2Nd Bday Party

Find a playground park, wide open spaces, invite parents, bring the food etc.Wipes to clean hands and faces. NO house clean up, no broken keepsakes, wrap it all up throw it away go home NO POOL PARTIES UNTIL JR HIGH.

We are also bless with lots of local family and friends. For my daughter's second birthday I reserved a pavillion at the park. We invited both family and friends and grilled lunch. The kids all played and had a blast while family and friends watched and visited. Everyone loved it! There is also no need for games as the playground, cake, and presents will keep them busy. It was one of my easist and stress free birthday parties so far.

I like doing it all at once instead of stretching it out. For a 2yo, I also suggest making it simple as possible unless it's something you really enjoy doing. The first two birthdays of my daughter's I went kind of crazy. I even rented a pony and petting zoo! She doesnt' even remember it, lol. At least she likes looking at the pictures :-)

My favorite place to have a party is at a park. You can reserve a spot next to a playground and there's your entertainment. You don't have to clean your house beforehand or clean it afterwards. There's plenty of room so you could invite everybody you know for one big party. Everybody of all ages enjoys relaxing at the park.

Food is easy because you can grill out or even order pizzas. We did a Luau at a park for my daughter's 5th birthday. She wanted Hawaiian pizza. I can't remember what pizza place we went with but they gave us a really good deal because we ordered so many and delivered them right to our shelter.

I also suggest checking out birthdaypartyideas.com. I love this site and that's where I got the Luau party ideas. There's lots of ideas for every age.

L.

It really all depends on what time of year that you do your party. My sons birthday is in June so we have done a water party for the last two b-days. He will be 3 this year. Last year he was into the shrek movies so we did water balloons that were in "green swamp" water buckets. We put green food coloring in big drink buckets. We had it at a local park so it was free for that and we just did hambugers and hot dogs with chips and drinks. We got a yard sprinkler hooked up on one side and a tiny yard pool. We told everyone invited that they had better wear clothes that they could get wet in and bring a change of clothes because you will get wet. Everyone had fun and got really wet. For his first b-day we did nemo and had water balloons and a slip n slide. Everyone got wet and thats why we did the wet shrek party. We spent little money and everyone was happy and its a great way to have a lot of people and not a lot of spending the money. Good luck and go with whatever your son likes thats all that matters.

I just had a party for my 2 year old son on Sunday. We had already had a small party on his actual bday (Jan. 28) with his Gram, Pap, Aunt, Uncle, myself, and his younger brother.

I did not expect so many people to respond "yes" to my evite, but we ended up with about 40 people including 12 children from 2 months to 6 years. Using evite was great though because you get a real idea of how many to expect. We had Cotton Candy the Clown (www.cottoncandytheclown.com) for our entertainment and served food from Publix and Sam's. We cut up our own fruit and veggie trays, as well as created our own cheese and cracker trays with all the prep food coming from Sams. I purchased a pinata from the Party Store in Lake Mary and also got balloons and decorations from there.

The kids AND adults LOVED Cotton Candy. Not one child was afraid of her! She painted faces, made balloon animals, and performed a little magic show. She was great, and I didn't have to worry about trying to entertain so many kids and keep them occupied.

We only had the party for 2 hours, from 1pm to 3pm. It was perfect!

Hope this helps!

K.

I just helped my daughter with a party for my 2 year old granddaughter and this worked. Ask someone to be in charge of activities for the kids. If its warm enough plan some running around in the yard games-kick ball with a big beach ball, catching balloons, blowing bubbles etc. Don't expect it to be orderly at this age-just fun and expending all that toddler energy. My daughter was able to circulate and be hospitable to her guests as well as "drop in" on the fun toddler games. Ask several family members/guests to be in charge of photos or videos of the event. We also had a dance fest with a Wiggles video that the kids loved. I wouldn't plan it for longer than 2 hours. It's too hard to keep all the little ones involved and happy. Good luck!

Hi T.,
I am a certified instructor with Music with Mar. and we do birthday parties! They can be hosted in any indoor location of your choosing. If you are not familiar with the program, I would recommend coming to a community class first. (I teach in Tampa, Oldsmar & Lutz.) For a schedule and for more info, check out www.musicwithmar.com.

W.

We've been having our birthdays at parks. We had it at my home last year (my children turned two and three) and even with being in a fenced in backyard was still a bit overwhelming.

I reccommend parks because it doesn't seem like so many people to them (or you) since there is space to accomodate.

