Are you one who has determined that having birthday parties at home is just too stressful so you avoid them with fear and trembling? A little planning can go a long way. With it you can help you turn a potentially chaotic mess into a wonderful birthday party that your child will remember for the rest of his life.

So how do you throw the best birthday party ever and still remain sane? Let’s review four top tips to help make the day stress free:

Make a Plan – A birthday party checklist will help to keep you on track and in control. No more “Oh I hope I didn’t forget something”. With this single step you will have built in reminders and take the pressure off instantly. Include even the things that you know you won’t forget like “bake a cake” or “buy paper goods” just so you know that everything is there and will be taken care of. Have a section on your list to keep track of the items you need to buy as well as a detailed timeline. This also helps if you have people helping you with the party as they will know what’s been done and still needs to be done based on your checklist.

Get the birthday child involved – Keep in mind that your child is the focus of the day so he should be consulted and involved in a majority of the planning and preparations. It may take some extra time but having him involved will really make him feel special – and that’s the goal of the day after all! Have him choose the theme, take him with when you shop for the party favors and paper goods – ask him what he wants! You’ll be glad you did!

Grab a photographer – You want to remember the day in photos but often the last thing on your mind during the actual party is taking pictures because you’re so busy with the kids or the parents or getting the candles on the cake that the camera gets left on the counter unused. Snag one of the other parents or a neighbor friend to be in charge of the photography of the day. Make sure you communicate which pictures you want to have taken if you have special ones you want, but otherwise, let them just snap away. The beauty of digital cameras is that you can take tons of pictures and delete the ones that don’t work.

Hire Help – Ask an older sibling or cousin to assist you during the planning and especially on the birthday party day. Your helpers can serve as clean up crew or even be in charge of the games and activities. This way you can focus on your child or the guest’s parents, etc. You can, of course, pay them a small wage for their time or give them a special present or gift certificate from you for their help.

These small steps and some advanced preparation will help you to have a fun, memorable party without pulling your hair out. Keep your birthday child as the focus and the rest of the day will go smoothly! Enjoy!