Hate Disappointing My Boy

I suggest that it's sufficient to just tell people that the bounce house didn't work out. No need to say why.

Suggest a super hero party or something. You can easily buy some felt and make little capes for the kids. It wouldn't cost much, and it would change the focus.

Have the kids decorate cookies. They love that.

There are a TON of little games the kids can play and will really enjoy.

Musical Chairs
Pin the Tail on the Donkey
See who can pop a balloon first by sitting on it
Hot potato
Simon Says
You could make up Bingo cards but use colors and shapes instead of letters and numbers (unless they know their letters and numbers

You can go to the dollar store and get things for goodie bags and prizes.

Don't be disappointed - stay upbeat for your son. I bet you're gonna be surprised at how much fun the kids will have!

Happy B-day to your DS!

Mama M. you sound like an amazing mom! Your boy is blessed to have a mommy who takes his feelings seriously and also a mom who is not going spend outside her means to give him what he wants. It takes guts Mama to make the best financial decision when she knows he will be disappointed. Maybe start his day off with breakfast in bed. Would you be able to get small trinkets as prizes from dollar store and play musical chairs, hot potato. Have the adults participate too to make it more fun. It is frustrating that parties these days have turned into these massively expensive deals. Maybe I am dating myself but when I was a kid we had a couple of friends over and called it a day.

I completely understand feeling badly, but this is not the end of the world. Your son is 4 and 4 year olds are very easy to please! My daughter had a pj party (during the day - not a sleepover) for her 4th birthday in June. We made a blanket fort in the living room, let them eat snacks on sleeping bags and played a short movie. But for the most part the kids ran around the house like crazies and had a good time. I originally was stressing myself out with planned activities, but the truth is the young kids need very little in the way of planned activities. Some easy ideas are:

1) search for something in the house or yard (kind of like an Easter egg hunt but can be anything). I've seen this done with gold coins for St. Patty's Day, but I think anything would work.

2) decorate your own cupcake/cookie etc. One of my friends had a "piggy" party (child's idea) and they gave each kid a plate with pudding and crushed up cookies to make dirt. Then they got to place a piggy cupcake in the middle. The kids thought it was great!

3) paint project. Kids love puffy paint made with shaving cream, glue and food coloring. Can get a little messy, but you can have a designated area for the paint and wash hands after.

4) put on your preschool hat and do a few dance songs/activities (stuff like hokey pokey or any song where kids can get up an move)

5) have the kids decorate their own loot bags and do a pinata. I buy white paper bags from a craft store and have the kids decorate (e.g. made princess purses for a princess party, Easter baskets for an Easter party, pirate loot bags for pirate party etc). Kids love to color, use markers and put stickers all over the place.

Most of all, just have fun! You can apologize to your son for promising something that isn't going to happen, but make sure not to over apologize. You want to talk up how fun his party is going to be and he'll probably take cues on excitement from you.

Hi M.

I think it's great that you are choosing to NOT over-spend out of guilt (like so many do) and instead are doing that which you can afford.

You are doing the right thing.

As for activities.. at four, kids don't need much... My son is now 11 and we didn't always throw him some big bash and he is no less happy then if we did..

In the meanwhile, there are fun things you can do that don't cost..

When I was little , we made tents out of sheets.. we'd lay the sheets across the couch and connect them to a chair(s) and then get out a flashlight and play "camping" you could make smores for the kids and cocoa... Let kids use their imagination...
Also...

What about duck duck goose.. Kids that age love that game..

a puppet show... ? you can use stuffed animals.. do you have a funny family member who can do this. hide behind the couch.. or even have them read from a book and make it look like the stuffed animal is reading them a story...

Also, most LOVE balloons.. Fill a room in your house with balloons that you blew up.... the kids will think it's a fun house!! I had to put together an ice cream social/bingo at my son's school and do you know what the kids loved the most.... all the balloons I had around.. they kept throwing them up in the air and playing games with them... those more than the ice cream were a HUGE hit.. in fact, if all I had were balloons for the event, it would have been a hit..

