Just Cake and Icecream at B-day Party???

I would have it at an off-meal time. If you have it at noon, people will expect lunch. But, if you have it at 11 or 2, they will have already eaten! And, I woould also put something like "Join us for cake and ice cream to celebrate ______'s birthday" on the invitation.

We've done a lot of cake and ice cream parties with maybe a few appetizers (veggies, chiips n dip, etc.) and drinks and they are always a lot of fun!

Have fun!!!

It depends what time of day you're having it. Since the kids will all be little, it's probably a good idea to have small finger food snacks available such as: goldfish, baby carrots, apple slices, raisins, etc. so you don't have kiddos hungry/cranky and being a pain at the party. Those are also all snacks that most families would eat before they go bad anyway and should require very little prep from you. Costco and Trader Joe's both sell pre-sliced apples. Costwise, I would think you should be able to get a couple kinds of snack for less than $20.

It think what you have in mind is fine. Since you will have the pinata I dont think it is necessary to have goody bags. I suggest having the party at a non meal time, early to mid afternoon is always good.
I used to have a few games for the kids with little cheap prizes, and cake and ice cream. The only time I porvided food is when it was at the pizza joint.

Most importantly, I think, if you dont want to serve food (which is perfectly fine) plan it accordingly. Dont plan the party at 12pm and not expect to feed your guest lunch. I like to plan my kids party's at 1pm...just after lunch, before naps! :)
Candy bags/pinata are a party favor, to me anyway! I always stress over this same topic! I just through my son's 2nd birthday. I brought down and bought the darn party favor kit...then my husband asks me AFTER all the kids leave, "hey what are these bags in here for?" Arrgg, such a waste. Anyway, Cake and ice cream is just fine...I usually but a bowl of party mix on the table for the kids to munch, we got to walmart and buy the animal crackers (huge bag for 1.98), 1 large generic brand raisins, and 1 large bag of generic brand cheeto's...we had tons left over and it cost me less than $7.00 for the whole thing...oh and 1 big jug of fruit bunch for 2.00, I think...
As for the adults. I might be the only one, but I dont usually do anything for them...its about the kids...and its only a couple hours.

You are not even close to ''''crazy'''' --- so here's my suggestion--- just be really clear with your invitations that this is going to be ''fun and simple''' --- when you talk to parents --- explain that their child will be offered cake, ice cream and perhaps some fruit- ( with whatever beverage you are planning) -- and will be bringing home a small bag of candy--unless they eat it at the party-- . AND --- be happy in the knowledge that you are doing what works for your family- There's NOTHING crazy about sharing joy in ways that do NOT break your budget between now and Christmas---.

You are one smart cookie- and you can quote me on that.

Old Mom
aka- J. ( and P.s--- I'll keep you and yours in my prayers--- have a son-in-law who has been to Iraq three times -- and is quite likely to volunteer to return this fall)

I always have cake & ice cream parties with a veggie tray and maybe some goldfish. By the time you do decorations, party bags, etc you run out of money! Plus I do my parties between lunch & dinner and for younger kids 2.5 hours is plenty.
Do whatever you want! It's your child's party so don't let others decide for you :)
Have a great party

I honestly think it is not a bad/crazy thing at all...I would suggest however to make sure that the parties are not during Lunch/Dinner times. have it early 10:00 so its done before lunch or have an early afternoon starting at 1:00 party to avoid hungry kids.

My thoughts on parties is my kids hardly ever eat when we are at a birthday party anyway...I think it is pretty similar for most kids! Have fun! Our two are very close together also (2 months) and it is no easy task and very h*** o* the wallet!

Yes! Definitely keep it simple. They will remember mostly what they see in pictures, not what there was to eat (so take some good pictures).

K.!
First off Thank you for being the spouse of one of our great Servicemen and THANK YOU to your husband for keeping our country free!

For my daughters birthday party, we said on the invite, Join us for cake and ice cream in Celebration of "T" turning two. We had her party at 1pm and served cupcakes, dixie cup ice cream and juice boxes. It was just fine. No one said anything about not having additional food.

K.,

My son's 12th party was last week and we had cake, watermelon and drinks. (We were at a park and it was over 80 degrees so ice cream was out.) We did a pinata with small toys, stickers and candy. ($$store is great for this) I handed out bags and that was their gift bag. You could theme it by using brown lunch sacks and putting Dora stickers on them. I think in these economic times less is certainly ok - and none of the kids complained as they were having fun playing.

Good luck and prayers for your military family.

