When plans for her daughter’s 7th birthday blowout in January had to be switched because of the pandemic, Syosset mom Sloane Grober shifted to a family-only backup plan. Her revised strategy: Dome is ...

Elaborate cakes costing hundreds of dollars. Backyard transformations that include water slides, bounce houses and stages for musicians, magicians or a fairy-tale princess. Special venues.

Playscape or the local park? Invite the whole class or just a few friends? It all affects how much parents spend on their kid’s birthday party. (Photo illustration: Victoria Ellis/Yahoo News; photos: ...