Birthday party for a 5 year old

[cait]

Hi there,

I am new to Singapore and in the process of trying to find a venue for my son's 5th birthday party. Has anyone been to Lilliputt mini-golf and if so, what was it like? I would love any recommendations as I really only know about Fidgets and Go Go Bambini as other options...

Thanks for your knowledge and experience...

[cbavasi]

we've been to three 5 year old birthday parties in the last month at My Gym in the newly renovated Grace Kids in Great World City. the kids loved it and even better that we were able to drop off and wander around... http://www.gracekids.com.sg/parties.html

[cbavasi]

we've also been to a couple parties lately with "captain dazzle" - either in the home or in the condo complex. the kids love him. i think a great place to have a party would be in the Jacob Ballas children's park - you can rent out a room to have cake/refreshments and then let the kids run around - or do organized games like we did as kids... just a bit iffy with the weather.

[boffenl]

Is Lilliputt the one on East Coast 2nd floor? My daughter loved it! I'd also recommend Build A Bear Workshop for a 5 year old. They're so fun. My daughter has chosen GoGo bambini for her 7th birthday--plus she wants to invite 25 kids--AUGH! We're going to a party at McDonald's (St. Alberts Park?) on Saturday, they also deliver and do party games if you do it at your place. We had a great time with the McDonald's ladies when they "catered" a party at a condo "rec" room.

Good luck!

[aussiemeg]

Some other cool options are

the toy rental club...wonderful as parents can have a bit of a relax whilst the kids play

Jurong east swimming complex

and we went to a simple but wonderful paty at Lowen gardens

Hope this helps
Megan

[road.not.taken]

Hi there,

I am new to Singapore and in the process of trying to find a venue for my son's 5th birthday party. Has anyone been to Lilliputt mini-golf and if so, what was it like? I would love any recommendations as I really only know about Fidgets and Go Go Bambini as other options...

Thanks for your knowledge and experience...

This may not be the answer you want to hear, but when it comes to parties for little ones: sometimes small and simple is better. So often the party --well intentioned and planned -- turns out to be overwhelming to the birthday guest of honor. Tears are shed, sometimes even the kids cry too. There's a great website, birthdayswithoutpressure dot org which really speaks to the party runamok mentality. You can have a great little Halloween party right at home, since the timing seems right.

If you can't have the party at home (recommended number of guests is one per age) then I'd choose a venue that isn't too loud or too crowded, two things that can make everyone cranky and that didn't rely on the weather. And whatever you do, keep it short -- 2 hours maximum. If a pool is involved, or any body of water, assign adults to watch specific children, not to 'keep an eye on things'. I know of two cases in Singapore with near drownings because of this.

[road.not.taken]

Sorry, seems I have even more to say on this subject. Five is young, but it may not be too young to teach a valuable lesson about giving and sharing. We've had parties where the young guests were asked to bring school supplies, or pet food/toys instead of a present (seems they always brought both -- their donation and a gift, which is sweet). Then after the party, the birthday boy or girl and I would deliver the donated items to the SPCA or orphanage. I think 5 is too young to really understand the gifts aren't for him, but guests can donate pet food along with the gift with the idea it will be donated later. There is also a fantastic organization, started by a friend of mine: The Peter Pan's Children's Fund. They have a terrific website which describes what they do, we've had a few Peter pan parties too. Whatever you decide, good luck with it and remember a big glass of wine when it's all over is essential.

[cait]

Thank you so much for all the replies. I asked my son (always helps!!) whether he would like to play putt-putt for his birthday.

The answer was a resounding YES!

So looks like my search is over. Thanks for the advice on the glass of wine. Think i might ring them and ask if I can bring it with me...

p.s I have actually heard a few people mention Captain Dazzle so will definitely keep him in mind for the future.

[cbavasi]

Cait - can you respond back about Lilliputt after the party? Would love to have other options when planning another birthday. Thanks!

[JimH5]

We attended a 4-year-old birthday party at Liliputt.

Based on their fee schedule, it looked a bit pricey for whomever was handling the bill. They have a nice space for food/cake, etc. afterward, along with a nice staff who seem to do these kind of things all the time.

The golf holes are really quite impressive, each laid out as one of the sights of Singapore.

The only oddity I thought was when the owner or manager of the place insisted on giving a golf lesson and scoring lesson to the kids before they started. Maybe if they were 6 or 7, they'd be interested in the finer points of minigolf, but for this group of 4-year-olds, it all went wayyy over their heads.

Still, it was a fun time, and something to consider for a party, or just for a weekend timefiller.