For a child’s birthday, a parent’s “we’re coming” can mean several different headcounts. Is one adult staying? Is a sibling invited? HeadOnOver gives each household an invitation and asks for separate adult and child counts when they RSVP.
Invite the household through a parent
Add the parent’s contact details to the household, then choose that household for your event. HeadOnOver emails the invitation, or you text it to the parent from your own phone with one tap. Parents open their link and choose Going, Maybe, or Can’t make it without creating an account.
Going responses include adult and child counts. Use those submitted numbers to plan place settings, food, or party favors, and follow up on unanswered invitations before making commitments. The counts reflect guests’ current answers; they don’t guarantee attendance.
The text parents get
On your event page, Text invite opens Messages on your phone with that family’s invitation already written. You press send, so it comes from a number the parent knows:
Hi Maria! Sarah here. You’re invited to Emma’s 10th Birthday, Sun Jun 6 · 2 PM. Details and RSVP: (private link)
Parents with an email address can get the invitation by email from HeadOnOver instead. The linked invitation shows the date, time, place, and your event note. The RSVP is submitted on that page; texting back “yes” doesn’t submit the form.
Say who is invited and whether parents stay
Use the event note for the practical details. For example:
Siblings are welcome. Please include everyone attending in your adult and child counts. Parents stay for this party. We’ll have pizza and cake; contact [host] privately at [contact] to discuss dietary needs before the day.
If space is limited, replace the siblings line with “We’re keeping the party to the children named on the invitations.” If it’s a drop-off party, say so and provide pickup details. Discuss individual food needs with the parent before promising what you can accommodate.
Reminders that don’t nag
Choose a follow-up date before your RSVP deadline or final venue count. Our guide to how far in advance to send party invitations suggests sending kids’ party invitations two to four weeks ahead and works through a full timeline, from send date to final venue count. When you trigger a reminder, HeadOnOver targets eligible families whose invitations were sent and whose replies are still pending. Families who already answered are skipped, including those who chose Maybe. Reminders aren’t automatic and are subject to the app’s timing limits.
When plans change
If rain moves the party indoors, update the place and choose “Let guests know” to send a notice to households that received the invitation. Cancellation notices use the same contact and channel as the sent invitation.
Check delivery status and contact a family directly when you need to confirm they know about a last-minute change. A delivered message doesn’t establish that it was read.
Privacy for other people’s kids
Each household gets its own invitation link, and the invitation doesn’t show other families’ contact details, unlike a class-wide group text. Our post on why group texts fail as party invitations explains the tradeoffs. Guest pages are marked not to appear in search results. Links can still be forwarded, so ask parents to keep their household’s link private.
Parents can opt in to text reminders on their invitation page and reply STOP to end them. See how texting works and private invitations for more details.
Also works for
Class parties, playdates, team pizza nights, and end-of-season celebrations with families you know personally. Create the event, make the guest policy clear, and use HeadOnOver to collect each household’s reply.