A first birthday, a third birthday, a “my little one is suddenly five” birthday. Every one deserves to feel special. A party for little ones should also be safe, calm enough for small people, and still leave you time to enjoy the day yourself. Here’s our practical guide to planning a children’s party, from the people who host them every weekend at Little Burrowers in Pudsey. Start with the basics Before you buy a single balloon, settle three things: Age: Babies and toddlers n

Most parents never see what happens inside a play café between sessions. At Little Burrowers, it is something we think about constantly, because the experience of the next family begins before they even walk through the door. When we first took over the café, there was a 15-minute gap between sessions. It gave the team enough time for a quick tidy, but not enough time to reset both rooms properly and to the standard we wanted for every family. For us, a reset should be more t