3rd birthday party question

[limabean]

My DD will be turning 3 in April, and we're having a backyard birthday party for her. So far it'll just be family, which adds up to 9 adults and 7 kids (ages 1.5 to 9, mostly on the younger side). Which sounds perfectly fine to me for a low-key 3rd birthday party. 

So here's my question. We live in a great neighborhood, and my DD really likes some of the neighbor girls who are about her age -- there are 3 girls in particular who I'm sure she would love to have at her party. But the kids are too small for their parents to want to send them to a party alone (I'm assuming here, but I wouldn't have sent my 2 or 3yo to a party by herself), and it wouldn't be fair for me to expect them to get a sitter for their other kids (one of them has a firefighter DH, so chances are that she couldn't just leave her other kids home with her hubby). But if they bring all their kids it'd be an extra 9 kids (and 3 to 6 extra parents) instead of just 3 more little girls. 

Hmm, just in writing it out I think I've answered my own question. I'll just stick with the family party. Is that what you'd do? 

[crunchy_mommy]

I'd just stick with family... but perhaps do a mini get-together with the friends if your DD really wants (and you're up for it) -- just invite them over for a playdate with cake or something.

We actually did the opposite for DS's second bday -- we skipped the family party & did a party with DS's friends only, which was great because DS had been to so many of their parties so that's what he really thinks of as a 'birthday party', hanging out with all the little toddlers...

[Nicole730]

In our circle, we like to do birthday playdates.  Usually the parent of the child provides a birthday treat and everyone else brings something to share/or we all do our own lunches.