Party supplies....

[Ellie78]

A novice in the subject of party organisation. We are throwing one for our 2 year old - flat is mini and won't even accommodate family - and I'm a bit clueless.

I wanted to get some (a few) helium balloons for decoration but can't for the life of me find anywhere that sells them individually - wouldn't need that many - and is conveniently placed, as I don't have a car. Any ideas? In ED or central London....near transport.

Any tips re providing food for parents and toddlers without breaking the bank most appreciated too!

[Bonfire2010]

Just William's sells them (at least the number ones anyway, can't say for sure re. just decorated ones). They also blow them up for you. Alternatively, you could buy them from the internet (I got some from eBay for my son's last birthday) and take them along to Just Williams to fill them with the helium.

Re. food..I shared this with another mum (we had a joint party) and she ordered a few platters of basic sandwiches from Ocado/M&S and we got individual boxes of juice, crisps, party sausages, bread-sticks, dips, raisins, etc. in our regular shopping orders. We could really have done the sandwiches ourselves, but with 3 kids between us, full-time jobs and me being 8 months pregnant at the time we went for the easy option! We got a few bottles of wine and some dips in for the parents and that seemed to go down OK. I've been to a few parties where the kids have been given individual lunch-boxes with a sandwich, packet of crips, juice, and a treat and they went down well. They also stopped it turning into a bit of a free-for-all food wise!

Hope that helps a bit!

[sanity girl]

99p store in Camberwell is good for paper plates, cups, decorations etc. Re. food I usually just make a few ham/cheese sandwiches, crisps, cucumber/carrot sticks, grapes and strawberries plus juice/water and cake of course. A couple of bottles of booze and extra crisps for the adults. That should do it!

[Pickle]

My advice would be don't go overboard. Adults attending will not (should not) expect more than a handful of crisps/nuts and something to drink, maybe a piece of cake. No matter how hard you try, the little ones will prefer crisps, biscuits (party rings are a good birthday option), and mini sausages to lovingly cut vegetable sticks :)

If you go for sandwiches, make them tiny and basic (cheese or ham).

Have fun. My middle daughter is 6 tomorrow and asked to invite two friends over after school for pizza and a DVD. I'm happy to accommodate such a simple request!

[Bonfire2010]

I think Pickle is spot on. One thing I did realise after the party was that the kids didn't really care about much apart from charging about and having a good time together - which is what it's all about really!

[Ellie78]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Very helpful advice.

[vez]

www.partyrama.co.uk have good party supplies that do not break the bank.

[katgod]

helium baloons in Greetings on Lordship Lane or Bonnie's florist. You buy the baloon they blow it up for you.