My children have always loved just playing and come cake and presents they were fine and understood what was going on.

Best wishes, I reccomend big parks..you can even rent them out.

We are doing the park this year. Last year was kinda stressful for us as well, as both my husband and I have big families and all of them live here. And my daughter is blessed with many friends. I found a park that has a big playground for older kids and a smaller one for the toddlers. We have been to a few parties so far at the park this year, and it is so easy! The kids just play and for the people hosting, it was really easy cleanup and they didn't have to keep everyone occupied. Plus, I learned that some (probably the city run) parks will also let you rent a bounce house to put up in the park. You just have to get a permit. So that would be an added thing for the kids to do. Not sure if we are going to do that yet or not. Good luck!

I just had my daughter's party in January... my dad and his wife who live here came, my sister, her husband and my neice, who's 2 1/2 were in town on vacation so they came, my best friend and her 3 year old daughter came and my little one's donor dad, his wife and their two daughters, 14 and 12 came too. Also another best friend of mine, single, came early to help me setup, decorate and get the food ready while my girl napped and helped me clean as we went. I didn't serve a meal, but rather heavy hors d'oeurves, drinks and cake. The party was from 4-7 on a Sunday afternoon (when we traditionally do family dinner), but the only ones who stayed past 7pm were immediate family.

It was great... very manageable and we had lots of great, snacky leftovers to munch on the rest of the week. I made spinach dip with bread, fresh veggies with lowfat ranch dip, mexican 7-layer dip with chips, stuffed salami rolls, stuffed mushrooms, and a homemade cheeseball with crackers. Everything had lowfat cheese or ingredients in it. We had a Backyardigans theme (check out Party City in Mandarin for anything you might to decorate with!) and I made a one layer cake of Pablo's head, a pretty easy recipe I found on the Internet.

Good luck! If I can do it, anyone can... my name is definitely NOT Martha!

:) K.

We did my son's 2nd Birthday at a park that was toddler friendly (smaller play equipment/ and indoor bathrooms!). We provided hot dog lunch & a few soccer balls to toss around and bubble wands to blow. It was a huge success! The children entertained themselves... no mess to clean up except our picnic area. Advice: Make sure you have stuff to sanitize hands, etc. Also, make sure you have lots of sunblock, water, juice boxes, etc. Finally, make sure you don't have to reserve the pavillion at your park (or send someone there early to snag enough tables if not able to reserve)... it would be a bummer if you showed up with party in tow and unable to use it!

hi, I just threw my son's 2nd Birthday party and it went great. We have a few friends with kids but most of them are a bit older than him. Here's what I did. We love Fisher Price Little people and have a ton of the playsets. I decided to trace a bunch of little people (bigger sized) and colored them and used them as decorations, (in my house). I then put out all of his playsets in the family room. That kept all of the kids occupied. I made up a couple of games and I made the cakes. We had Publix sandwhiched and potatoe salad, etc. The biggest hit was having baloons. I bought a helium tank and made some decorations BUT I also blew up baloons and toward the end all of the kids were playing with the baloons like they were going out of style. They had a blast. We did open presents while everyone was still there.
I made goody bags with little people pictures on it and but my son's hand print on each bag saying, he thanks them for celebrating with him. I had lots of small cheap things inthe bags. Oh yeah, I did get a pinatta. We actually had to cut it open b/c the kids couldn't kit it hard enough. The candy and fruit snacks I put in there we put in their goody bags as well. Good Luck! I am making thank you cards now. Iprinted them off the fisher price website and my son colored them, kinda. I like to make things personal! Oh, I did ONLY invite my family and friend with children this time. For his 1st, we invited everyone we knew.

Do you live in a house or an apartment? I have a house in Kissimmee and I rented one of those airwalks from a company for the whole day for 175 and it kept all the kids so busy. Now for the 175 the one I rented was a 6 in 1 but the company that I used has other things and cheaper and smaller. Also do a buffet style arrangement where everyone serves themselves ie finger sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and dip. Pouch juices for kids and paper plates galore to make clean up easier. Also keep a pack n play near by for the younger ones with toys for some kids to be placed in and play together. I hope this helps.

We have a big family so it is almost impossible to have a small get together. We always just throw a big party for adults and kids. It is usually after their nap, like around 3 or 4. Have snack stuff kids like to eat with hamburger and hotdogs, and then a couple of hours later there is more food for adults.

