Food & Party Planning Ideas

Birthdays Are a Piece of Cake Party Planner

You Can Make Your Cake and Eat It Too!

How-To-Guide Offers Tips for Birthday Party Cake-Making and More!

Making a birthday cake is child's play: licking the bowl, sneaking some extra frosting, icing the cake and piping decorations make cake-baking a treat for most children. And, of course, every child loves to eat the finished product.

Every year, more than 40 million children celebrate birthdays in the United States, and every year their parents scramble for ways to plan fun, easy birthday parties that won't break the bank of the furniture. One solution popular with children of all ages is to transform the centerpiece of the celebration - the birthday cake - into the activity as well.

Well-known New York birthday party planner Linda Kaye, whose company, Birthdaybakers Partymakers, has planned and staged thousands of children's birthday parties says the secret to a successful party is to transform the children from audience members to participants.

"For most kids, it's more fun to be part of the action than it is to be an observer. That's why all the hands go up at a party when the magician asks for a helper," said Kaye. Nancy Siler, Wilton's Director of Consumer Affairs and a seasoned birthday-party expert, agrees with Kaye.

"It's not enough just to 'put on a show,' you need to involve the children," Siler explained. "most kids love to be helpers in the kitchen - that's one of the reasons a decorate-a-cake party is such a hit. Of course, eating the cake makes it popular too."

PLAN AHEAD

Advance planning helps make the party run like clockwork. even before buying the invitations, parent should ask the birthday boy or girl to pick a theme or character they really like. Decorations and disposable tableware featuring the party theme, along with a specially-decorated cake will help to set the festive mood.

"Even just a few balloons and a poster or streamers will get everyone in the mood when they walk in the door," Siler said.

Preparing the main cake for the Decorate-a-Cake is something that the birthday child can help with. This cake is for everyone at the party to eat together and it will give the parent and child practice before the birthday party.

DO'S AND DON'TS FOR A GREAT PARTY

DO:

Plan at least a month in advance.
Display the cake for the entire party, especially if you've gone to the trouble of decorating a specially-themed cake.
Book entertainment and location before you send out invitations.
Plan the party with your child. Kids love to be involved and then they get the party they want.
Interview any entertainers/caterers/planners and always get references.
Plan age appropriate entertainment.
Always serve room-temperature food. Five minutes waiting for the pizza to cool down in five minutes of squirming children.
Serve food only once during the party, or you will have to set the table twice.
Sing "Happy Birthday" and light the candles before the children are ready for dessert.
You can then cut the cake while they finish eating and serve it on a big tray, not one at a time.
Pre-scoop your ice cream and refreeze until ready to serve.
Check your calandar for birthdays of other children in the class who may be invited.
Put an RSVP date on your invitation.
Include directions if necessary.
If you have entertainment, have name tags for the children so the performers can personalize their entertainment.

DON'TS
Plan a party you might have to cancel because of the weather. If you are planning a sport-related party, book a local gym for the same day in case of rain.
Worry. You can't control everything and good planning takes care of what you can control. If your child gets sick, reschedule a party as soon as possible.
Plan a party where the meal and cake are served first. Kids like to have fun the minute they arrive and even eating cake just isn't as fun as playing.
Leave out just one or two children from a class. Always mail invitations from home if you are not inviting the whole class.
Assume people are not coming if they haven't responded. Invitations do get lost in the mail. Call to find out!
Let your child determine the seating plan. The birthday boy or girl should decide in advance the one or two guests they want seated next to them - that's enough.
Offer menu choices to little kids. If you are offering two choices such as pizza or chicken nuggets, put them both on the plate.
Limit the number of kids based on the old rule of "age-plus-one." The number of guests should be determined by budget, location and theme.
Plan a party that lasts more than two hours until children are older.
Invite more than 6-8 children for a sleep-over.
Make kids dress-up for a birthday party. Save costumes for Halloween, they put pressure on parents and children.

Wilton Enterprises is the preeminent designer of celebration products, bakeware and cake decorating tools. From the hottest licensed characters to specially-shaped holiday products, Wilton offers cake pans, cookie cutters, baking cups and traditional pastry decorating tools. Wilton is located in Woodridge, IL.