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Jasmine S.
VIP May 2022

What age for kids table?

Jasmine S., on January 5, 2021 at 2:45 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 10
Hi all, my fiancé and I have so many questions about having kids at our wedding since we've decided to invite them, but it's not usual in either of our families.


We're not expecting them all to come, but we still may get a handful, so we're planning for a kids table. What age does everyone think is old enough to sit without their parents? I was thinking age 6 and up. There may be a couple preteens (11–12 y.o.) as well, do you think it's better to seat them with the little kids or the teenagers?

10 Comments

Latest activity by Fred, on April 10, 2021 at 12:50 PM
  • Caytlyn
    Legend November 2019
    Caytlyn ·
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    I wouldn’t seat any children away from their parents for the actual meal. I think it’s fine to have a kids table for entertainment during the dancing portion of the night, but most parents aren’t going to be comfortable sending their kids to sit alone at a wedding and it’s probably going to end up with chairs stolen from other tables to fit their kids with the parents.
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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Children of all ages need to be seated with parents. Please do not punish pre/teenagers by seating them with the 12 and under crowd.


    My family has kids invited to everything which is perfectly ok. They are always seated with parents though.
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  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    The kids in my extended family (under age 12) would refuse to sit without their parents.
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  • Stacey
    Super May 2021
    Stacey ·
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    It’s really going to be up to each individual parent; unfortunately you won’t be able to implement a blanket decision for everyone. Assuming all kids over a certain age will sit at a certain table away from their parents will only result in some parents being fine with it, and others moving their child’s chair over to their table.

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  • C
    Master January 2019
    Cassidy ·
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    We had a kids table. The ages were 8-12 I think. The 3 year old sat with her parents. They didn’t cause any trouble and had a blast!
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  • Samantha
    VIP October 2022
    Samantha ·
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    We ate thinking around six, and having a sweet teenager know sit there and “supervise” by playing with legos and stuff.
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  • MOB So Cal
    January 2019
    MOB So Cal ·
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    Generally, I agree with pps that kids of all ages should be with their own parents/family at least through dinner -- kids differ so much developmentally and socially that it's really hard to guess how they would manage in a group without their parents at an event like a wedding. After dinner you might have a separate table set up with games and activities for them as an option. But, in the big picture I think a lot will depend on the formality of the wedding, how close the kids are in age, if/how well they know each other, the time of day, etc. If it's a super casual wedding with a picnic vibe and the kids mostly know each other and hang out together frequently, I think a kids table might go over really well. However, if it's a more formal event and/or in the evening, and/or the kids don't all know each other already, it might not work as well. There were only four kids at daughter's wedding, all siblings, ages 4, 6, 8, and 10. They were FGs and RBs, and as they were getting ready for the wedding party introductions at the start of the reception, around 5 pm, the 4-yr old started screaming her lungs out and whining that she wanted to go to bed.... The parents pulled all four of them out of the introductions and put the 4 yr old down on a lounge chair in the back of the room near the table the 6 of them were sitting at for dinner. She immediately fell asleep and slept until the rest of the family was ready to leave around 9:30. The 10 yr old was on the dance floor all night, dancing with his mom, grandparents, the bridesmaids, pretty much anyone and everyone, and having a blast. The 8yr was glued to the bride and followed her everywhere and was right in the middle of whatever she was doing -- she even caught the bouquet! The 6 yr old wandered around in a daze with him thumb in his mouth most the night.... Daughter had provided activities for them, and I'm sure their mom brought other stuff to distract them (including tablets, etc.), but they never touched any of it all night. Like with so many things, I think it's definitely a "know your crowd" question, but if you don't know them all well, I'd go with the more cautious, conservative approach and plan for them to be with their parents all night -- and, if they know that's the plan, more parents may opt to not bring their kids!

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  • Dallas
    Devoted November 2020
    Dallas ·
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    I disagree with the other comments. Lol. We had a kids table and the ages were 3-10 and they all sat at the table away from their parents and did wonderful. I made sure the tablecloth was a throw away one from the dollar tree so they could color on it (accident) or just make a mess eating. We had a bunch of coloring books, crayons, sticker books, and a few small toys, and just had the table in the corner of the venue. It was a hit!
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  • Rebecca
    Master August 2019
    Rebecca ·
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    We sat kids with their parents. But most of the kids at our wedding were toddlers or babies.

    If we'd had older kids there, we likely would have sat them with family, and then had a space for them to hang out if they didn't want to dance.

    Unless the kids know each other really well (cousins/siblings/friends), I wouldn't separate them from their families.

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  • F
    Expert April 2022
    Fred ·
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    Hello Jasmine.
    I agree with most people: kids of all ages should be with their parents through dinner,including the preteens. A teen is another story though.
    Plus: I think kids and preteens don't want to be seated away from their parents, this is more a teen thing.If you're inviting some teens, it would be a great idea to put 1 ( or more) teen table(s).
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