The birthday party supplies checklist
Adjust the quantities to your guest list and leave out what doesn't fit your party.
Tableware
- Plates for food and smaller ones for cake
- Cups, plus a few spare
- Napkins
- Cutlery, including a cake knife and a serving spoon or two
- Tablecloths or table covers
- Jugs or bottles for drinks
Decorations
- Balloons and a pump
- Bunting or a banner
- Candles for the cake and a lighter or matches
- Tape, string or hooks to hang things up
Food, drinks and cake
- The cake — or the ingredients, if someone is baking
- Snacks and finger food
- Drinks for children and adults
- Ice, and somewhere to keep things cold
- Serving bowls and platters
If children are coming, ask their parents about allergies when you send the invitation, and plan the food with that in mind.
Games and favours
- Supplies for the games or activities you have planned
- Small prizes for games
- Party bags and something to put in them
- Party hats or blowers, if they suit the age group
On the day and clean-up
- Bin bags and a separate bag for recycling
- Kitchen roll and wipes for spills
- Containers for leftovers
- A charged phone or camera for photos
- Extra chairs or a table, if you need to borrow them
Plan the party shopping list as a team
A party list rarely belongs to one person. One of you is ordering the cake, a grandparent offers to bring the sandwiches, someone else picks up balloons on the way home. When all of that lives in a group chat, “I'll get the cups” is three screens up by the time anyone is in the shop.
A few habits keep the birthday party shopping list in order:
- One list for the whole party. Supplies, food and favours in one place, separate from the chat.
- Write down who brings what next to the item. “Cake — Gran” or “Balloons — me” next to an item stops two people buying the same thing.
- Tick items off as soon as they're bought. Everyone sees what's still missing.
- Start early. Things that need ordering — a cake, party bags, a particular theme — go on the list first.
How to share a party supplies list in Family Errands
In Family Errands, the party list is an errand with a checklist: one checklist item per thing to buy or bring.
Create an errand for the party
Add a new errand on the calendar, for example “Party supplies”, on the day you plan to shop or on the party day.
Add the checklist
Add each supply as a checklist item. Already copied the list above or a list from a chat? The app offers a new errand from the copied text, with each line as a separate checklist item.
Invite your family
In the family section, send an invitation link with a 6-digit code through any messenger. A family has up to 5 people in total.
Share the errand
Tap the avatars of the family members who are helping. Everyone you share it with sees the list and can edit it — each person adds what they'll bring or buy.
Tick items off
Checklist items are ticked separately, so the others see what's already done. Changes show up on the other phones automatically while you're online.
Tip. If one person is picking up just one thing, you can share a single checklist item with them instead of the whole list.
Gift ideas from the birthday record
The party list covers plates and balloons; the present is a different question. If the birthday is already saved in Family Errands, its record keeps a list of likes and gift ideas — and when that birthday is shared with your family, everyone sees what's already planned, so two of you don't buy the same present.
Before you shop for the party, open the birthday and check the gift ideas collected over the year. A reminder a week before the date leaves time to buy the present along with the supplies. How to set up birthdays, reminders and the countdown is covered in our birthday reminder app guide.
Reuse the list for the next party
Birthdays come round every year, and most of the list stays the same. Save it as a note — “Party basics” with the tableware, decorations and clean-up items — and before the next party create an errand from the note: a new errand appears with the same checklist, and the note stays for next time. Add this party's extras and share it with the people helping. The same idea is described for a weekly list in our shared grocery list guide.
Questions
What supplies do I need for a birthday party?
Most parties need tableware (plates, cups, napkins, cutlery), decorations (balloons, bunting, candles), food, drinks and the cake, something for games or favours, and clean-up supplies such as bin bags and wipes.
How far in advance should I buy party supplies?
Order anything that takes time — a cake, party bags, themed items — first, and buy the rest in the week before. Check the list again a couple of days before the party.
Can several people add to the same party list?
Yes. A shared errand in Family Errands is editable by everyone it's shared with, so each person can add what they'll bring or buy and tick items off.
Is Family Errands free?
New accounts start with a free trial. After the trial, one subscription, monthly or yearly, covers the whole family of up to 5 people: family members who join don't need a subscription of their own.
Does it work on iPhone?
Yes. Family Errands is on the App Store and Google Play, and one family can use both: a partner on iPhone and a partner on Android share the same errands.
