Children's birthday parties aren't always cheap, and when your little one has lots of friends they want to invite, it can quickly become expensive - especially if you have other youngsters in your family whom you also plan on inviting.
But one mum has been left fuming after her brother "uninvited" her young son from his daughter's sixth birthday party, claiming that there were "too many children" already attending the event.
The woman explained her nine-month-old son was deemed "too small to engage or interact" and was cut from the guest list, meaning the mum herself also didn't go - despite the rest of her family attending.
In a post on Mumsnet - where she originally referred to her child as her daughter, before correcting herself to insist it was her son - the woman wrote: "My brother's daughter was six last week and we come from a large family, there are lots of cousins - who were invited to the party.
"My [son], who is nine months old, was uninvited though as [he] was deemed too small to engage or interact and my brother felt that there were too many children attending the party anyway, which she said costs a lot.
"I can see where he's coming from, but at no point did he even consider my baby. There were others slightly older than my [boy] and we could have helped out.
"Am I being unreasonable for being upset and disappointed? I felt like he was trying to impress his and his partner's mates and put us last."
Commenters on the post were split, although many agreed that a nine-month-old baby wouldn't be old enough to enjoy the party, and would be an unnecessary cost to the woman's brother.
However, others said a baby that young also probably wouldn't cost that much, and pointed out that many places that charge for entry actually let babies enter for free.
One person said: "Your child isn't being excluded - they are just not invited for sensible reasons. It won't be the last time this happens so it's best not to think your child deserves invites to parties and get worked up when they aren't invited."
While another added: "A nine-month-old won't care about parties, it won't effect them in the slightest. And a six-year-old isn't going to want to play/hang out with a nine-month-old baby.
But someone else noted: "I mean, on the one hand, it's crazy to expect a nine-month-old to partake in a six-year-old's party. But then again, I don't see why they would have to pay for a nine-month-old. Surely a non-walking baby just gets in free, because they won't actually be doing whatever activity it is."
One commenter asked the mum if there was another underlying issue at play, as they said: "I think, your post isn't really about your child, who at nine months old has no clue about being excluded or not. The issue is that you feel excluded from the party your sibling was throwing when other siblings were invited via their kids."
The mum said they had hit the nail on the head.
She responded: "Yes, I think you're right. There was a bit of tension, but I think I was being paranoid too. It's my first baby and [I have a] bit of post-natal depression that I'm gradually coming out of."
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