2 Year Birthday

hello my sister did this great party for my nephew, and daughter both birthdays in august. invations were inflated beach balls written on with permanat marker, bring bathing suits, everyone had ice pops instead of cake, popcorn at the table, and hot dogs . they had little pools, and beach balls. it was great. good luck H.

Last year everyone met us at the zoo. The kids loved it, and everyone paid their own way. I just provided cupcakes.

Suggestion #1: Turn the focus to the birthday girl--celebrate her birthday doing something special that she loves. Could be a tea party or a swim party with two special friends or going to the Wiggles show with a cousin. Doesn't have to be a big bbq event every year. Suggestion #2: I give my boys (up to age 10) a big birthday bash every other year. On the alternate year, they get to do something unique that they enjoy. I also limit the number of kids to either (1)to the age of the child (meaning turning four, invite four kids) or (2) listen to who their very, very close friends are and just invite them. Suggestion #3: You could celebrate her birthday by going on vacation that week, take a cousin or two, and have a small birthday celebration while at the beach.

K.
I found a new website designed for ideas for parties www.celebrations.com
alot of great ideas for kids parties!

Sincerely,
S.

For our daughters second birthday, we kept it very simple. We invited one couple who had a child our daughters age. We bought some ready made pizza crusts and had the girls each decorate their own. The girls played dress up with some costume jewelry until the pizzas were cooked and cooled, then they ate and opened and played with the birthday presents. It was very simply (cheap) and the girls had fun.

The first birthday is the big one with all the family. This year you could tone it down a bit. A good rule is a guest for every year old she is (child guest that is). I wanted a little more than 2 guests so for my daughter's 2nd birthday so we had her cousin, her friend from the neighborhood and her 2 daycare friends. You have plenty more parties to plan over the coming years so make it easy on yourself now. You'll be attending many more too so you'll get plenty of ideas.

My mother, an educator and nurse, always told me not to invite more friends than the child's new age to a birthday party. Young children may do very well at daycare, but they are really "side by side" players, not people who really play "with" someone else.

I would tone down the party, and if it's all relatives, see if one of them would host the family gathering. Frankly, I think 2 is a bit young for more than a family gathering. We didn't start real bithday parties until the kids were in kindergarten, and then we did 5 - 8 kids, because their friends were very diverse, and it was hard to keep them "a group", even though they were all good kids.

Another option ? A party at the zoo or something like that. But even then, age 2 is a bit young for that.

Is there a facility in your area that you could rent at a reasonable rate such as a church fellowship hall, grange hall or lions club. Another option would to be cut back on your list. For my kids, we invite immediate family ( my family and my husband's family)-that is more than enough and who needs all those toys and other gifts. I think many parents get too carried away throwing huge, expensive parties that their kids will never even remember.

Does your complex or town have a community center that you can rent for the party?

My kids' birthdays are end of June and end of August so we are usually dealing with some pretty high temps. We put up a party tent to give us some shade. One time we put a box fan near the tent to help cool the air down a bit more - make sure parents know to keep an eye on their kids and keep them away from the fan.

family? friends? cut down on list.

Play area best idea.

Hi K.,

Have you heard of Xbos in Smyrna? It's like a large scale Chucky Cheese, but without dressed up mice. If you go down Rte 13 and into the town, you turn right at the light across from the Smyrna diner. It's about a 1/2 mile on the right, look for the Wilmington Trust. It has a large area for the younger kids to climb on (like at McD's) and video games for the older kids. There are also a few bowling lanes there. My niece had a party there last year and her whole daycare went. My son was only a year then and he had a great time too. I think they have a website, you can try to google.

I have a really small house too, but I just had immediate family over to celebrate. He only turned 2, and at this age, doesn't really "get" it, so I didn't want to make us all crazy yet.

Good Luck!

Hi K...my friend for her daughters birthday had a party at the YMCA in Vineland and it costs her around $300.00 and that included 3 hours, pizza, soda and the pool! I forget how many people she had there though..good luck with party planning!

C. :)

I have 3 children with birthdays in July, August and Septmeber. I usually have a water party for the kids. Kiddie pools, water table, etc. I try to borrow someones canopy so the adults can be covered. Only 1 time in the last couple of years was it nasty hot. I had my oldest daughters 2 year old pary the last week in August at Milburn Orchards. The kids had SO MUCH FUN!

Other ideas: George Wilson Center in Newark or Grotto's if you are having adults mostly.

I had a similar situation. See if there is a park near you that has a covered area. You can typically reserve the park with your township for free or for a minimal cost. I threw my husband's 40th surprise party this way.

Well, you could go the outside route again but make it a water theme. Have water balloons, water guns, and wading pools. Make sure you tell all your guests ahead of time so that they come in swimsuits and/or clothes they can get wet.

Alternatively, you could have the party at a place like Chuck E. Cheese, Kid Company or Giggles and Smiles. These are places (in the Pittsburgh area) where kids can play. They usually only charge for the kids attending the party and usually you get your own little party area or room depending on the venue. Also, they are air conditioned. We had my sons birthday party (3rd) at the Kid Company last year. The price was about $150 after I paid for extra food for the adults. The party price included pizza and drinks for the kids, a party room for the party, and a host/hostess from the Kid Company to help with setup, the party itself, and cleanup. Since I was 8 months pregnant at the time (July 1), it was absolutely fabulous and worth every penny. I figured out that I would have spent about that much just on hor d'oerves if I had planned the party in my home. Plus in my home I would have had to deal with the mess and cleanup both before and after the party.

I'm not sure if you are in the same area but check what is available in your area and what the cost will be. There are so many places to go for birthday parties that are reasonable. In the Pittsburgh area alone, there are the ones I've mentioned plus the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library, the Center for Creative Play, the Children's Museum, the Carnegie Science Center, Build a Bear, Libby Lu, McDonalds and so many other places. Think about what your daughter likes to do and look around and check prices.

Importantly, what's ur daugther's favorite toy, movie or book that can use for b'day theme. Get the cardboards to cut up and paint to decorate. You mention about "hot" and "outside". How about portable swimming pool for kids to cool off and play at the same time? Water-slide for all-age kids. You can ask people to bring the fold-up chairs to sit and enjoy outside. It's probably better to gather in the afternoon instead of noon while it's not too hot.

Can another relative or friend host the party? You bring all the stuff and they provide the space as a gift to your chid.
Do you belong to a church? My daughter-in-law had a lovely party in the fellowship room of her church.

Try McDonalds with a playplace if there are any in your area. Its less expensive that a Chuck E Cheese and the kids will have somewhere to run around.

I had my daughter's 2 year birthday party at Gymboree (not the clothing store, but owned by the same company). It was great. ALL the kids had a wonderful time and the price was very reasonable. It is specifically designed for kids 0-5 years and the staff is well trained, flexible, and they relate well to the kids. I think that the limit of # of kids is 20 and each must be accompanied by an adult. Try going to Gymboree.com and looking for the link that says play and music. Good luck to you!

H.