I don't think you're nuts AT ALL!! That's usually the route I've gone the last couple of years. My son will be four this year. I have had his party in the afternoon, after lunch time, so people could just eat lunch on their own, and then come over. It also helps me get him a nap before they get here. (that helps keeps things fun for everybody, a rested child is a much happier child around here!! :) )

You don't "have to" do anything that doesn't work for you. Don't feel badly about it if you end up at some other party and they've done something different than you. You don't have to compare what you did. (we all do it, though, don't we?

When I have needed help, I have even asked someone else in my family to bring over the veggie tray. They don't mind. I think one year I threw some appetizer dish into the crock pot, but most of the time it's just been cake, really. Besides, my son is mostly interested in that anyway. We don't really do sweets regularly around here, so the cake is the biggest treat of all. As long as that happens, it's a very special day. :) Well, you know, in addition to the attention, and presents!!

That's another thing, don't put yourself so far into party prep and everything that you can't have fun and spend time with your child at the party. Why be worrying all about the food when you could be enjoying your child?? Get more pictures, more hugs, and see more smiles!!!

I agree with the other Moms, absolutely nothing wrong with cake and ice cream only...just make it clear on the invitation so parents are not caught by surprise ('serving cake & ice cream'). We were going to do the same for our one year old's birthday but decided to add pizza prior to the event because we had a long party with out of town guests staying in our home (we needed to feed them anyways ;o)).

Hi K.,
I just wanted to say good for you for keeping it simple! I work in a kindergarten class and I have seen how over the top the parties can be. It's crazy! When my daughter turned one, we had cake (that I made from scratch myself) and some snacks and beverages for the guests. We invited family members (which only totals 5 as my side of the family lives in other states) and a few close friends (who we consider family members!) We all just enjoyed the sun and watched my daughter play with her cousins. Everyone loved it! I like the bucket idea for the candy from the pinata. That way it's something the kids can use again. I think Michael's also has buckets for low prices and maybe some decorating materials. I hope you guys have a great time!!!!! My thoughts are with you and your family. Please know we are all here to support you while your husband is in Iraq.

Yay for the pinata! That's what my Princess wants for her party too! I'm trying to figure out how to make it like the Dora "big pinata" where every one pulls to make the fun stuff come out. I think I may have little stuffed animals for all the guests, the same character, like a puppy. One for everyone, not candy or food.
I wouldn't do nuts, such a iffy thing with allergies, we've got'em. It's better without.
Our theme is POPPING...like popping balloons, bubbles, popcorn...etc. For treats, watermelon balls, Pirates booty cheese popcorn, cupcakes (maybe mini ones) and super small scoops of pre-scooped vanilla ice cream(made with a smaller scooper), and a cup of milk (maybe in tossable sippy cups that they can take home). I will be serving the treats in a foil 6-cup muffin tin. You know the kind you find in the bakery aisle at the grocery store. I think every thing will fit (we will be eating out side in the back yard) I will prep dish all the food up & they don't have to have seconds, just what is there. It's just a snack.
There are lots of ideas on many parenting/family websites.
Most of all, have fun and simple. Your little one won't remember what snack they ate, but the pinata and the fun! :)

Hi Kirsten,
that is just fine. I just did my little girl's birthday and the four year olds hardly ate anything. I had the party from 3-5, perfect time for a snack of cake and ice cream (and a few veggies). Then they went home and ate dinner. I think sometimes we all just get carried away with planning the party. I think they enjoy the themed parties at a little older age. The girls just played together without a big program.

Make sure it is not during meal times, and to be honest I would not schedule the party for more than 1-2 hours if cake and ice cream is the whole event. Who's on your guest list makes a difference too, if there are alot of toddlers, you may want to be conscious of afternoon parties interfering with nap times. How many people on the guest list matters as well. Is it reasonable for everyone to make the trip for 1-2 hours?
So a pinata, cake and ice cream, & presents can be done in two hours if you are well organized. Good luck!

You're not nuts. I never even got a party ever when I was growing up. My mom wasn't nuts either. She couldn't afford even a simple party. She just made my favorite meal and some desert like pie or whatever that I liked and gave me presents. I survived just fine!

If you plan the party for a between-meal time, then people shouldn't miss the food as much. Make it fun with lots of games and no one will notice the missing meal. :)

Ice cream and cake is great. I would skip buying the piñata if you want to save cost and make your own. I checked out piñatas last night when shopping for my daughters party and say that at toys r us they cost 20!!! If you have time they are easy to make. If you want to do party favors for really cheap go to the dollar tree and you can get bunches for a few dollars.

