Ever feel overwhelmed planning your kid’s birthday? Is it really possible to throw a stress-free toddler birthday party?
Have you seen some of the elaborate and expensive themes and decorations floating around Pinterest? Does just the thought of a fancy schmancy birthday party give you hives?
Don’t fret! I’m going to share with you how to host an easy and stress-free toddler birthday party!
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A STRESS-FREE Toddler Birthday Party IS POSSIBLE (Honestly!)
And YES It Can Be Fun For Everyone, Including YOU!
Shocking Right??
Of course, we all want our child to have a blast at his or her birthday party and to know how much everyone loves them. But you can make their special day spectacular without tearing out your hair and/or breaking the bank.
In the end, it’s about having a fun day and creating those memories that you will hold tight.
It’s not about the fanciest, most expensive decorations, a high-priced magician, or some guy popping in dressed like Spiderman, or even pony rides on a horse dressed up like a freakin unicorn.
If you ARE that sort of party planner extraordinaire and enjoy it, I commend you! But I’m guessing if you’ve read this far you aren’t.
This is for the rest of us poor slobs for whom it just doesn’t come naturally ( but still love our kids to the moon and back!!)
Here’s A Little Secret…
…Kids (especially LITTLE ones) Don’t Actually Care How Fancy Their Birthday Party Is
And yes, by fancy, I also mean expensive. I try very hard to be frugal, and most of the time I succeed.
Little kids just want to play and have fun and will make the most of whatever is available, play and well…just be kids! Running around and whooping it up.
This year our son turned 3, ( and thankfully we are potty trained Yay!) and so far every birthday party for him had been a family backyard party. Now, I know what you must be thinking, just having family and a few friends there? What could be stressful about that?
Well, my husband’s immediate family with spouses and kids totals 11, sprinkle in the closest of the cousins, aunts, uncles and close friends we are pushing 30 guests. Not, to mention our yard is the size of a postage stamp.
You Can Host An Awesome Stress-Free Toddler Birthday Party Even If You Have No Clue Where To Start!
I’m breaking it down for you step by step and I’m telling you, it will be easy, fun, your kid will have a riot and your stress levels will be at a minimum!
You actually may be able to kick back and have a conversation with another adult. Be it brief, but yes I actually did get a chance to gab a little bit!!
Invitations
Use email or Facebook group message for invitations. So easy! We used Evite because we already had email addresses in there from our baby shower. They have paid ones too but we found a free one that fit our theme.
It’s an excellent and foolproof way to keep your guest list organized. People RSVP directly through email. You can also send your thank you notes through it. How convenient!!
Venue
If you can, have it at home in the backyard (season permitting of course) or a family member’s house if the space is better and they are willing!
I’m sure Chuck E. Cheese, Zap Zone, or something similar is in our future but price out your options if that’s your groove. No clean up= WIN in my books.
Food
Don’t stress yourself out with an elaborate menu. To me, this is probably the most important factor in planning a stress-free toddler birthday party. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Last year we bbq’d burgers and dogs and boiled corn on the cob, but even that was work.
This year we ordered 3 king-size pizzas from our favourite restaurant and they delivered it right to our door. We are fortunate to live in the pizza capital of Canada, so I knew without a doubt that it would be delicious!
Then we hit Costco for snacks, hummus, chips, dips, and salsa, and a massive veggie tray and everyone seemed to be happy with that.
We bought half a case of pop, juice boxes, a case of water, some beer and wine for the adults and that was it. Easy peasy.
I filled up the loot bags with candy bars and other goodies I found on sale at the drugstore.
My husband and I were able to chit-chat and visit with everyone and actually watch the kids enjoying themselves instead of sweating over a hot BBQ, and trying to time the corn on the cob properly. (Which, incidentally we miss-timed the year before!)
If you do decide to do some of the cooking yourself, a way to make it easy is to prep everything a day or two before and ask for a hand from a family member the day of the party if you need it.
People are always willing to pitch in I find, you just have to ask!
Another excellent time and money-saving idea is a potluck. Everyone has a favorite dish they like to bring!
