If you hold your party at a restaurant, it can be noisy and crowded and if you've hired entertainment, plan on others in the restaurant joining your party if you are not in a private room. It's a good idea to have the kids in your party wear name tags. The birthday child should be dressed in a special way so they can feel very special at their party. However, you must decide if you want to serve other food at the party. If you decide to serve food, children are usually finicky so serving old favorites such as hot dogs, hamburgers or pizza is a sure way to get winning smiles from all the guests.
Catering is an option but is expensive.
If you are planning a barbeque in the backyard or a cook-out at the park, remember to have an alternative plan in case it rains. Birthday cakes are easily available from supermarkets and bakeries. Plan a few days to several weeks ahead and place your cake order so it can match the theme of your party and have your child's name written in frosting on it. Kids have a lot of imagination and can often entertain themselves while waiting for all the guests to arrive, but it would be safer to have an activity for the early guests, such as coloring. Kids like games and kids like the prizes, too.