The High Cost of Kids' Birthday Parties

A new survey from What to Expect finds that parents are spending a small fortune on their children's birthday parties, with an average of $314 per party. The survey of 404 women, aged 18-44, reveals that the cost increases as the child gets older, with parties for 6-9 year olds costing an average of $344.

"We’ve noticed a trend toward birthday parties for children becoming bigger and more elaborate. This is driven largely by social media, which has inspired parents to throw parties with on-theme decorations, foods, and favors." Robin Hilmantel, What to Expect

Some parents reported spending as much as $7,000 on a single party, but there are ways to keep costs down. Here are some tips from the survey and What to Expect's associate shopping director, Leah Rocketto:

• Invites: Resist the pressure to invite the whole class. On average, only 9 kids attended the parties in the survey. Invite kids your child spends time with outside of school and send invitations electronically.
• Essentials: Focus on the essentials: food, activity, and dessert. Keep decorations simple and skip the goodie bags.
• Expectations: Use your child's experience at other parties to set expectations for their own. Remind yourself that one family's style may not work for yours, and prioritize experiences over extravagant parties.

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