Two year old birthday - what kind of party (if any) ?

[martycw]

Now that Christmas is over, I'm on to planning a two year old party (I am much smarter than I was in December and already have the presents!) I just can't decide if it makes sense to have a party. We don't have a lot of family in the area, so a "family only" party means no party. But does it make sense to have a party for a bunch of toddlers? Anyone have fun ideas for an indoor party?

[SnuggleBuggles]

The "rule of thumb" is X number of other kids per age the child will be: a 2 year old should have 2 other kids there for it to work best. Now, if he is used to big playgroups and you *want* to have a big party then it would probably work since it would just feel like another playgroup meeting.

At that age our friends were usually just inviting 2-3 toddlers over and they just had a playdate. At the one the mom baked a cake then the toddlers decorated it with little candies, shaped grahm crackers and that sort of thing. It was a very cute idea. We sang "Happy Birthday" and he opened the presents. The mom also provided a gift bag for the other kids and had hem open them at the same time as the b-day boy opened his gifts. That worked out very nicely and several of my friends have employed that tip.

At 2yo I just don't think you need to do very much. I think they will be happy with some balloons, cake/ cupcakes and singing. Simple works very well at this age.

If you want to have a party, go for it. If you don't have one that would be OK too. We have alternated big party- small party for ds and I find that he has had the most fun at the smaller parties so I am a bit biased. :)

Here are some resources that might help you plan a party that is right for a 2 yo (as standard games and such just won't come into play due to attention spans, abilities...):

Just found this one, haven't read it all yet but looks good and I love the Family Fun website for party stuff!:
http://familyfun.go.com/parties/birthday/specialfeature/partycentral_intro_parties_sf/

http://www.kidspartyfun.com/index.html
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/party_ideas.html

Most libraries have some b-day party planning books. This one is really good and has age breakdowns that would be good since many only have ideas for older kids:
"Birthday Parties: Best Party Tips and Ideas" by Vicki Lansky

Just a "party" with your little immediate family can be just right. So long as it is special for the birthday child then it is all good. :)

Beth

[kristenk]

For DD's 2nd birthday, we invited all of the kids in her playgroup and our family members who were in the area. It worked really well. Some of the dads came to the party, too, so it was nice for everyone to get a little better acquainted. We only have about 7 kids in the playgroup, so it wasn't too big. Honestly, it was like a regular playgroup except that it was on the weekend and we served cake.

I had fruit/cheese/crackers out on the table when people got there so the kiddos could have something other than cake. Mainly the kids played with DD's toys. I had a table with play-doh that was a big hit and I had lots of inflatable beach balls around that the kids liked playing with.

We didn't do any sort of formal activity. The kids could play with whatever they wanted. After about an hour, we cut the cake and then DD opened her presents.

Just invite them over, provide food, and let them play! My ILs and DH really liked seeing how all of the kids interacted.

[HHCs Mom]

For DS's 2nd birthday in April we invited all the playgroup friends and his friends from church. It was in our backyard so having more people was ok since we were outdoors. His first birthday we had all those people and were inside and even *I* was really overwhelmed! Our family is very small so we needed more folks there to really have a party! :) I put out all the outdoor toys and the kids ran around. No games or structured activities --- I'll save those for when they're older. The kids played, the adults talked and ate, and we had cake and opened gifts. I am a big believer in short birthday parties for little ones. We are done in 90 minutes max. People can hang out longer if they like but 90 minutes is the most the kids can really handle. You have to make an effort to keep things moving, though, since the time will go by quickly. I also like for things to keep moving otherwise people get bored. I've been to lots of kiddie birthdays over the past 2.5 years and quickly learned that the ones that drag on are not as much fun and the kids just can't handle 2 or 3 hours of a party at this age.


Kim
~ mama to a sweet boy named Harrison ~ 4.6.04
...and #2 due 5.24.07!

[randomkid]

I'm in the "keep it simple" camp. For DD's first b-day, we decorated the dining room, had a cake and some presents. We had one friend over who brought her 2 daughters. Otherwise, it was DH, myself, my stepdaughters and my parents - that's it. DD opened her gifts and the kids played with her toys. We will probably do something similar for her 2nd which is in January. I may invite another toddler and have gift bags since the kids are older now. I truly haven't decided yet. I just really feel like keeping it very small since we just had Christmas.

Since you don't have familly in the area, a couple of friends would be nice. I'm not one for big birthday parties anyway, so I may be a little biased. I think at this age, keeping it simple is the best thing to do. That way, the focus stays on the birthday boy/girl and the little one doesn't get lost in the chaos of a big party. I think a big party is just too overwhelming for a 2 year old - just my 2 cents.

[hez]

We invited our friends from church and a few close work friends that we socialize with. Those who had kids (of any age) brought them. At 2, our friends were his friends, so it made sense.

A small activity or access to a playroom/area could cover it. There was plenty of stimulation between food, cake, opening presents and whatnot that it didn't require a lot of planning at 2. You could do a simple craft, or even just coloring, and the kids will probably have a fun time just being together.

[nfowife]

We did DD's 1st birthday party at home with playgroup friends and a few others. Maybe there were 8 kids total (a few of those were older siblings too) and about 15 adults. This year, since I will have a 3 month old, and DH will likely be out of town, I am going to do a party at Gymboree. I can have up to 20 kids (probably more like 10-12 though), they do a class, and provide paper goods. I just have to order some pizza and have some drinks, and no clean up afterwards! We also don't have family in town, though my in-laws will probably come in for the weekend.