What age do drop off playdates and parties start?

Most of my kids actually started drop off parties at age 4 if it was at the persons home. 5 or 6 was usually the age where I could drop them off at an outside party.

My first grader just started going to drop off parties. Play dates happened last year with friends whose parents I knew well enough.

We are close friends with several families with slightly older kids who love playing with our toddler. He's enjoyed playdates with them since he stopped needing to nurse!

I tend to err on the side of caution when dropping my kids off at birthday party places like bounce houses and trampoline parks. They’re not especially aware of their surroundings so when there are tons of other kids around and multiple parties going on, I didn’t trust them to stick with their party until they were a little older!