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Planning a sleepover for your daughter and her friends is perhaps one of the easiest parties to arrange. A sleepover is exciting and all about late night chats and midnight feasts and secrets. Sleepovers are a diehard part of childhood and every child should have the experience of being the host of at least one sleepover!

 

As the parents, it’s your job to ensure that your child and their friends have a fantastic time. Sleepovers are a ton of fun and depending on the age group of the children, you may have to play referee to girly squabbles. There is a lot you have to do to get organized, with food being the most important, so grab yourself a pen and paper and start writing a list!

 

1. Allergies are so common among children so when you are planning your sleepover feast, make sure you’ve checked with all the parents so you can ensure you’re not the cause of anaphylactic shock and a late night trip to the hospital. That’s bound to put a dampener on any slumber party! Planning food with allergies in mind is important for the fun.

2. Breakfast the next morning is always included in a sleepover so make sure you have a range of food in, from cereal to bagels. For the older kids, laying on a full cooked breakfast is a great idea and will always be appreciated. Parents will also love that you sent the kids home with full tummies!

3. Invitations are important! For a proper slumber party, you and your daughter should sit together and write the invitations to be handed out. Include the address, your contact telephone number, drop off and pick up times, what to bring and information for the RSVP. What to bring could include their favourite pillows and stuffed animal, a costume if you plan on any games and a sleeping bag if you don’t have enough at home. You could even request that each guest bring their own item of food for a midnight feast, which will mean you have a medley of snacks and everyone has contributed.

4. The most important part of any sleepover, food is one you should decide with your daughter. Do you want to order in a round of pizzas for teenagers? How about a make-your-own pizza party instead? It encourages bonding and giggles in the kitchen and gives them the chance to eat semi-healthily as they would have made their dinner from scratch. You could also get them to try out this sugar cookie recipe and make delicious treats for their midnight feast! Get a wicker basket and fill it with crisps and chocolate bars for the feast ready in the kitchen, so when they think they’re being sneaky they’re really not!

5. Once the food is all sorted you’ll need some entertainment. Modelling contests, dress up games and standard party games like musical statue and karaoke are always great ideas. Board games, spooky films late at night and video games are always fab choices for kids. Having a baking session in the kitchen can be fun. If you plan to have them all outside in a tent, get yourself a great recipe for S’Mores and have toasted marshmallows over a fire.

6. Always prepare a room for sleepovers. Whether you have a spare living area they can use, or they simply set up camp in your child’s bedroom, make sure everyone is aware of the no-go areas in the house. It’s still your house, after all!

 

Sleepovers are all about girly chatting, bonding and giggles and if you as a parent create a safe environment for this to happen while still having some boundaries in place, your home will be the one all the kids want to come to for a party and enjoyment and all the parents will be grateful that you opened your home to their daughters. One of the best bits of growing up is the camaraderie of a sleepover and if you can keep a great balance of food and fun, you can’t go wrong. Of course, girls like to fall out a lot so if you make sure you have an even number of children at the party, there is no one who will be ‘left out’.

 

Once the morning arrives and breakfasts have been dished out, ask everyone if they’ve had a good time. You’ll likely get a very sleepy thank you as they will have stayed up all night talking and swapping dreams and ghost stories, but those yawns are marks of happiness and fun.