Last year when my daughter turned 2 we had a bounce house for the kids, I had one activity (which I probably won't even bother with an activity again, and just had a good time. Also last year when my son turned 1, we skipped the bounce house because we have a pool now.

For both my boys' 2nd birthday parties, I used Uncle Mike's Hug'n Farm. Mike is awesome! Brings all sorts of farm animals (baby cows, chickens, hens, rabbits, goats, sheep). Sets up the pen to keep them in, COMPLETELY CLEANS UP AFTER THEM, makes kids wash their hands entering and exiting the pen, and even will bring a pony for rides. Can be set up in your own yard. The kids love it! Farm animal party favors are easy to find, too. It is little-to-no effort for entertainment on the mommy's part. Uncle Mike's Hug'n Farm, Inc. ###-###-####. I'll be happy to e-mail you pictures from our parties, too, if you'd like. Time and money well-spent in my opinion! Good luck!

We have two parties, but remember your child is 2 he is not going to remember it without the help of pictures. Keep it simple. The family party is all about just getting the family together, have cake and ice cream, open presents if you chose and be done.

The same with the friends party. 2 year olds socializing is non exsistant so parents will be in attendance. Eat cake and ice cream chit chat a little while the children play 'together' and be done.

I would like to highly recommend Kidz club. Check them out online www.kidzclub.com. I had my 2 yr son's bday party last Sept. I too have alot of family and friends with little ones. The owner was very accomadating, and the place is just right. I felt that for what we paid it was worth it all the way. You get the entire place to yourself, bring your own food if you'd like and the open play space is great. Hope this helps!
K. Roche

I had my son's 2nd party at a lake front with a park there. I only brought the cake and juice boxes. I did the goodie bags ahead of time. We ordered pizza and they brought it right to our cabana. No big clean up! I got to spend time with my son and guests. We did pin the hat on the fireman. All the kids were exhausted. My son passed out as soon as we put him in the van to leave. I also learned that morning parties are better than the afternoon ones. They get rid of all that morning energy. We started @9:00 then ordered lunch around 11:30. Anyone that came to the party still had the rest of the day to themselves and their families. Important for working people that only have weekends off.

I know it sounds "cheezy" :-) but Chuck E Cheese was a HUGE hit for all at my sons birthday. Plus they make it real easy. We brought our own cake in, but who doesnt love pizza? Plus salad bar and beer and wine for the adults, TONS of fun for the kids. I think I got more comments from the adults who said they had a blast! Good Luck and Have FUN! Remember, this is your day too!

With a toddler this young I think it's best to keep it small. You dont want them to be too overwhelmed, they may not enjoy it as much ith so many people around. If there are lots of other toddlers there, it may be a little crazy and a lot of fighting, lol! mayb set up different activities (your toddlers favorites) around the area. Maybe you could have a SuperHero party, everyone could come dressed as their favorite super heroes, that would be FUN!

http://www.themomteam.info/deanese0209

my friend had her 2yr. old's birthday party at Gyboree, a little indoor gym for toddlers. The place was reserved for them for the party, and the kids started off with a free for all play on the gym equipment and then there was a Gymboree employee who led the kids in organized fun things like tumbles and climbing and singing and focused on the birthday girl. My daughter couldn't even walk yet and was the smallest of the group, but I think she had the most fun! It is great for boys and girls, you don't have to serve lunch (they just brought cake and juice boxes), and they gave each child a goodie bag party favor at the end. I think it lasted two hours. The older family members really enjoyed just taking pictures of the kids and talking. I was like you and felt overwhelmed (as well as my daughter) at her first bday party. This was non stressful and fun and no prep/clean up etc. (even though it wasn't for my child). The only thing is that I don't think it's cheap (I think it's a pay per child type event) and will cost at least $200 or more. Gymboree is located off of 436 (semoran) and 426 (aloma) in orlando, FL.

Hi T.,

The parties at the park are awesome. Also, just dont open presents at the party. Your kid is so preoccupied and isn't old enough to pay attention to gifts and to who they are from. All in all, you end up trying to open the gifts with them and say thanks too. Your child could just walk away from you and the gifts and go play like mine did.
I always have a very small cake on the actual day of the birthday to open the gifts from the parents and other really close people that you would want to open their special presents. Nothing fancy, just come by for cupcakes and open gifts.
My daughter doesn't really remember her second birthday but the third one was such a blast that she has been planning that since the day after her last one.
Good Luck.

L.