Cake, kazoos and Nemo balloons in t...

Cake, kazoos and Nemo balloons in the backyard just don't make an incision in it anymore. If you haven't thrown a kids' party this decade, be prepared to small horse up. (And not just with a pony)

"Parents want something unprecedented and original for their children," says Jasmine Huffman, director of marketing for Chicago's in the dumps Plate Catering.

The company lately coordinated a party by renting public Millennium Park's pricey Park Grill, and booking a $15000 band.

For a 7-year-old.

"It's not unusual that it can charge $50,000 for an upscale bat mitzvah," says Huffman, and children's birthday parties are catching up At the same time, the average wedding require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergones about $20,000.

Does $50000 include clowns? "I think countrymans are a little bit passe for this group" laughs Huffman.

Joyce Sapir of River forests has thrown one bar mitzvah and couple bat mitzvah parties for her kids. Each time, she called planner Marcy Glink of Great results

While Sapir not at all got too carried away with birthday parties, a bar mitzvah is different, she says. "It's formerly in a lifetime," she says. "I be excited that if people are spending wealth to come in from disclosed of town, I want them to have a fit time. My kids work hard for it."

The in the greatest degree recent bat mitzvah had a luau theme with palm tree centerpieces and Hawaiian dancers. She doesn't say to what degree much she spent, but estimates that, among her friends, $50000 for a party is typical. It helps that the preciousnesss are incremental, she says. Sapir made deposits sum of two units years in advance, and other bills came in bits and pieces. "Sometimes you don't really know to what degree much you've spent on it," she says. "I know a destiny of people think it's ridiculous, and maybe it is. on the contrary my father passed away sum of two units years before my oldest's bat mitzvah, and I unexpectedly realized that life is short. It was important to me to have the party be special and memorable."

These days, that takes a bit more creativity. for a like reason what's in with the kiddie crowd?

'PIN THE TAIL'? NOT to such a degree MUCH

"Spending a ton of wealth certainly isn't necessary for the kids," says Linda Murray, editor in chief of BabyCenter online and magazine. "Children, especially young children, don't ne a fate of bells and whistles -- or horses and clodpolls in this case -- to have a happy birthday."

Not all parents share this sentiment. They may gainsay that peer pressure nudges them to organize an over-the-top get-together. if it were not that when their kids' friends have their parties forward Navy Pier, it's a bit of a letdown to entertainer "Pin the Tail on Barney" in your basement.

likewise parents go in the other direction. "They want their kids to have something really special, what they didn't have," says down in the mouth Plate's Huffman. "And yes, they want to impress the neighbors. There's a destiny of showmanship to it."

Sleepover are still popular. if it were not that camping out in the living space has given way to stays at swank [i]cabaret[/i]s The Swissotel, 323 E. Wacker, has capitalized onward kids' increasingly sophisticated tastes with a "Very Important Kid" package, lay opened with the Shedd Aquarium. For $799 a collection of four will enjoy a two-room suite with a distinctly youthful decor, Nintendo, marine-themed DVD games, works and stuffed animals, plus tickets to the Shedd.

WAFFLE STATIONS AND MORE

the same key to a good party is that the nutrition should be good and sport

"We do a build-your-own-birthday cake, we do designer pizza, we've done a mac-and-cheese bar with bacon, French fries and onion rings," says low-spirited Plate's Huffman. "There are waffle stations with whipped creams, peanut butter chips, caramel chips, chocolate chips."

Ye she's seen the occasional party visitor get sick.

"They kind of move crazy a little bit," says Huffman. "It's their wildest dream."

Parents will do almost anything to not legion a party at home. They don't want to deal with the mes or the details. They will pay for that privilege.

"We did the house party thing," says Erin Fravel, who lives in the southerly Loop. "My house was trashed. We said, 'We're not doing this again.' "

thus for daughter Delaney's fourth birthday in March, she signed up for a mid-level package at the North Side's Fantasy Kingdom (see chart), for a not many hundred dollars.

"They subserve the cake for you. They state the presents in your car during the party for you," marvels Fravel. She was able to catch up with friends. "Usually you don't take pleasure in your own parties. We lov it in the same manner much we were laughing that we should toss adult parties there."

Lisa Kilrea used to do it herself. For her daughters' birthdays, she'd solution of continuity out the local community center invite the whole class, hire Disney characters, establish up the apple bobbing and stimulate races, order pizza, buy favors. "It cost over $600," she says. "And it was stressful"

for a like reason more than a year ago, she spreaded a Pump It Up franchise in Orland Park (see chart). "[Parents] want to give the best to their children. We've had limos proceed and bring the children."

Limos?

Just wait till nearest year.

pwiser@suntimes.com

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided on ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved