Party Whammy

Guest Needs & Safety: Questions for Party Hosts

Find answers about allergies, accessibility, supervision and emergency plans. This section covers children's parties, teen parties and gatherings for any age. Pick the question closest to your situation.

Questions to start with

Planning around allergies, asthma and accessibility

Start here if a guest has a food allergy, needs to avoid latex, reacts to fragrances or has accessibility needs. These questions cover how to ask guests about their needs and how to plan the food, favors, decorations and space around them.

Avoiding latex is a decorations and supplies question, separate from food-allergy planning. Confirm materials with the guest's family and your suppliers before you buy. Our guide on how to decorate when a guest needs to avoid latex includes naming an adult to take away unexpected decorations and bring questions to you.

Supervising a children's party

These questions are for parents hosting younger kids. They cover sharing supervision with other adults, agreeing on what each parent will do, hosting on your own, helping a shy or overwhelmed child, and stepping in when games get rough or kids start arguing.

Agreeing supervision in advance is different from deciding what to do mid-game. If play gets rough, pausing the game comes first. Our guide on what to do if party games become rough or guests argue covers both, including agreeing with staying parents what help they'll give and when you'll contact a parent.

Setting rules for a teen party

If you're hosting teenagers, these questions cover house rules and adult supervision, phone rules, keeping the party alcohol-free and what to check before a bonfire.

A bonfire needs checks beyond general teen supervision: where it will be, what equipment you need and which adult is responsible for the fire the whole time. Our guide on what to check before hosting a teen bonfire party covers planning it.

Emergencies, pets, photos and breakages

These questions apply to most parties. They cover emergency arrangements, what to do with pets, asking guests before you share photos and handling things calmly when something gets broken.

If you have pets, decide before guests arrive where they'll stay, who looks after them and who watches the doors. Our guide on what to do with pets during a party also suggests a short RSVP note asking guests to close outside doors and leave the pet's room closed.