Birthday dilemma-wwyd?

What about a local farm. One near me holds parties for up to 10 kids. Or a local community centre or garden party

Does she go to nursery/pre-school? Do you have any mum friends from say baby/toddler groups? Hall parties tend to be for large numbers (like 30+) so if you only have 5 expected, probably better to do one at your house.

Take her to a soft play centre & have a party there instead? That way, you can invite as many people as you want.

@Rachel if as she says there would be likely only 5 kids attending, a soft play party would not be the ideal venue. Firstly as most have minimum numbers (usually 15) and secondly, it would look awfully sad to have a party at a huge venue and only have 5 kids as they usually have seperate rooms where they eat with large tables so it would look odd and may cause the birthday child to wonder why she has no friends.

Do you live in a place with a garden or an outside area? You can transform it into a "party zone" with fun decorations, a themed activity (such as an arts and crafts station, a mini treasure hunt, or a DIY puppet show), and small touches like balloons, streamers, and a special cake. It's also possible to move all the furniture of your living onto the wall and turn the space into a party area. You can hire a local entertainer like a clown, magician, or face painter, which can work well in smaller spaces. Or you could rent a smaller version of soft play equipment that fits in your home or garden. Check if there are any local community centers or affordable venues that offer room rentals with equipment (inflatable castles etc.) that might be more affordable than a hall rental. Sometimes, local parks or churches will have spaces for small parties at lower costs. At 4 yo, she'll be more excited about personal moments like singing happy birthday, playing with friends, having a birthday cake, etc.

@Neena she has made 2 friends from nursery but I only know one of the mums. I can ask the other mum I don't know so there will be 2 from nursery. Baby/toddler groups I never made any friends unfortunately...tried, but just no one stuck. Of my own I have about 2 friends with kids (1 is unreliable and didn't come to her previous birthday), then she has one cousin. And that's it 🤦🏻‍♀️ My husband was saying "we will find people" so I'm guessing he will ask his friends kids but again that's a maximum of 2 more kids and my child doesn't know them/play with them. There's two kids who are family friends but they are still babies (not walking) so can't really count them in the numbers Yeah softplay etc has minimum numbers which is why I couldn't choose those options in the past. We did do house before but my house is tiny and it becomes too much (I.e not everyone can fit in one room).

@Fatima we do but it is quite small. We did do equipment in the garden before and invited a small number of kids for her 2nd bday she liked the equipment but even with a small number of people not everyone could play in the same room as a couple of kids didn't want to play on the equipment so felt quite separate. Now that she is older and she liked her cousin's party I know she isn't going to be happy with the garden as the venue lol. She is quite advanced for her age so I know she will argue back and say "that's not a party" if I suggest something not hall related. I know she is a kid and doesn't understand she needs 30+ people for a hall but I don't know what to say in response either. Good idea about the affordable venues!