Moms' Night Out Tips
- rstinson10
- Dec 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 13
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Motherhood is an important situation and it is critical for our mental well-being for our families to unplug and meetup for fellowship in real life. I wrote out some tips to help make your Moms' night out fun and successful. It does not have to be at your home: a restaurant, bowling ally or coffee shop can work great too.
Tips for hosting
I usually send my invitations 3 weeks before the party, just to give everyone enough time to respond. Sending invites too early diminishes the effect and sending them too late makes it challenging to reserve time for most Moms.
Have a start and ending time. I recommend a 1.5 hour time block. The first ~ 10 mins will be your guests arriving and parking. About 15 mins before the 1.5 mark, the party is winding down and evreyone is cleaning up. Use your judgement. If you think your party is done at the hour mark, so be it!
To end the party, I say something like this. "It is 8:15. I want to take this time to thank you all for coming. I hope you had fun and made some new connections. You are welcome to stay and chat if you like. I would also like to encourage you all to host your own moms night. It is so fun and important for us moms to get together for fellowship. "
I always put on my invitations that nursing babies are welcome.
Be reachable. People will be contacting you up until the party to RSVP, coordinate a dish they are bringing, or they may be running late or need to cancel. Respond to your messages ASAP (which is good thing to do always).
Give directions to people who have never been to your location before. If a restaurant is in a shopping center, be sure to tell them more about how to find it. If your house is hidden, you might want to share extra details about what color your house is etc. Be sure to share parking details as well.
Think about your friend's schedules. Would a Saturday night be best or maybe a week night? Maybe brunch would work better than a Friday night.
Networking is important. To encourage this, I always provide name tags when I host. If at a restaurant, I have small table tents to write their names on to help keep everyone's privacy in the public space.
Be a good host! Introduce your friends to each other. Make conversation! Facilitate the activity and conversation to include everyone. Don't be cliquey.
Consider having a designated area for people to put their jackets and purses.
Clean up before your party. Your home does not need to look perfect, but do tidy up.
If only a few RSVP, a small group of 2 or 3 can also be fun!
Restaurant Moms' Nights
Having it at a table restaurant is not my favorite. There may be noise, rude staff, dirty bathrooms and cheque splitting/tipping challenges. You also can't really move around your table to talk to others on the other end or have a larger group. A meal at a restaurant can be costly. There might be limited parking or paid parking. You can't really play a game together or do an activity.
If having it at a table restaurant, be sure to bring cash and try to get the check split. Do not split the bill among the group evenly. It is not fair for someone who gets water and a bowl of soup to be expected to pay a portion for appetizers they didn't eat and large meals and drinks that they did not enjoy (which may have been intentional!). Everyone should pay their own bill, tax and tip.
Time management can also be a challenging. It is hard for someone to join in late if needed, leave early or end at the 1.5 hour mark since you are waiting for a table, waiting for the food, waiting for the cheque or spending time finding a parking space.
The benefits to having it at a restaurant is that you are in a public place that is available for almost all weather conditions. You can invite people from a parent group who you have not met before.
A counter service restaurant makes it less expensive than a table service restarunt and easier to pay. There is no wait staff, tipping or cheque splitting challenges. Paneraa, "Moes" restaurant or a coffee shop are all great examples of counter service restaurants.
Everyone has different thoughts about social media. Respect other people's privacy. Do not post photos of other people on social media.
Moms' Nights at Home
Having a Moms' night at home has many benefits. You can move around and you are not limited in how many guests you invite. If someone brings a baby with them, there is space for the baby to sit and play or lie down to nap. Having it at home is a cheaper option than going bowling or having it at a restaurant. You don't know what everyone's financial situations are. $10 can be a big commitment for some and might make them consider not attending.
Share a meal together! If having it during a meal, a pot luck works well. You could also do a salad bar or baked potato bar and ask everyone to bring a topping/ ingredient.
For non-meal events, consider a dessert/appetizer/beverage pot luck
Consider having an activity. This does not have to fill the entire time of the party. A game like Taboo or Catchphrase are great party games. A cheap $5 or $10 craft is also a good activity. I have made soap and watercolor cards at my parties as a craft.
Don't forget cutlery and drinks for meals!
Having coffee and tea available is an easy, non-alcoholic refreshment for guests.
Tips for Guests
RSVP ASAP. If you cannot attend, be sure to message the host. Let them know you are not able to attend and thank them for the invite.
Be on time!
Go! I know we are all busy and it can be hard to carve out time to go to a mom party. It is important to be friends in real life. The host is being kind by including you. Even the most modest parties take a lot of work in planning and preparation.
Put your phone away. Have it on and available in case your husband needs to contact you, but don't keep it out or in your hand. Keeping a phone in your field of view is a subtle communication to others that you are not interested in dialoguing with them.
Life happens. Communicate with your host if you need to cancel or you are running late.
Network! Don't be cliquey. It is hard ot make friends as an adult. Chat with people at the party. Make conversation and participate. You might be friends with some of the guests, be sure to make some conversation with other guests. Exchange number and make a note to contact them soon to make plans!
Keep it going! Consider hosting a moms' night of your own soon.
Be reachable. Your host may need to contact you if the party is canceled, rescheduled or for any other changes.
Everyone has different thoughts about social media. Respect other people's privacy. Do not post photos of other people on social media.
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