As with any gathering, the key to a fun and engaging slumber party is planning. Start off with the guest list. Sleepovers take place in intimate settings (usually your living room), so make sure all your guests will be able to fit in that space comfortably.

Remember that rule of thumb about birthday parties, where the number of guests should match your child's age? For a slumber party divide your child's age in half to come up with the number of guests to invite. For example, if your child is 9, invite 4 or 5 guests.

Perhaps the biggest concern about setting up a slumber party is considering whether your child is ready for it. PBS Parents suggests that the appropriate age to begin slumber parties is 8. A child younger than 8 may not be able to handle being away from home and may get homesick. An article from AZ Central suggests a "trial run" sleepover. Have your child invite just his best friend to stay the night to see how it goes.

Include your list of house rules in the invitation and remind guests of those rules once they've arrived. Common house rules (no running indoors, no using the stove without an adult present, no fighting, etc.) still need to be enforced.

Also include a list of things for each guest to bring like their pajamas, extra pillow, blanket and/or sleeping bag, toothbrush, toothpaste, flashlight, and favorite toy. Request that each guest should also bring a note with their parents' phone number(s) for you, just in case there's a need to call home. Be sure to include a scheduled pick-up time for the parents to come by in the morning.

Make certain your house is ready for the arrival of the sleepover guests. Even though the guests are only staying for one night, it's a good idea to prepare for any unexpected mishaps. The bathroom should be well stocked with extra towels. Remove any fragile items and spread as many pillows as possible to create a central lounge-like area for the kids to hang out in.

Slumber party food should be kept simple: chips, pretzels, popcorn, and sandwiches are standard sleepover fare. Fruit and veggie platters are also good choices. About.com suggests keeping an ice chest around for guests to help themselves to drinks. Fill the cooler up with juice boxes and bottles of water. Try to avoid anything with too much sugar and caffeine, and avoid grape juice which can stain the rug.

Ideally, the slumber party should start after the guests have already had dinner at their own homes, so just keep some food and drink around for those late night raids into the kitchen. Have a selection of fruit, cereal, toast, and juice for breakfast the following morning.

Keep the guests entertained with a lot of activities, and remember: the more there is to do, the more tired the kids get, and the easier they'll get to sleep! Party411 has a list of slumber party games. My personal favorite is the Stuffy Game, where everyone's stuffed animals are placed into a pile, and each guest has to find their own toy blindfolded. More games and activities can be found at EZ Party Ideas.

Once bedtime rolls around (this could be 10PM for younger children or midnight for the older ones), have everyone settle down with a favorite movie or TV show. If you're concerned about whether or not the guests will actually get to sleep that night, schedule the party for a Friday. This way, the kids wind down from school and may get tired easier. Also, you'll have the entire weekend to clean up and recover.

Finally, make sure your child knows her role during the slumber party. Guests will be turning to her for everything; from asking where the bathroom is to wondering what game they should play next.

Encourage your child to ask for your help if he needs it, but on the whole, be prepared to give the kids a large amount of freedom. Slumber parties are all about how exciting it is to be independent, to have friends around, and to have a really late bedtime!

Check in on the group periodically to make sure things don't stray too far out of hand, but for the most part, enjoy the giggles and the shouts coming from downstairs and know that your child and her friends are having a blast!