What about musical chairs.. I used to LOVE that game... kids needn't win big prizes either.. a bottle of bubbles.. go to the Dollar Store.. you can get things for pretty cheap. (or try your local thrift shop) I have seen MANY donated and UNUSED decorations and toys for that matter..

Do you have festive lights (could even be Christmas) hang those up... I've done that plenty of times to make the place look warm , inviting and fun...

Also, for the adult family members who may know of your financial situation, you could do this as a pot luck...

Also, tell your friends straight up the truth of the matter that you can't afford the bouncy house..

this party could actually be great... it will be as good as your imagination allows it...

good luck and let us know how it goes

Even if he's disappointed about the bounce house he is FOUR, so he will be over it in two minutes!
Just play a few games, set up some cookie or cupcake decorating and let him play and have a good time. Kids really do have more fun at parties that are less structured, it will be just fine!!!

There are many books at the library that have games for kids parties. Most are very inexpensive. From cutting holes in poster board and pitching bean bags through the holes to a bunch of games with balloons. Think fall festival with tiny kids. Once I had little kids under 2 over and gave the foam paint brushes and water. They "painted" the bricks of the house and loved the color change! Look on Family Fun's site. Challenge yourself to do it for under $10. If you participate and enjoy it, he will too. Tell them the bounce house didn't work out this year, maybe next!

One of the most fun kids' parties we've attended was one in a park, where the kids got to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey, beanbag toss, potato sack races, and Red Rover. Just old fashioned kids' games that didn't cost a thing! The birthday child's mom gave prizes to the winners of each event (just little dollar store items, but kids just love the idea of a prize - you could even give them a sticker or something). You don't have to go over the top in order for preschoolers to have fun! In fact, they are less likely to melt down if you keep things simple. A few games, some cake, and open presents. That's all your son needs to have a great time at his party! Tell him that you'll take him to Pump It Up or somewhere sometime soon (keep an eye out for specials - sometimes they offer special rates when kids are out of school for the holidays). If you just take him by himself, or even meet a friend there for a play date, it will be a lot cheaper than renting a bounce house.

Don't worry. Your son will have a wonderful time no matter what, and so will his guests.

You know what? Don't be embarrassed. It is what it is. You make due with what you have, and you HAVE FUN. If anyone dares ask about why there's no bounce house, then you simply say, "Oh, you know how it goes. It fell through. Maybe next year!" Then you change the subject. "Check out the cake we got! Boy chose marble cake this year, with a CARS theme!"

We've had parties where the kids just played in our sun room where all of the toys were. We always have a ton of crayons, so we pulled out crayons, markers, paper, stencils, and whatever crafts we had handy and they'd make stuff.

A few years ago, I started to make cupcakes instead of cake and make a big batch of buttercream icing. Then I divide the icing into two bowls... one stays vanilla and one gets cocoa powder added to it. I pull out colored sprinkles and shots/jimmies. If I remember, I buy M&M's, gummy worms, and a couple of other little candies they can decorate with. The kids get to decorate their own cupcakes during the party and the birthday girl gets a cute candle in her cupcake to blow out. I have so many cupcakes that I let them decorate two: one to eat at the party and one to bring home as their "party favor."

What else would he love to do that doesn't cost anything (or not much)? Does he have a favorite game? Start selling him on the new idea and get him pumped up about it.
I feel your pain! Last birthday I promised my boy a bounce house too and it turns out our yard is too small to fit one anywhere! D'oh!

Be easy on yourself. We've all been there and if not, we will be. Check out this website...it's full of game ideas for 4 year olds. They'll have a BLAST!!! http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com/fun-birthday-party...

Well, to save face, you _could_ say that the company was over-booked and called to cancel... those dang bounce-house rental places! ;) I actually had that happen to me for real!