It sounds like more than enough. If you want to make it even easier - skip the goodie bags and ask folks to bring an unwrapped children's book for a book swap - we went to a party where they did this and it was great

Hi K.-

I am happy you are having parties for your children. I think that serving cake and ice cream is plenty. That is all I am doing for my daughter's birthday next week. I just made sure that the party was not scheduled around a meal time. My daughter's party is in the afternoon from 1 to 3, people would not be expecting lunch or dinner then. I plan on having some snack crackers or some grapes for the kids, but not a meal. I have also found coloring pages to be good and cheap party favors. You said your daughter wants a dora party. You could find a dora coloring book and just give each child a couple of pages to take home as a party favor. Maybe even attach a note that says thanks for coming to my party.

Hope you have a fun party!
Annemarie

Fruit and icecream cake (all in one) is all I ever do, very simple. When I tried to do a meal once, it was too much every kid eats different and it's hard to please everyone. Enjoy!

K.,
You are on the right track. I fell for the "have to have a big party" last year for my twins 1yr old party. So much work and you don't get to enjoy the party with that many people and they won't remember it anyhow. Last month for their 2yr old party, we did cake, pizza and few dollar store bubbles and just family and one set of twins family who we are close to. It was relaxing and we all enjoyed it.

Also, with your husband gone, do what makes it easy for you.

Good Luck

Birthdays are suppose to be fun and that includes you as well. If all you want to do is cake, ice cream and a pinata, that will still be an enjoyable memory for your daughter and more relaxed for you. As our children get older they will have their own opinions of what their b-day shouldx be...so take it easy now because someday that super party will be on your door step and you might be more inclined to plan something la3ger because other years were more mellow. We took the cake & ice cream route with our 4 year old this year and everything was awesome and I was able to socialize more with the other parents and my son had a great time. Go for it and good luck

I think there's nothing wrong with just serving cake and ice cream. Just make the party time right after lunch. And the candy bags is plenty to take home. Some birthday parties are just over the top nowadays. It takes away from the purpose of having the party in the first place. Good luck.

I don't know when birthday parties became big huge catered events. We always had cake and ice cream, a few games with cheesey prizes and everyone left happy.
I have had the same type of parties for my kids and no one ever seemed to mind. I think it's wonderful to have a simple heart felt birthday! Remember to HAVE FUN!

K.,

You are DEFINTELY NOT nuts. This sounds perfectly acceptable to me. My little guy just turned a year and we met at a local folk festival and I made cupcakes. No big deal. I think it's probably healthier for the kids all around if you don't go totally crazy over these things.

Have fun and enjoy your little ones!!

C.

p.s. I also encouraged people NOT to give presents - we have so many things. If they really wanted to bring presents, I requested recycled wrapping.

Totally ok! I would just even go for the cake and ice cream and bag the veggie tray. If you have it at 2 or something people will have just ate...make it easy. You know all the kids care about is the cake LOL :-) Have fun!
A.

Hi K.,
I think just ice cream and cake is just fine. I would just plan the party after lunch time. That way the kids will have already eaten lunch before they come and won't be hungry. You also said you didn't want to do party favors, in my opinon people spend way to much money on little toys that really do not get played with and are a waste of money at those ages. My son is 6 now and I did the whole "big" party and have realize that less is just find for kids! ;)

Have fun!
A. M.

As long as you are not over a meal time and keep the party at 1-2 hours cake/ice cream is plenty. Also, candy bags from a pinata is a party favor. You can turn it into an activity by letting each kid decorate a small (keep it small so it seems full) bag. A few years ago, I bought small buckets at the Target dollar bin for each kid to collect the candy and then keep the bucket for play.

No, you're not nuts. That's perfectly appropriate!

No, you are NOT nuts, especially with the 1 year old. Your son isn't going to remember his birthday anyway, it's more about the the guests anyway, so why not keep it simple?

For the 3 year old, keeping it simple is totally ok. Some Dora plates and cups, cake and ice cream with the pinata and candy are totally appropriate. At that age, it doesn't take much to make them happy, really.

With your husband in Iraq, the important thing to do is take lots of pictures so he can share in the experience too. I'm sure it's got to be difficult trying to raise your little ones with your husband so far away. Thank you so very much for making the ultimate sacrifice so your husband can help keep the world safe. May God bless your family bless you and keep you safe.

Blessings to you, M.