My daughter is lucky to have generous friends. Happy birthday! (Photo by Laura Weisskopf Bleill)
by Laura Weisskopf Bleill
This past week was my eldest daughter’s fourth birthday. If you know many 4-year-olds, you also know that the build-up to a birthday is pretty intense. This child had already picked out the destination for her birthday party before she was even 3-and-a-half. And then she changed her mind, after we went to two parties back-to-back that involved pools – one at the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center and one at the LeRoy Replex (what a great facility).
So a pool party, she would have. Being that her birthday is in March, that meant finding an indoor facility. Luckily in Champaign-Urbana we have three options: the aforementioned UIAC; the CRCE pool at the University of Illinois; and the indoor pool at the Champaign County YMCA. I investigated all options, but ultimately decided that the UIAC was best for our needs. It fit our timing needs; my children still nap, and I wanted them to enjoy the party. I also wanted to avoid having it over dinner or lunch to avoid extra expense. And, I wanted a zero-depth entry for the little kids.
Having a party at the UIAC is pretty straightforward. You have a choice of doing a party during public swim or a private event during specific hours. Of course, doing a private party is more expensive, especially depending on the number of people you are expecting. To reserve a party, you must visit the Phillips Recreation Center in person to put down a $75 security deposit and pay the rental fee (in our case $125). The cost of our party included 15 pool entrances (plus three adults to supervise; more people were the standard pool entry charge per person) and the room reservation.
The party package at the UIAC gives patrons a two-hour time slot. That includes time for set up/decorating as well as clean up. Since they only provide a room with tables and chairs, I brought all the plates, napkins, tableclothes, food, cups, drinks, etc. To cut down on clean-up, I tried to stick to finger food snacks such as strawberries, cheese cubes, and vegetables with dip (mainly for the parents). I also went with a cupcake cake to avoid dealing with cutting up the cake — and the silverware thing. To keep things simple, I bought the kids drink boxes.
Blowing out the candles.
Here’s my key takeaways:
- One of the great things about having a pool party is that it accommodates all ages. My 8-year-old niece had just as much fun as the 3- and 4-year-olds. You don’t have to worry about the person who “leads” the party, whether or not they’ll hold the kids’ attention. Although I brought some toys for the kids, the only one who really played with them was my 1-year-old.
- One of the drawbacks to a UIAC party: You are not allowed to take photos in the pool area during public swim due to privacy concerns. I understand the rationale, but I feel bad that I wasn’t able to capture so much of the party – and the joy of the children.
- The parents weren’t so keen on the idea of getting into a bathing suit. One of the great things about the UIAC is the zero-depth entry, so parents didn’t have to get too wet if they don’t want to. But I do think that’s part of the reason so many dads were there!
In the end, it was a great party and I think everyone had fun. We are lucky to have such great options for birthday parties in our community. Happy birthday to Nessa!
Have you planned or attended a birthday party recently? Want to write about it? We love birthday parties! Drop us a line at editor@chambanamoms.com.
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Henry had a ball there. He loved that there were so many different features to the pool.