Invitations, siblings, and the plus-one problem
What to put on a children's birthday invitation: postcode, parking, food, collection time, siblings and allergies.
The invitation is a set of instructions
Put the venue name, the postcode, the start time, the collection time, and whether food is included. Put parking in the same breath. A pretty card that says 'join us at the farm' is how cars end up in the wrong village.
Say what the child should wear. Socks for trampolines and soft play. Wellies for farms. Long sleeves if you are painting. A spare top if there is ice cream. Parents cannot guess the building from a dinosaur emoji.
Siblings are a policy
Say whether siblings are invited. 'Younger brothers and sisters are welcome as paying guests' is a kinder sentence than a surprise invoice, and kinder than a toddler loose on a high-ropes course. If siblings are not invited, say that too, without an essay.
Babies in arms are not free at every zoo and farm. Some count them, some do not, some charge once they need a seat at the tea. Ask, then write it down.
Replies and allergies
Ask for a yes or no by a date, and ask for allergies in the same reply. Give people a week, then chase once. A second chase is fine. A third chase, the morning of the party, means you are catering for a guess.
Keep the replies in one place — a note on your phone is enough — so the venue gets one list from you, not twelve separate messages forwarded at midnight.