Kids birthday party ideas: Kmart teepee tents being sold on eBay

THEY’RE what dreams are made of — perfectly styled slumber parties for excited youngsters — and eager-to-please parents are saving hundreds of dollars making them come true, thanks to Kmart.

Instead of paying sleepover party planners up to $500 to rent teepee beds and decorations for one night, clever parents are buying them for a similar cost, and then onselling, renting or lending the equipment to later recoup their investment.

Brisbane mum Samantha McGilvery had priced a party hire group for a similar set-up and it was going to cost over $500 — and that was without the cake and food.

“I initially told my daughter no ... but then I told her we would plan it and do it ourselves,” she told news.com.au

“She and I had such fun talking, searching for bargains and planning, used Pinterest for inspiration.

“It cost $450 including dinner, breakfast, activities and a homemade cake.”

Ms McGilvery purchased the tents, airbeds, flowers, sheets and throw rugs, as well as party favours of nail polish, sleep mask and lip gloss, when they were on sale.

“I planned to sell before I even started — I don’t like spending excessive money on a one-off event and I didn’t want to store everything, so I took the opportunity to teach my daughter about being able to achieve your dreams cleverly, and that money isn’t a barrier unless you make it one.”

She advertised the kit on a Facebook group and sold it for $300 within 10 hours — just two days after her daughter’s party.

“I had three other people in line to buy it — I wasn’t greedy and I sold it for just under cost.”

NSW mother of two Kristy Mazzitelli also recently held a sleepover for her daughter Maddison’s fifth birthday party, outlaying $300 on the equipment — much less than it would have cost to rent. She now loans the set-up to friends, sharing the love, and saving the cost.

“It was her first sleepover — we had a whole extended family dinner to begin with and then everyone went home and the girls stayed on for movie night and sleepover in their individual teepees,” the 35-year-old child psychologist told news.com.au.

“The girls were beside themselves — they were so excited to snuggle up in their matching Kmart PJs and watch Beauty And The Beast from their teepees.”

She said the entire set-up — teepees, linen, cushions, mermaid tail blankets, pyjamas, blackboard to put their names on, fairy lights and lolly bags — were all from Kmart.

“As the thank you gift, each child got to take home the unicorn bag with the mermaid tail and pyjamas in it,” Ms Mazzitelli said.

“The entire party cost under $300 which was by far cheaper than most traditional birthday parties, and was unique.

“The set-up was in Maddison’s room and took no longer than an hour to set up from start to finish. Fairy lights were placed on Maddison’s teepee to make her feel special as the birthday girl.

“The girls stayed up chatting and giggling until late into the night.

“The next morning, of course they wanted to eat breakfast in their teepees.”

Fellow NSW mum Mandy Barton did the same for her daughter Leah’s 11th birthday last month, spending $350 — the same as it would have cost to rent the equipment.

“I used Kmart A-frame tents, single air mattress, pink plush blankets and little cloud pillows,” the 44-year-old said.

“The cost of these four items was $51 so for our party of seven, equipment cost was a little over $350.

“It was very comparable to the cost of hiring for the night, and as I have a younger child and family with little kids I decided to buy so they can be reused — in fact, the first friend is borrowing later this month.”

She said they played party games, created dream catchers to hang on their tents, and feasted on pizza and cake.

“They then played spotlight on our acreage after dark and stayed awake until late … I joined them outside at night for spotlight and we had an amazing, memorable night with endless fun and laughter,” she said.

“The looks of excitement on the girls’ faces and the giggles coming from the room made it super worthwhile for me and I know they all enjoyed it.

“These are the types of things our kids remember as they grow and my gorgeous Leah truly appreciated it.

“A couple of weeks later she is still talking about it, and has thanked me with countless hugs since the night.”

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