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The Kids' Party Planning Timeline: What to Do 8 Weeks, 4 Weeks and 1 Week Out

The calmest parties we deliver to have one thing in common: nothing big was decided the night before. Here is the week-by-week timeline relaxed hosts and good party planners follow, with what to book when — and an earlier version for December parties.

Most party stress is timing stress: the right thing decided at the wrong time. Use this as a checklist. If your party is sooner than eight weeks away, start at the row you are in and do the rows above it this week.

8 weeks out: date, guest list, place

• Pick the date and a backup. Saturday afternoons go first; a Sunday or a long-weekend Monday is often easier.
• Make a rough guest list and count the children separately from the adults. The kids' count drives everything that follows.
• Choose the place: backyard, living room, apartment or venue. Walk the space and decide where the kids' table will go — somewhere the grown-ups can see it, in good light.

6 weeks out: book the things that sell out

• Book the planner or decide to style it yourself. Good planners fill their weekends early.
• Reserve the kids' tables and chairs. We're not the party planners — we rent the kids' tables, chairs, high chairs and dessert carts, and those weekends book up too. See the kids' table and chair rentals page, or hold your date now and send the final count later; the hold is credited toward the rental.
• Venue party? Ask the venue about delivery times, elevators and loading rules now, not the week before.

4 weeks out: invitations and the seating count

• Send invitations and ask for replies two weeks before the party.
• Settle the theme and colors with your planner, so chairs, linens and the cake agree.
• Firm up the seating: count the children who will sit, ages one to ten, and add two spare seats. The how many chairs and tables guide has the layouts for ten, twenty and thirty children, and the heights by age guide tells you which chair fits whom.
• First birthday? Decide where the birthday baby sits — a high chair at the head of the table is the photo everyone wants. The first birthday party rentals page covers the rest.

2 weeks out: food, favors and the run of show

• Order the cake and plan simple kids' food that can sit on a little table without spilling.
• Choose one good favor rather than a bag of small things.
• Write a one-page run of show: arrival, activity, food, cake, goodbye. Even loose timing keeps the afternoon moving.
• Add a dessert cart? If you want one, book it now — the dessert cart rental page shows the options.

1 week out: confirm everything

• Send the final child count and confirm the delivery window and the exact spot for setup.
• Check the weather and settle the rain plan. Kid-height tables fit in a basement, a garage or a living room — the rain plan guide walks through it.
• Clear the space the setup will go into, and tell neighbors or the building if a delivery needs a parking spot.

Party day

The kids' tables and chairs arrive and are set up before your guests do. Your planner styles the table. You get dressed, take the photos while everything is still perfect, and greet people at the door. After the party, we pick the furniture up so the evening is yours. Curious how the delivery side works? Here is the process, step by step.

Planning a holiday party? Move everything up

December runs on a shorter calendar. Hanukkah starts on the evening of December 4 this year, Christmas falls on a Friday, and the mid-December weekends go first. For a holiday party, treat the 8-week row as "now": pick the date in October, book the kids' tables and chairs by early November, and send invitations right after Thanksgiving. The what to book now for a December party guide has the full holiday checklist, and the holiday party rentals page covers Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and Noon Year's Eve.

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