Kelsey Lucas, a journalist, mother, and content creator at @motherspeak, went viral for her unorthodox approach to throwing a kid’s birthday party:
Instead of an afternoon birthday party, when kids and adults are tired, naptime is looming, and everyone’s day is basically spent prepping and attending the party, Lucas threw a morning-only birthday party for her kid.
Lucas explained that after throwing giant, afternoon birthday bashes in the past and finding herself incredibly stressed over the prep and big day, she finally decided to do something different.
She invited guests to join her kids for a morning birthday breakfast from 8 a.m. through noon. Along with easy-to-prepare breakfast and brunch snacks like bagels, fruit, and donut holes, she included open activity options like lawn games, a craft table, and a bounce house that allowed families to stop in when it worked best for them.
Lucas admitted that she was “nervous,” but was pleasantly surprised by how many positive reactions she received to the birthday breakfast idea.
A morning birthday party for kids just makes sense.
Lucas went on to further explain her reasons why a morning birthday party — especially for kids – just makes sense:
- “You know how people always say that kid-friendly places should open up way earlier than 10 a.m. because most parents are up at dawn & have lived nine lives by that time? Yeah. We’re all up early anyway; why not just get started and head straight out the door to a breakfast party?”
- “Breakfast/brunch snacks just feel innately easier to prepare. We did assorted mini bagels & cream cheese, donut holes, sliced fruit, and a bunch of mini quiches (frozen and easy to heat up). We had coffee (picked up big carafes from Dunkin) & brunch beverages for our adult friends, plus mini cupcakes and juice popsicles for kids.”
- “If you’re up against really hot weather and planning to be outdoors…that early window is going to be a lot cooler than later in the day.”
Morning birthday parties also allow families to do other things with their day.
Lucas also pointed out that a morning birthday party allows busy families to do other things with their day, like even attend other birthday parties or family gatherings.
“I loved that they didn’t have to choose between us or something else!” she gushed.
Naptime is also a huge win with a morning birthday. Instead of fighting kids during peak naptime, skipping a nap altogether, or enduring the dreaded and dangerous late naptime, a morning breakfast party allows everyone to go home and enjoy a full afternoon of napping. (Heck, this strategy might even tucker the parents out too!)
A morning birthday party can also be held open-house style, letting people stop in on their own time
In addition to the laid-back flow of a morning party, Lucas even took things a step further and invited guests to stop by at any time during the 8 a.m. to noon window, further enhancing the casual vibe of the party — and taking less stress off her as the host.
She explained that all of the children’s activities and entertainment were options that kids could do at anytime they arrived, including a bounce house, spin art, a craft table (magic wand-decorating), and lawn games, so stopping in anytime in the morning didn’t mean the kids missed out on anything, but instead, could enjoy a relaxed party that never felt rushed.
Honestly, I’m feeling like this mom has stumbled on the secret to a successful kids’ birthday party, and I am tempted to fully follow suit.
Lucas also reports that her morning birthday party was a success, so she’s proof in the party pudding. Aside from one friend who called an 8 a.m. party start time “diabolical,” she says that the feedback on the open-house style morning party was “overwhelmingly positive.”
“Would 10/10 do this again!” Lucas summed up.
