Slumber Party for 3/4 Year Old Girls??

Updated on April 09, 2011
J.H. asks from Grain Valley, MO
15 answers

My daughter has been invited to her first slumber party. I loved doing this as a girl/ teenager and hope the same for her. I'm just a little surprised her first invite came so early: she's 3 and will be 4 at the end of April. Is this too young? What have you done? I know I could go get her if she gets nervous at bedtime, but am wondering if I should even consider it at this point.

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So What Happened?

Thanks! I have reservations and it seems as though warranted after reading your comments. The mother is very sweet and so is her daughter, but our daughters are really just getting to know each other so mine doesn't know them real well, but she's a mega mamma's girl. There will be a couple other girls, but they all know eachother really well so that may add to my dd's discomfort. I like the idea of letting her going to play for a bit before bedtime. I just need to learn to trust my mommy instincts. Thanks again for the comments!

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B.K.

answers from Chicago on

Oh goodness.... WAY too young! I wouldn't let my daughter go. It seems like people are always trying to do things younger and younger these days. This one is crazy, and I wouldn't even consider it. Too many what ifs, and the girls are way too little.

You can let her go for awhile, and explain that you will be there to pick her up at bedtime. You don't need to explain, but if they ask you can just say "we don't do sleepovers yet!"

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T.N.

answers from Albuquerque on

My girls are the same age as your daughter. Last month we had one of their friends stay overnight (because her mom, my very good friend, needed to go out of town for work and her dad was out of town too). My daughters' friend spends half her time at her moms and half at her dads, so she was already used to sleeping in different places. She's an outgoing confident kid, so I figured we'd do fine. But let me tell you, it was a nightmare for both me and for her. She missed her mommy. The bed didn't feel right. We didn't brush her teeth the right way. The nightlight cast funny shadows. I felt so bad for the poor kid. She was really unhappy. And so was I when she yelled for me five times during the night.

I write all this to show that even the best candidate for a sleepover can meltdown when actually faced with the real situation. I have already decided I won't even consider sleepovers until my girls are 5 or 6. So I vote that you should decline the invite for your daughter.

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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

I would say waaay too young... I'm surprised the girl's mother is willing to do this! If it's a family member or close friend... maybe. At this age I think she is more likely to get scared if she wakes up in a strange place, with only strange people to comfort her... I know people who think 8-9 is still too young!

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S.H.

answers from Phoenix on

That is actually shocking to me and no way would I let my 3/4 year old go to a friends house overnight. Wow.....

Also....there is no way I would want a bunch of 3/4 year olds all at my house overnight, lol!

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L.L.

answers from Rochester on

I haven't read the other answers, so I hope I'm not just repeating, but I think this is WAY too young. I think if whatever mother came up with this idea actually goes through with it, she will be shuttling a LOT of unhappy children home come bedtime, because they will want their own beds and their own mothers.

In fact, the first time my daughter attempted a sleepover with her VERY beloved grandparents, at age 4, she had to come home because she was homesick. Now, she is 6, and I still think it's too young, but because my parents have moved so far away, when they come to visit I let her sleep over at their hotel. Still, sometimes, she wants to come home.

I can't imagine what mother would even want to host something like this at that age! Can you imagine? :)

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D.G.

answers from Lincoln on

way too young! maybe an overnighter at Grandma's or an aunt's but a slumber party? that mother is crazy IMO!!

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C.J.

answers from Milwaukee on

I read this and thought it was a joke. WAY too young. You'll be getting a call by 9:30 IF you agree to this.

How about a pretend slumber part? Start at 5:00 and everybody gets picked up by 8:00. The upside will be that they are already dressed for bed!

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K.B.

answers from Chicago on

Its a little young. I would say yes if it was a family member. So she doesnt miss out on all the fun maybe she could stay until bedtime.

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

I would only let me daughter, who is 4 1/2 years old, sleep over at a trusted relatives or only ONE friends house for a sleep over. She has slept over at grandma's here and there, we have never done the sleep over at the friend's house, I am good friends with the mom, and trust her. We are planning a sleep over with the mommys & daughters, I am just not ready to let her do a friend sleep over only yet, maybe when she is 6 years old.

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J.B.

answers from Denver on

I couldn't imagine my 3yo at a sleep-over!! Bless the mamma willing to take that on!!!

But- If she were invited to one and I was comfortable with the invitee's family I'd be ok with it. I'd be getting a solid night of sleep. =D

Only thing- I remember once when I was 4-5 I had a sleep-over at a friend's house and I was too weirded out to sleep, and ended up having to go home because I was too uncomfortable.

good luck

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J.F.

answers from Tallahassee on

A slumber party for 3/4 year olds seems way too young to me. My daughter is 4 1/2 and there's one little girl in her preschool class that has been having some of the girls sleep over at her house. Luckily, my daughter hasn't been invited but I would have to decline even if she were invited. One little girl got to go home with the other little girl one day for a sleepover and the following week another little girl got to go home with her for a sleepover. When the second little girl went for the sleepover the first little girl was bawling her eyes out when they left the preschool because she didn't understand why she couldn't go too. You could tell she felt so left out. I'm sorry, but a slumber party for 3/4 year olds just seems wierd to me. There's no way in the world I would want to be responsible for entertaining, feeding, refereeing, comforting, etc. a bunch of 3/4 year olds in my house and have them spend the night either. (My daughter wouldn't even sit still to watch more than 15-20 minutes of a movie at that age.) Bedtime is also stressful enough sometimes with just one child. That just does not sound like fun for mom and dad. I won't even consider letting my daughter go to a sleepover until she is at least 7.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I agree this is a bit odd. Are there going to be lots of girls there, I mean I assume so since you said 'party', but that sounds crazy! If it's just her, I would consider it if it was a really good friend. If there's going to be multiple girls, I'm not sure I would feel comfortale with that. My daughter does go to her aunt's house for sleepovers with her cousins, and that is kind of a party atmosphere when there are 3-4 cousins there at a time, but I also know my SIL is with them all the time and trying to make them sleep, etc. I trust it b/c it's family, but I guess it is still a sleepover. I would have serious reservations in your situation I think.

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B.E.

answers from Tulsa on

We had a slumper party about 6 months ago for my daughter and we r having another one tonight! she will be 3 in a month. We r having her cousin which is 4, one of her bff's (and my friends daughter) she is 3, and one more friend that is also three. I dont see anything wrong with this sleepover, they all have so much fun everytime they do it, my dd has also stayed at the girls houses numerous times! I guess i was unaware that theres a "proper age" to stay the night places. She has been staying with my mother in law (live approx 2 hours away) since she was 6 months old!! and staying at "friend"/cousins since she was about a year! She enjoys every sec of it. and i enjoy the girls coming over, most of the time they sleep good, one of the girls stays up a little later than the rest and yes sometimes she cries but nothing i cant handle, they are all completley potty trained so thats not an issue either! and if one or all of them had one bad night, and i lose a little sleep, no biggie! IMO

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N.R.

answers from St. Louis on

That is too young unless the child is going to a grandparents' house. If it is just a friend and they are having multiple kids spend the night--NO. There is plenty of time for that in the many years to come.

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F.W.

answers from Miami on

wow that is young. I wouldn't feel happy letting my dd this at that age. Maybe i'm being overprotective but my dd is 7 and has still never been to a slumber party where she stayed overnight. she has got to go and have fun, get her pj's on and I picked her up before bed time and brought her home. I think most parents are slightly relieved when some of the kids go home. lol

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