How much should a kid's birthday party cost? One mom spent $190 for pizza and ice cream at a park. Another paid $2K for a playspace and goodie bags.
Hosting a kid’s birthday party is a rite of passage for most parents and their children — but if you’re not careful, it can be an expensive one.
Things can start off innocently enough, with a smash cake and a few balloons on your baby’s first birthday. But as they grow, so do the expectations — and the price tag. In 2024, the pregnancy and parenting site What to Expect surveyed 404 women and found that, on average, they spend $314 on a child’s birthday party.
That feels low to me, but I live in New York City, where the cost of living is sky-high, and it’s easy to imagine a birthday party at the local trampoline park or play space costing $1,000 or more. Earlier this year, the Cut’s Charlotte Cowles interviewed an NYC-based party planner whose budgets for kids’ parties start at $5,000 and go up from there.
“The sleepover party with teepees is our signature,” the planner told Cowles. “We also do add-ons like spa services, special custom pajamas and robes, scrapbooking, tie-dyeing and movie nights with a big screen.” You can’t deny that it sounds pretty magical — and pricey.
I’ve only ever thrown more low-key birthday parties for my son, who has a summer birthday. For the past few years, we’ve timed his party to our street’s annual block party. I spend a few hundred bucks on snacks and drinks from Costco and toy swords in lieu of gift bags. (My secret is to buy the swords in bulk from a carnival supply company.) The kids have fun running up and down the street, and the grown-ups hang out and enjoy some adult beverages. Even when it started to rain, no one wanted to go home, which I think is a sign of a good time.
In an era where much is made about the loneliness epidemic and how our lives are mostly lived online and not IRL, there’s something special about a kid’s birthday party and using it as an opportunity to connect with friends and loved ones. Sure, you might end up shelling out a few hundred bucks or more, but (and I know this sounds cheesy!) the memories really are priceless.
As the founder of the Purse and guest editor for Yahoo’s Bank of Mom and Dad series , I love speaking to parents about what they’re spending. Here, four moms open up about what it cost to throw their kids a birthday party — and what’s worth paying extra for.
