We have covered the first steps for planning a party on a previous post. Now let’s talk about birthday parties for kids. OK, I have to admit that I love planning parties for my daughter. Birthday parties for adults can be fun, but when it’s for kids, you can really let your imagination go wild. Having said that, I do recognize that not everyone finds joy planning those and may even find it tedious or overwhelming. After hosting a baby shower and two birthday parties for my kid, I think I have developed a process by now. So in the hopes of helping out those who never quite know where to start, I’d love to share with you how I navigate planning a party for my little one.
inspiration
You can find inspiration anywhere, anytime. I, for one, start looking for inspiration for her next party right after her birthday ends. That means countless hours of browsing and pinning on Pinterest and favoriting things on Etsy and Amazon. I think about cartoons, movies she likes to watch or songs she loves. Sometimes even a small passing obsession can become a theme. Anything goes here.
For her first birthday party, I chose a music video cartoon character that we watched and listened to a lot in her first year so I thought it would be fun for her to recognize those characters in the party decor. She did seem to like it, but again, she was 1, so she was more focused on standing up without falling down than on party decor.
For her second birthday, I decided to go with Itsy Bitsy Spider since she was obsessed with the song then. It was a close tie with Moana, but I thought Itsy Bitsy would give me more freedom to improvise and personalize the decor which is something I enjoy doing. It was a hit! When she woke up and saw a lot of balloon spiders (picture above) in the living room, she was ecstatic! I live for those moments!
My suggestion would be to go with a more established character (like Mickey, Baby Shark, Paw Patrol, Frozen…) if you want to get decor kits. You will find plenty of stuff on Amazon, Etsy, Party City etc. You don’t have to be crafty to create a fun and beautiful party for your kid. Plus, what I have learned so far is that at this age they don’t really understand the difference between what you craft and what you buy. It will be torn to pieces in 5 minutes anyway. Remember the balloon spiders? First thing she did when I handed one to her was take one eye apart, so…
We have a whole board dedicated to kid’s party themes. Check it out for some extra help. 😉
Planning
When it’s getting closer to the date, around 2 months before, it’s time to make the 4W decisions:
- WHO: How many kids are you inviting? Remember that inviting 1 kid means inviting 3 people since both parents usually come along. And specially at this age (1-3) they don’t really play together, so the best bet here is to find the balance between kids your child knows and likes but also parents you enjoy chatting with. I haven’t invited any friends from day care to her parties yet because it just didn’t make sense. I opted to invite friends of mine who also have kids. But I believe that for her 3rd birthday I might invite 1 or 2 that she interacts the most with.
- WHEN: What time of day will it be? My toddler still naps after lunch (amen!) like most toddlers her age range so I like having the party after nap time, around 3pm. And I don’t like messing with her bedtime routine either so by 6, party’s done. If you want to have a longer party, think about having some place ready where kids can take a nap.
- WHERE: Where will it be? Since my daughter’s birthday is in October, we’ve had her party at home both years, but if it’s warm outside, another fun option would be to get a picnic table at a park with a playground. I’ve been to a birthday celebration at a Pumpkin Patch once which was very different and fun, with the plus of not having to clean up the house before and after.
- WHAT: What kind of food and drinks will you offer? Well, if it’s not at mealtime, you usually don’t need a whole lot. Kids eat small portions and they are not as fixated on food as we are. (Guilty.) So keep it simple with a few bite-sized favorites and don’t forget to add healthy options too. String cheese, baby carrots, popcorn, pretzels, fish crackers, berries, clementine slices (more ideas in our board). If you want to give the adults a little treat too, a cheese board is usually a simple and yet visually impressive option (just look at these). Remember, it’s not a meal. It’s just a snack. And don’t forget the cake or cupcakes. Kids love to blow the candle. Actually, prepare to light the candle again so it can be blown 17 times. Now, about drinks, water and juice should be enough for the kids. For the adults, whatever you would offer at an adult party, but at smaller amounts, since they are all watching their kids too.
Preparing
Since you’ve already chosen a theme during the Inspiration stage, you’re ready to start gathering supplies to set up the party. I would recommend starting to buy or craft things no later than 2 weeks before. This way you’ll have enough time to find alternatives in case something doesn’t work or gets lost in the mail. So what do you actually need?
- Balloons. They are an easy way to make the place look festive and colorful. And kids love to pop them at the end. You can do so much with balloons too. You can have them filled with helium and let them fly up to the ceiling. You can make an arch (there are easy to follow DIY kits). You can stick them to the walls with removable tape. Or you can get balloon stands to decorate the tables too. You can even go beyond the basic monochromatic balloons and get thematic ones or letters and numbers forming the kids name and age. Those might be more expensive but it’s an easy way to fill up a room with something that your kid will actually enjoy playing with afterwards. Check out our Board on Pinterest for more ideas.
- Disposables. You can also decorate with cups, plates, napkins and forks. Seriously, at Party City you can find those in any color under the sun. Matching them to the theme can add an extra flare to the party. Seriously, you can search any theme + cups and plates on Amazon and you will find something. They even have a poop emoji plate set! You see my point, right?
- Toppers. Whether you serve a cake or cupcakes, having thematic toppers is also an easy way of making the party look cute and fun. You’ll find thousands of options on Etsy and Amazon but you can always go very simple and print some at home (there are many free ones online) and stick them to a toothpick. More ideas here.
- Games and activities. Toddlers have A LOT of energy. If you don’t channel that energy, it can become a source of destruction, so it’s a good idea to lay out a few things on which they can use it up. At this age, they don’t really play together yet, unless it’s taking turns. So avoid toys that are played with individually. Bottom line is to plan ahead and suggest activities before they go for your ornaments or pull the cat’s tail because they’re bored. Want ideas? Check out our board.
- Favors. Those are my absolute favorites. I love the idea of giving guests a little reminder of the party. You can find many age appropriate souvenirs at the dollar store and I assure you that kids will value them as if they were expensive toys. So don’t overthink it. A few examples: slinky, bath books, animals, squishies, bubbles…more on our board.
- Backdrop. If your cake table is against a wall, it would look cute to have some type of party background in the pictures. The usual suspects are Happy Birthday banners, printed backdrops, fringe backdrops, balloons. For both my baby shower and my daughter’s parties, I chose to make those myself, matching the theme of the party. But you can find tons and tons of options at Amazon, Etsy and Party City. The pictures below are the ones I made, but here is more inspiration.
There is a lot to talk about when it comes to kid’s birthday parties. I could easily unfold each of the topics mentioned above in another lengthy post, so, stay tuned. There will be more to come. 😉