I’m pretty sure you’re getting the idea by now.
Ask for a hand, you don’t have to be Super Mom or Dad and cause yourself a whole lot of stress! Many hands make light work.
Birthday Cake
Make the birthday cake yourself if you can and if you WANT to. I chose not to because I wanted a spherical “Jupiter Cake” (IE I am NOT even close to that talented!)… but I reached out to a friend who owns a bakery and she did it for me at a great price.
Never be afraid to reach out to your more skilled Betty Crocker-type friends when it comes to the birthday cake if you can! Or to keep it totally simple and reasonably priced, Costco has some incredibly delicious cakes that they will customize for you as well.
Alternatively, keep it SUPER simple and do cupcakes. Homemade or store-bought (your call). As long as your little darlin’ gets to blow out the candles and make a wish, they really won’t care how elaborate the cake is!
And don’t forget the ice cream!
Paper Cups, Plates and Cutlery
Save the dishes. You guys, seriously. It took me 5 minutes to wash the dishes after a party with 25 guests. Gotta love the Dollar Store.
Party Decorations
Hit The Party Warehouse and head straight to the clearance section. We did a solar system-themed birthday party for The Bug and I was lucky enough to find an assortment of space-related party decorations similar to these. Plates, napkins, loot bags, birthday party hats, and banners for a buck apiece!
Amazon has the exact plastic tablecloths I used. They were perfect and were a great value to boot!
Did they all match? No. Did anyone care? NO! Seriously, no one will mind if the plates and napkins don’t match.
I figure I saved myself about $100 just by doing this. I spent around $50 total and half of that was on the helium balloons. Another good choice for birthday party decorations is your local Dollar Store.
Don’t Stress Over Structured Party Games
Think more of a free-play style for fun and games. Don’t stress out over trying to round up toddlers and have them follow too many rules etc.
Bug is only 3 so honestly, we didn’t do any structured games for the kids. As I said, those days will come in the future but basically, it was just a backyard birthday party and the kids just played freely.
Kids are very happy simply running around and goofing off, blowing off steam and energy. Ahhh, to be a kid again….
Water Balloons. We filled about 50 of them and the kids had a blast just tossing them around. (And trying to get the adults. lol)
Kiddie Pool. Did I mention the size of our yard or the LACK of size? Yep, it was end of August hot so we just filled up the baby pool and even the bigger kids got in on the action.
Would a big pool be nice? Yes, absolutely…but everyone had a blast just splashing and cooling off. I didn’t hear one kid complain about the size of the pool.
I had the sand and water table out, but mostly they just ran around and played with whatever toys were in the yard. Balls, blowing bubbles…you know all those simple pleasures. Kids go crazy for bubbles, and it’s so easy.
Miscellaneous
Make sure you have a contingency plan for rainy weather if you are having it outside. If your house is large enough (ours is definitely NOT) take the party indoors. If not, borrow a shade tent or a canopy from a friend.
Speaking of weather, always check your local weather in the few days leading up to the party. In our area, it can change at the drop of a hat!
Ask your guests to bring lawn chairs if you don’t have enough.
Borrow a long table or 2 or some folding chairs from a friend or family member. Borrow kiddie size tables and chairs from a friend.
Throw on some party music, let the kids play DJ on the outside stereo. Maybe an impromptu dance-off will ensue…
So There You Have It!!!
My top tips for hosting your very own stress-free toddler birthday party!
Honestly, these times with your littles are fleeting and yes there will be times that are stressful. But birthday parties don’t have to be one of those times.
Instead, you will be creating memories with your family with simple good old fashioned fun. Your kids will have way more fun when their Mom (OR DAD) isn’t a frazzled mess trying to make every single thing perfect.
It doesn’t have to be about keeping up with the Joneses or nailing those perfect Pinterest pictures. And you don’t need to spend a TON of dough…
And it DEFINITELY doesn’t need to include a poor pony with a plastic rainbow horn plunked on his head.
Remember, keep it SIMPLE, keep it EASY, and enjoy the day with your family and friends.
Until next time, K.
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