JFF....Need Ideas for 2Nd Birthday Party.

Updated on March 30, 2011
K.V. asks from Lansing, MI
5 answers

My daughter will be 2 at the end of April, and because of my work schedule, things are crazy. Her birthday party is going to be the day before Easter, because her birthday is on a weekday and I have to work all the other Saturdays in April.

For her 1st birthday party, it was at my sisters house (well in her pole barn), and there was close to 75 people there. Close friends and my family. We didn't have a theme, no games, just food, cake, presents, and quality time.

It's going to be at my sisters house again, but theres not going to be 75 people there. Probably only around 50 lol.

I'm thinking about making tacos, with all the fixings, along with hotdogs, mac salad, baked beans, chips and cheese, pasta salad and I'm not sure what else.

My sister is making the cake, she makes awesome cakes.

I just don't know if I should do anything else? I'm new to this whole mom/party thing. Hell, I don't even know what to get her. Last year, I just bought her 2 outfits, because I knew she was going to get everything else!

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So What Happened?

Diane, I agree with you. It is more of a family/friend reunion. I have a relatively large family mixed in with my sisters in laws, who some my daughter and I are close with.

However, I do send out Thank You's...I go to Meijer or Walmart, and put a picture (from her birthday) on a card and write a little note and send it off. Last year, I didn't have to buy her any summer clothes, and she still had brand new ones with the tags on it that I just sold to a friend.

I like the Easter Egg hunt, maybe I will do that. Because it's not very expensive and it gives them a 'party bag' that I don't do. Because mostly it's adults there, with a few kids (mostly my nephews age). Last year, I used crock pots, instead of those tins w/ the little candle in the bottom and it worked out great. I barely had enough food, and not much for leftovers (Thank God!). And a good friend made homemade ice cream...yummmmmmy!

You are welcome to come, just don't bring a gift lol. Thankfully, I have Good Friday off from work, so my daughter will be at daycare, while I get everything around and ready. I like the ballerina idea, I will go to Party City and see what I can find. Since, they don't have anything where I live.

I think I might buy her a couple things she will use (even though they are boring), like cups, plates and little silverware. Because, when she needs something (like shoes I just bought for her) I can't really wait for her birthday.

Thanks Again Ladies!

More Answers

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D.O.

answers from Redding on

I love planning parties and decorating! You should have a tutu and ties party. You have her dressed with a tutu and all the little girls that are going can wear them too the boys can wear ties. You can have a sweets table and "tea" but you can make hot chocolate for the kids. You can have tule drapped all over you can also have ballerina shoe paintings for decorations you can have a banner that says "2two" you can have it bright colors and with the number 2 everywhere. You can also have ties haging everywhere and for table centerpieces you can put a small colorful bucket with a giant lollipop in it. Cupcakes are so cute and kids love them.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.J.

answers from Boca Raton on

Sounds awesome. Can we come too???? Please??!?
PS my daughter is 2 and a half. For holidays and birthdays, I personally don't buy her much because she gets SO much now. Figure that will die down as she gets older, but for now she can't wear all the clothes she has or play with all her toys.

M.L.

answers from Houston on

You can have an egg hunt, relay races for the kids... hire a face painter or something, just have some time of game or activity for the kids in attendance.

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M.C.

answers from New York on

I'm with Dianna O. I might have to use that idea myself! I skipped 1yr & 2yr parties. I'm doing a 3yr party in Oct. My lil one's bday is close to Halloween so we're doing a Halloween party. You should def do a 2two Easter theme. It gives more kids a reason to come! Parents are starting to plan Easter fun for their kids now, so get the invites out soon.. Oh and as far as gifts, give her more of what she likes. I love giving trains no matter what, you can't go wrong! Girls like them too. Good luck!

D.B.

answers from Boston on

This is a family reunion, not a birthday party for a 2 year old. Take it easy on yourself!

This "mom/party" thing is absolutely out of hand. People are breaking the bank and going crazy for three hours of overstimulation that the toddler does not need and will not understand. As your child gets older, you will feel pressure to invite 25 children (plus their parents and siblings) to an expensive free-for-all with a pony, a clown, a bouncy house, $10 goody bags, and renting out a state park to accommodate all the guests. You will absolutely HATE having to write 25 thank you notes and then spend every weekend at someone else's birthday party for which you bought a $30 present. ("If they came to our party, I must go to theirs.") The birthday child either has a massive gift-fest and spends the day opening a treasure trove of presents, forgetting to say 'thank you' about halfway through and having no idea how to handle duplicate gifts, and the other kids sit there bored to tears watching all the things they are NOT getting. So the host family feels the obligation to give an expensive party favor. And so it escalates. People are going into debt doing this sort of thing, but at least they are too exhausted to notice!

A two-year-old does not enjoy this sort of thing. Neither does a five-year-old. It's really about getting the whole family together and having a big reunion with lots of freedom to chat in this corner, connect with Cousin Susie in that corner, and so on. That said, a self-service buffet sounds easiest with some of those chafing dishes from the box store (keeping the kids away from the Sterno) so that the food stays hot and people can nosh over a period of time.

Your child will not know what you got her because a) she's 2 and won't remember, and b) you are, as you said, having 50 people who will get her everything else. Don't worry about it.

We never did anything on this scale, and our son has grown up happy and not feeling deprived!

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