Ben and Erin Napier aren’t about having big, over-the-top kids’ birthday parties. The HGTV stars share their parenting perspective on why keeping parties a little old-school is more appropriate.
HGTV’s Ben & Erin Napier Weigh in on Kids’ Birthday Parties
Birthday parties for kids aren’t like they used to be, with many parents finding themselves planning an event that’s more overblown than ever. The Napiers are all about keeping their kids’ parties small and understated — a concept they admit is likely unpopular.
During a September 2025 interview with Today.com, Ben and Erin shared their “anti-giant birthdays” take for their daughters Helen, 7, and Mae, 4.
“Our rule is, until they’re old enough to plan it themselves, it’s supper at grandparents,” Ben noted.
Erin explained, “If your 4-year-old’s birthday party looks like a wedding, what do they have to look forward to?”
She added, “Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I think there’s a lot of moms out there who feel the same way I do.”
Ben shared the simplicity of birthday parties when he was a kid, which involved his three brothers, pizza, and a homemade cake at a park. “And it was awesome! It was amazing,” he said.
The couple said they agreed before having kids that the big birthday party scene wasn’t for their family, noting that it’s “100 kids running around, losing their minds.”
Ben explained, “It’s stressful and loud. I was like, ‘We’re not doing this.'”
For Mae’s fourth birthday, she requested a Christmas theme. Her cousins attended, they played holiday music, and Erin made the cake.
“Ben’s mom always made homemade birthday cakes,” Erin shared, though she admitted she sometimes bakes a boxed cake mix.
The Napiers Prioritize Tech-Free Childhoods
The preference for simpler kid stuff is also seen in the Napiers’ philosophy on children and technology.
On July 1, Erin took to her Instagram Stories to share a post from Nurtured First Parenting that read: “I’m 12. The kids in my class make fun of me because I’m the only one without a phone.”
Erin noted, “There are land lines, flip phones, gabb phones, watches — we can all say no to this together, you know?”
The HGTV star shared how they approach technology with their kids.
“We’ve been teaching Helen since she was old enough to understand that our family is playing a different game,” the “Home Town” star wrote. “We are people who will go against the flow, and we DO NOT CARE. She’s got a rebel attitude about this at this point, and she LOVES being different.”
She added, “Already, kids her age are getting smart phones and she feels like she has a super power: the ability to not care about phones. Join us at ospreykids.com.”
