The increasing pressure: That's how expensive children's birthdays are today!

The increasing pressure: That's how expensive children's birthdays are today!

More and more parents in Cologne are under pressure when it comes to planning children's birthdays. The trend towards ever more elaborate celebrations puts families in a predicament that is often associated with high costs and stress. As the Swabian Post reports, parents spend an average of around 763 euros a month on their child. By the age of 18, this sum adds up to around 160,000 euros. The high expenses are not only found at birthday parties, but also at occasions such as gender reveal parties, baby showers, school enrolments, and Christmas.

The division of responsibility for these celebrations is evolving. Professional providers are increasingly taking on the organization of children's birthday parties, making life easier for busy parents, but resulting in costs of 400 to 700 euros for a three-hour celebration. The stress that arises is often exacerbated by social pressure: when children from their circle of friends have lavish parties, parents feel forced to follow suit. It is primarily the pressure not to exclude one's own child that leads to these high expenses, like this Raising children summarizes.

Types of parents and their challenges

Katarina Fischer, a daycare teacher from Baden-Württemberg, has closely observed the changes in children's birthday parties. She identifies three types of parents: On the one hand, there are those who prefer simple celebrations and place less value on extravagance. Then there are the parents who spare no effort and rent expensive locations for the special day. Finally, there are those who don't feel up to the financial burden but still want to minimize their children's fears. Fischer notes that such demands and expectations contradict the needs of children. It is often more important for the little ones to spend time with their parents than to celebrate a big party, which is also recommended by experts.

As current trends show, simple and effective ways to celebrate birthdays are very popular these days. Instead of spending hundreds of euros, experts recommend keeping the celebrations smaller and manageable. Joint activities, such as doing crafts together, visiting the swimming pool or going on a scavenger hunt, can often be more enjoyable than elaborate events. The children's needs and wishes should be the priority, rather than the social pressure to compete with other parents.

The change in the birthday business

Children's birthday parties are not only an occasion to celebrate, but have also become a thriving business. Birthday parties are increasingly becoming an industry of their own, taking the planning off the hands of parents as they wish. Offers that combine entertainment and catering ensure that the pressure on parents is reduced, but also that they often no longer intervene in the events themselves.

Nevertheless, the question remains: What is really important for the children? A small, intimate celebration with a homemade cake and good friends could be the perfect way to celebrate a child's birthday. The uncritical acceptance of major events should be reconsidered - because children's happiness often lies in the small and calm moments, not in the opulent presentation.