Okay Mom. Your child's birthday is coming up next month (or week!) and you've got been pushing aside the headache of organizing that residence party you had promised. You already know the place to get a cake and invites shouldn't be a problem. However how are you going to maintain a house full of babies entertained for an hour or more?

In case you are prepared to perform a little homework and make a few phone calls, you can make your child's party a winner, save your self some stress and possibly even avoid wasting cash!

The first things to consider are the ages and desires of the children who will attend the party, after which seek acceptable entertainment. What will curiosity them and what leisure might they like? Do not know? Ask!

Does your child love clowns or does the sight of a clown shut-up bring tears? If the youngsters are age 6 or older, they can in all probability handle a clown with no worries.

If you're considering a magician, you'll want to ask if totally different acts are available for different age groups. And act that performs effectively for school-age kids is quite prone to be over the heads of preschoolers. And the "danger" tricks we have seen magicians perform on TV haven't any place in a youngsters's show.

One other standard party choice is the costumed character, but watch out. Not often do the characters "perform" other than strolling around and waving. And as with clowns, the preschool set is more prone to cry than laugh. A purple dinosaur is cute on TV, however not a lot in your face.

After getting decided on the kind of leisure you need, you possibly can finest discover that leisure in your metropolis's parent journal or on the Internet. Do a search of your metropolis's name, together with "magician" or "clown show for birthday party" or "bounce house" or whatever sort of entertainment you seek. You will discover pages and pages of choices.

I like to recommend calling the entertainer, slightly than e-mailing. It is more time-consuming on the entrance-finish, but will wind up saving you time overall. You can study a lot more about the individual you might be hiring by talking to them on the phone.

If you call, you need to ask these questions:

• "Are you available on the time and date of my party?" Ask this primary and you will not have to sit via a performer's sales pitch only to search out he's booked someplace else on that day.

• "My little one and his friends are four years old. Describe the show you carry out for children of that age?"

• "How long does the show run and do you provide different companies? Balloon animals, face-painting, etc."

• "Are you able to provide references?" This is important. If the performer can't provide you with somebody who has used his providers, higher hold looking.

• "Does your act use any animals?" A rabbit from the hat is a superb thrill for the children... unless they've allergies. Animals additionally poop, and die. You take your chances.

• "Are you able to do your show inside/outside?" Some performers will not work outdoors. Others, a rented pony as an example, don't work indoors. Consider the place your party might be held, and what the weather could also be like.

And final however not least...

• "How a lot do you charge?" Most people make the mistake of asking this first. Within your market's aggressive worth vary you will see people who find themselves improbable and people who are awful. Unless you talk to them and ask the above questions, you won't know what you're getting. Youngsters's party leisure is prone to be the biggest expense of your party. Make sure you get precisely what you need.

In the event you start wanting early sufficient (at the very least a month ahead) you possibly can probably discover somebody who is nice, affordable and available. Then when the big day comes, you and your little one can greet your visitors, sit back and benefit from the show!