Sleepover Survival Tips

Hosting sleepovers are the biggest deal to kids ages 7-13, and as a mother, I’m getting smarter about them. Recently, my 8-year-old daughter had her friend stay over, and we had a perfect mix of schedule and fun. I need both for my sanity, so I thought I’d share some secrets.

The Prep

Even as an adult, half of the fun of any event is the anticipation before it. I love getting concert tickets early and then looking forward to that event for weeks. The same can be said for a kid’s sleepover. Before my daughter’s slumber party, her dad and I have a very fun process that gets her excited. We pre-plan the food, the room set-up, and the schedule.

Food: My daughter loves to find out what her friends like to eat the most and fill our fridge with it before they arrive. She plans the snacks, the dinner, and the most important part: the dessert. Spoiling her friends is a way to show she cares, and it gets her so excited.

Room Set-Up: Depending upon the number of guests, my daughter prefers her room to look a certain way. Unfortunately, the cleanliness of her room isn’t as important as the layout of the sleeping bags. She plans where each friend will sleep and how she’ll make them the most comfortable for their stay.

Schedule: This sounds boring right? But it is a parenting essential. Sometimes her sleepover excitement is overwhelming if I’m trying to get things done, so listing out the day by ½-1 hour increments works to get her focused. I find most of her schedule ideas to be doable, and it gets me mentally prepared. If I see the schedule she’s made and know we can’t complete a certain task, we take that off the list before guests arrive. No meltdowns during sleepovers!

The Event

With the prep in place, the actual event is a lot of fun for all. If my daughter and her friends get bored with a game or task quickly, we have a schedule to move us along. Kids are used to school, so they are comfortable with following a plan.

The event is the easiest part of the sleepover because we have done the hard work beforehand. I find my daughter and her friends love doing hands-on activities, creating something, baking, and also free playtime. We also plan two or three “field trips” in our town.

Smiles and giggles are abundant, including mom. When it’s time to sleep, we designated a “lights out” time. The time varies, but as 8-year-olds, I try to keep them within 2 hours of their normal time. If anyone has a phone or a tablet, we plug them in for the night, and it’s no-nonsense so the kiddos can get their much-needed rest. 

The Aftermath

Hopefully, your guests are so tired that they sleep in, but let’s not kid ourselves. You know they’ll be up by 6:00 am with excitement. That’s why God (and Disney) made movies. A two-hour film in the morning gives me enough time to be human and allow kids to be entertained until a more decent morning hour.

The prep schedule should include breakfast and an activity for the aftermath day, so you’ll be set for fun until drop off or pick up. Before guests’ parents come, check to make sure each child has packed his or her bag and have it waiting at the door. Separating your party-goers will be hard enough, but if you have things ready for departure, it will be a tad bit easier.

Pro tip: our last sleepover guest’s mother had the best idea. She made a list of the things her daughter brought with her to our sleepover. That way, our party goer had a checklist of what to make sure made it back in her bag. Brilliant! 

Overnight parties provide tons of fun, and they don’t have to be painful either. I have learned that a little bit of preparation and an “open for anything” attitude by the parent can make it enjoyable for all. What are your tips for the ultimate sleepover?