If it’s not happened already, it won’t take long for your kids to ask (and nag, and ask some more) to have a sleepover with their friends. As soon as they’re in a school setting, they’ll be desperate to prolong their playtime by inviting their school friends over for dinner and, before you know it, you’ll be organising yourself, and your home, for an onslaught of children armed with sleeping bags and onesies.
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While you could just say yes, and let the kids entertain themselves, you could also be the talk of the playground as being a legend of a parent that everyone wishes they had. Here are a few great tips to ensure that your child’s sleepovers are successful and enormous fun. Who knows, you may even get a bit of sleep at some point, too!
- Make sure that everything is ready to go before their friends arrive. If she doesn’t own some already, grab some cool girl’s pyjamas from George so that she can feel as awesome as possible in some crisp, new jim-jams. Alternatively, make sure her favourite onesie is clean and ready for her to throw on.
- Pop to the shops ahead of their friend’s arrival (or, if you’re picking them up from school, pop to the shop on the way home) and choose some sleepover-esque snacks and goodies, such as a bag of Haribo, some Pringles or, for the healthy option, a tub of grapes or strawberries. Make sure there’s plenty of juice in the house, so that they don’t get thirsty and check with their parents to see if there are any foods that they don’t like.
- Order a pizza! They’ll love to have a Dominos to share between them. Pick up a voucher code to keep costs low, or take advantage of one of the meal deals that are often available.
- Crack out the computer games. So what if normally you limit their exposure to video games - it’s a sleepover! Consoles such as the Wii and the Xbox Kinect games are perfect for sleepovers, because they get everybody involved, active and laughing.
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- Stay out of the way. Take a book to your room, or enjoy a soak in the tub. Check on them every now and again, but, most of the time, just leave them to it. You don’t want to cramp their style!
- Make sure there’s plenty of sleeping space. If there’s a few of them you may wish to use the living room as their makeshift bedroom, so that they can all bunk in together. Ask them to bring their own sleeping bags or ready beds, and if necessary, provide them with pillows or cushions so that they’re as comfortable as possible.
- If you are worried that younger siblings will feel left out, send them on a sleepover of their own – to their grandparents, or a family friend, for the evening.
As long as you outline some clear guidelines before the sleepover is in full swing, it should go by without a hitch. Many parents worry about hosting a sleepover but, more often than not, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about – apart from getting some actual sleep, of course!
What do you think the recipe for a perfect sleepover is?
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John has only ever had one sleepover...never again. They fell asleep at 7am just as we were getting up with the baby. Had about 20 mins sleep all night lol
ReplyDeletewww.mummy2monkeys.co.uk
Oh dear lol! Kids can be little monkeys sometimes.
DeleteMy old sleepovers used to be an absolute nightmare! If only there were more helpful guides around like this then I imagine I would have enjoyed them more. Really good post :)
ReplyDeletewww.shemightbeloved.com
xx
Thanks Georgina. I think it's important to have clear guidelines on all areas of parenting. Kids needs rules and guidelines.
DeleteMake sure that the kids are good kids before agreeing to have them to say LOL. I remember having a sleepover when I was little and that night I had lost a tooth, so my mum put money under my pillow and my "friends" pillow. Although when I woke the next morning I had nothing under my pillow, and my mum found both coins in my "friends" shoe. When I went to school on the Monday she also had my scrunchie in her hair too. She never stayed again! LOL
ReplyDeletethat should ready 'stay' not 'say'.
DeleteOh dear! Yes make sure the kids are the good ones, how can I have forgotten that lol?
DeleteThe fact that one day my girls may one day want to go ELSEWHERE to sleep over fills me with panic. I'll just have to have everyone else's kids here ;)
ReplyDeleteHa ha well that's a good idea isn't it!
DeleteThankfully we haven't quite reached this age yet (although my son has asked already!). Some great tips here that I will try and implement for a stress free sleepover!
ReplyDeleteI think that is key, having a 'stress free' time for both mum and kids
DeleteNever had to worry about sleepovers with my son! Although, I do remember having sleepovers as a kid - my parents probably could have done with some of these tips back then!!
ReplyDeleteI think a group of kids can cause havoc, but with some rules in place, they can also be well behaved!
DeleteYou forgot to mention make sure you have a large glass of wine for yourself for when it's all over! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love your thinking Sonya! I forgot about that lol.
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