Forget your kids on New Year's Eve

Happy Home Childcare’s Annie Scanlon and TwistedMr’s Matt Russell and with some happy kids, prepare for the New Year’s Eve fun.

Nicola Brander

NEW Year's Eve is the one night of the year you can never find a babysitter.

Forget asking the neighbours' kids or roping in the grandparents: they're all too busy.

But this year, there is a safe, affordable and fun place to leave your rug rats: a New Year's Eve sleep-over at a professional child care centre.

The woman behind this ingenius idea is Annie Scanlan, proprietor of Happy Home Child Care Mooloolaba.

She said that after the struggle of trying to find a babysitter when her children were young, she decided to give parents a safe child care option on this auspicious evening.

"Most people stay home with the kids because it is too difficult to find someone to look after them," she said.

"I wanted to provide an alternative for parents."

The sleep-over will accommodate a maximum of 20 children from 12 months of age.

Ms Scanlan said parents could have a night out and their kids could have fun, too.

"It is going to be a great night," she said.

"We will have a disco party and movie marathon and then all the kids should nod off.

"The next morning, the kids will have a big breakfast and it will be time to get picked up.

"If parents wish to, they can nominate a relative or friend to pick the kids up, while they have a sleep in."

Happy Home Child Care Mooloolaba is a licensed and registered centre and all the staff are fully qualified and certified.

The businesswoman said she had employed kids' event planner TwistedMr - aka Matt Russell - to decorate for the New Year's Eve Party.

The 25-year-old professional balloonologist and event decorator from Maroochydore has been in the party bsuiness for four years and confesses he loves his job.

He said that although he was still putting the final touches on the New Year's Eve extravaganza, he could guarantee a fun and exciting display.

"There will be lots of big bunches of helium balloons, streamers and party hats," he said.

"It will be a great atmosphere."

To find out more on TwistedMr, visit www.twistedmr.com.

To book a spot for your child at the New Year's Eve sleep-over, phone 0439 923 721 or visit www.happyhome.com.au.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY FOR KIDS

• Cost is $150 a child.
• Massive movie screen for movie marathon
• Dinner, dessert, snacks, drinks and big breakfast included
• Drop-off is 5.30pm New Year's Eve and pick-up is 9am New Year's Day
• Bookings are limited