I think the list of games that was posted is great! Another fun game is the "Doughnut Game". Get a box of mini powdered doughnuts & some string. Put the string through the doughnut, tie it... do this to all the doughnuts. Then, get a broom handle, long stick or something of the like. Tie the other end of the string onto the broom handle. Have one child at a time hold their hands behind their backs as they try to bite onto the doughnut as it sways around above their faces. There is SOOOO much laughter with this one because you hold it just high enough so that they get powdered sugar all over their faces! Eventually, you allow it to be caught and bitten. Then move on to the next child and next doughnut. It's so much fun, really! :D Oh, be sure to put a sheet or something on the floor to catch the crumbs and sugar. We always have kids begging for a second try!

Best of luck. Don't worry about disappointing him. He's four and very resilient. Best of luck and have fun, momma!

Can you tell him that you'll take him to a bounce zone after you get paid? It's only about $6-$7. That way, he'll be less disappointed and you'll feel better. And like others have said, there are tons of free/very cheap things that you can do for a party.

Awww! Your son will be fine!

I like the idea of playing Simon says. There is also "duck duck goose" (if you have the space) or "red light, green light", or marco polo. If you or one of your friends has a printer, you can print out some free coloring sheets and have the kids color. If you have building blocks and stuffed animals, you can have them play "angry birds" by knocking down the block towers. If you have a laundry basket or two, you can have them try to shoot baskets with soft balls, balloons, or stuffed animals. You can do some bowling with upside down paper cups. Try looking around your house and you might find some creative things to do with ordinary stuff you have lying around.

If you have $10, you can buy a balloon animal kit. I have done this for the past two years for my daughter's b-day parties. I learned how to make simple things on youtube, and the kids think I'm pretty amazing ;-) They get to take their balloon creations home, and they don't even notice they don't get a goody bag when they leave.

Kudos to you for not going into debt to throw your kid a party. He will have fun just being showered with love and attention. Good luck to you!

It won't suck, 4 year olds don't need a lot to entertain them.

Just say, "Sorry, honey, mommy can't get a bouncy house right now. What do you want to do instead?" At that age you can play musical chairs or pin the tail on the donkey, and kids are quite entertained.

Seriously, save the bouncy house for when he's older, anyway. It's absolutely not necessary. Stop feeling bad and have fun planning.

Just amend the evite and tell them that the bouncy house fell through. Really, the parents won't care. They are just happy to have their kids at someone else's house for a couple of hours.

Poor mama!

At almost-5, my son understands the "Oh honey, I'm so sorry, but the bounce house broke/can't be outside in the winter/won't fit right in our backyard/etc." excuse. Lies, lies, all lies. But while he's still disappointed, he doesn't get too distraught. Yet! I tell him things that he does think could be true.

Perhaps you could take him to an inflatables place on your own - not for the party - with a friend or two on or near his birthday. I think the ones around here are $7 or $8 per kid. Then it's like "we couldn't bring a bounce house to our home but look! we brought you to so many more!"

And don't worry; it won't suck. He will be with friends, get cake and presents and maybe you can do a cheap craft/play games that would make it the best party in the world. He's 4. It will all be ok!

i don't really think i have your perfect stellar answer - but i'm not sure there is one...hopefully you'll get one! my thought was, he's 4 - four year olds are super distractable. stop talking about it, obviously. maybe have someone in your family dress up like a clown and do balloon animals or something? just a thought. all i can think of at the moment...good luck!

You might try reaching out to your network of friends/family to see if someone has one. Seriously, a coworker of mine had one and gave it to another coworker. Maybe someone has one you could borrow. Or maybe there's a site like Freecycle or Craigslist where someone would trade you for one. I totally agree with the other posters, though, that you can have a really fun birthday party with little or no money spent and he will love it.

Good for you for being realistic and not overspending, though!

Kids are resilient and he will definitely get over not having the 4th birthday party of his dreams (or even remember the blip of disappointment he may experience). The longer term disappointment will come if you overstretch your finances now and can't afford to buy necessities later on. No one likes disappointment, but honestly, it's a real part of life. You can't let emotions rule with finances. That area of life is truly the only part that is black and white, or red. You can either afford it, or you can't. Your friends will understand and at 4 and under, the kids will just love to play with the toys you already have.