Well, it shouldn't really be as painful once you realize that kids come to a party to be entertained, primarily. Eating is only secondary. Kids are easy to please, so you don't really need to go all out on this department. In fact, the one thing that you can actually focus on with the food is how they look. A good computer printer and several cute designs from the Internet and you've already made yourself fun party invitations to hand out. Now for what to put inside the invitations. Naturally, you'll mention what the party is all about. Some excited parents like to write poetry about their child's event inside. This will keep your guest list and expenses under control. Also, ask the venue owner if they can only accommodate a certain number of people and if they require that your guest list have a minimum number of confirmed attendees. Most owners of outdoor children's party places have entertainment and food packages for a speficic number of people (30s, 50s, etc), so you'll also have to ask how much they charge per head in case your guests exceed the number you've initially committed to. However, no matter how much planning and thinking is put into the kinds of food and favors are served at the party and what theme and design it will assume, no party will be complete without the proper kids' entertainment. Children's birthday party entertainment could be in the form of games or visual amusement. Scan the local yellow pages or surf the Internet to see who offers these services in your area. Most of the people who offer magic and puppet shows often also offer clowning, mascots, balloon art, face painting, story telling sessions, and other kiddie entertainment. If you want to tickle your little partygoers' visual faculties, you might want to set up a projector inside a closed room to simulate a theater experience and show cartoons and other children's shows. However, this still does not guarantee fun. While party planners are already seasoned and experienced with what they do, none of their efforts would work if they don't first understand what your child and the children who will be attending are interested in. Clowns are staple birthday party entertainment.