it they can take their kids with em when they leave.

Cheers, DA

I would tell them that either they stay with their kids or they are not welcomed. If they want free babisiter too bad. Think of your self (as they are) its your daughters special day you dont want extra work by looking after someones child. Anyway who just drops off a 5-6 year old.

Wow - as if I could top that advice!  I do think that when you do the invites you should specifically invite so and so - plus, chaperone.  If people are too slack to look after their own kids for a couple of hours at a kids party, then I guess that kid misses out...

Hire a clown or fairy :) as long as you check that it's ok with the venue (it usually is- Im a clown and fairy and I've worked in heaps of places including Mc Donalds). Then all you need to worry about is making sure the cake gets served, cut and distributed. If you don't want to get an entertainer, here are a couple of ideas that might help:

Remember that you can just invite a couple of Chloe's friends and have a small party. Small parties have cool possibilities. They are only limited by your imagination. A fun party I clowned at once involved a group of 5 girls who were given disposable cameras, a big mirror and a dress up box full of old clothes. They had so much fun! I was only hired for 1/2 hr but they had been dressing up for an hour before I got there, made ME dress up (haha I WAS dressed up- I was a clown!) and had plans for dressing up after I left. Find what Chloe and her friends really enjoy doing at the moment and theme the party around that. 

Set up a 'bubble basin' that is a big tub that is hard to knock over and get heaps of bubble blowers for the kids. Make sure that noone drinks the bubble mix and I STRESS make sure it is hard to tip over- because the kids will knock it about. If you like you could give out the little bubble blower and bubble mix containers that you get at weddings.

You could go to a children's playcentre or an outdoor park- there are some really cool fenced off ones in Queensland, Im sure there would be some near you too. Arrange with the children that when you blow a horn or ring a bell that they come in for a 'surprise'. Then they will usually come in. Ask another parent or one of your relatives to stay and just be the one to round up the kids that don't come. Make sure the first couple of times you blow the horn/ring the bell it is for something exciting and cool like getting their bubble blowers or a spot of glitter on their nose or a balloon. If you have the party at a fenced park or a playcentre, you don't have to do as much 'policing' as most of the things will be child friendly. You also won't have to do as many activities as you might if they were somewhere else. Take care of yourself and don't plan the party to go for too long a time. A good present for your daughter is a happy healthy mummy.

Good luck

Tanya :)