Happy National Sleep Day! (yes, a real thing!)
Although it may be too late to throw together a sleepover tonight, I thought today was the perfect time to share some of my favorite slumber party tips and tricks!
1. Ground rules for visitors - Make sure to check in with the guests' parents/guardians to ensure you are aware of any pertinent information (allergies, medications, "rules", contact information, when to contact, etc). This is also a great time to let them know your plans - either verbally or you can even give them a "Parent Pack" with your planned itinerary and contact information in case they need to reach you or their child at any time.
*Bonus tip - At some point during the evening, send them a picture of two of their child having fun - it may help ease any concerns!
2. Plan for sleeping (even though that may not actually happen ;)) - Think through sleeping arrangements. Are they doing sleeping bags or air mattresses? Will that be something you provide or do they need to bring their own? If it is in your party budget, I would recommend hiring a company like our local Slumber Camp (I'm sure your area has one similar) because they will bring all of the sleeping stuff for you AND they make the whole set up look adorable.
*Bonus Tip - While these companies pretty much do everything for you, I'll be happy to help coordinate any additional details (like food, a schedule, etc) to match your party theme.
3. Plan for lots of food - Even though the guests may not normally be big eaters, there's something about a sleepover that just encourages eating. My husband always said that when he was growing up, each guest always got their own pizza and a 2 liter of their favorite soft drink to munch on all night ;). While that may not be the best idea or most appropriate for your guests, I would definitely recommend having a "meal" (Pizza is a great option) to be served at the normal meal time and then putting out snacks that the guests can graze on all evening. A snack board like this from The Baker Mama would be so cute and a great way to display those snacks (and this one even incorporates a game of Bean Boozled)! The great thing about these snack boards is that you can customize them to match your theme (and we'd be happy to help you plan out your board if you'd like!)
*Bonus tip: At a certain point in the evening, you can present them with some milk and cookies in a fun glass like this image from Style Me Pretty! We actually used this idea (this was one of my inspiration images) when we got married (we did milk in shot glasses and our caterer brought them to the dance floor!), and it was a hit!
4. Plan activities - While eating is definitely activity and you will want to factor in some free time for them to do whatever, you definitely want to have some planned activities to help keep them from getting bored. It can be something as simple as watching a movie, having a dance party or playing board games, but you can also get creative and have activities that coordinate with your theme. Even if you don't get to all of them, it is good to have them ready!
*Bonus tip - We are happy to help plan these themed activities for you! Just let us know!
5. Don't forget about breakfast! At some point, your guests may actually go to sleep, and, even though they may have literally eaten all night, they will still wake up hungry! While you could do a fun themed breakfast if you'd like, you could also do a breakfast board (like the one from The Baker Mama below) or just set up a breakfast buffet and let them choose themselves.
*Bonus tip - As always, we can plan this out as party of your party food if you want us to!
For those of you that are experienced in sleepovers, do you have any additional tips to add?
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