The Big Birthday Bash(s)

By MPOMBA Member Cara Jarv

Kids of all ages love birthdays. There's nothing quite like the feeling of waking up on your special day. Planning the celebration can be just as much fun. I am not a professional party planner, however, I have been to my share of kids parties and I have done ample research on the internet. So if nothing else, maybe you will pick up a few new web sites to visit before your child celebrates their next birthday.

Leading up to the celebration of a child’s birthday is usually a flurry of activity. Multiply that by 2, 3, or even 4 and oh what a party! The first big step is the decision to actually have a party. Not everyone has a party for their birthday child every year. Some decide to throw a party every other year and some decide to put a hold on the parties once the birthday child has reached a certain age.

Planning

*Who? *What? *When? *Where? *And we all know the why! The all important planning - you can never get enough of it!

When setting the date and time - Check for School holidays. Make sure the date doesn’t clash with any other event such as Mothers day, Easter Sunday or March break.

The time of the party should be set around the availability of the venue or entertainer (if you choose to use one).

Decide if you want to serve a snack, lunch, dinner and plan the time around this also.

Determine the number of hours that the party will continue for. When kids are involved, I find, things generally run a lot faster than expected.

Decide on a theme for your party. This is where you can get the kids involved. If nothing else, it will give you ideas for the invitations and the cake.

Check out Family.fun.go.com and do a search by age. Or Amazingmoms for themes.

Invitations

Send the invitations out a few weeks in advance. Don’t forget the RSVP.

In some cases when you invite a child, you may also be implicitly inviting their parents and siblings. Some parents are perfectly happy to drop their child off at a party, but others are not, especially a younger child. It's not easy to control this, but you do need to consider it when planning for the party because it determines how many favors and how much food you'll need. The upside to parents staying is that they'll usually lend a helping hand.

Check out DLTK Cards for a wide variety of themed invitations that are free to print.

Check out Two by Two and More and click on the invitation button to get ideas for invitations for a multiples party.

Multiple Considerations

I never knew sending invitations out could be so confusing. My boy/girl twins have mutual friends as well as friends of their own from pre-school. The result is a combination of individual and multiple invitations.

For once, get two for the price of one. Birthdays can be one of the few ways that parents of multiples actually catch a break. If you go with one event, it is certainly easier to plan, and pay for, one party per year than two separate events.

For older children, you may need to consider alternative celebrations. Some parents may wish to show respect for each child's individuality by creating separate events. Talk to your children about their ideas – sharing a birthday may just be part of the fun of growing up as a multiple.

Although earlier I discussed finding a theme for your party, this can become quite the challenge when holding a party for two or more children with differing interests. As long as the kids have a good time it doesn’t really matter if their party is coordinated.

Do you provide a separate cake for each child? Once multiples are old enough to have a preference, let them help make the decision. For younger children, cupcakes are an easy solution. We have gone with two separate cakes for our twins. Remember, all children deserve to hear "Happy Birthday To You" sung in their honor, so we sing it all the way through for each child and don’t forget to light the candles for each one.

Party guests will likely wonder whether they should get separate gifts for each multiple. There is no easy answer; like so many issues with multiples, it all depends on the children and their personalities. In some cases, a single gift that can be shared may be more fun than individual items. Children with differing interests would most likely prefer separate gifts and in some cases it's easier all around to just give everyone the same gift, such as two dolls - it's one less thing to argue about!

The In or Out Dilemma

Having your party at home or out at another location is a decision that needs to be made early in the planning process. The time of year and the number of party guests will probably help make your decision – not to mention the wishes of the birthday child(ren).

If you decide to celebrate in, you may decide to go it alone or bring in some extra entertainment. My daughter recently attended a street hockey party and had a great time. The kids were given a team t-shirt and hockey stick and away they went. They were all disappointed when it was time to go in for pizza and presents. Next week all three kids are off to a Harry Potter house party. I am certain they will be mixing up potions and casting spells. If you do decide to go it alone, be sure to have plenty of activities lined up for the kids and I would tend to keep the party on the shorter side.

Check out Birthdaypartyideas.com for party activities. Type a theme into the search box and you will be rewarded with many ideas from other parents.

If you decide to call in some extra help here are a few ideas:

• Clown – they can paint faces, make balloon animals and perform some magic tricks
• Magician - some even come with the rabbit
• Bouncy Castle (backyard for the summer) - can get a little dangerous as the kids get older and more active
• Princess dress-up and make-up
• puppet show (they set up a puppet theater for the show)
• Messy Hands -- bus actually pulls up in front of your house – the kids do a craft on the bus and the bus drives away with the mess

Here are a few ideas if you decide to celebrate outside of your home.

• Building Box -quite reasonably priced and the party goers can try their hand with hammer and nail to create a take home masterpiece
• Michaels Arts and Crafts – another creative outing where you pick the craft and they help the kids make it
• Loblaws Cooking School – the kids make their own meal and decorate a take home cake
• Where Bears are Born (Erin Mills Town Centre) – kids stuff their own teddybear
• Whichcraft (for a crafty party held in Georgetown)
• Movie (party rooms are available to celebrate in after the movie)
• Bowling (cosmic or not)
• Swimming Swim in the local pool and celebrate in the party room afterwards
• Stage West (this is an idea for older children – go swimming in the Stage West pool with the big slide)
• Skating (rent a rink for an hour)
• Kids playlands with tunnels and slides such as Kiddie Land (Brampton) and Kids Sport (Mississauga) (ages 6+)
• There are playplaces for the younger crowd such as Tree House (Brampton) and Play-a-Saurus (Mississauga)
• Get active at your local YMCA or gymnastics club
• Putting Edge for glow-in the dark golfing
• Farm – local farms, such as Springridge Farm, Downey Farm and Andrew’s Scenic Acres all have party packages
• And the list could go on and on

Check KidsToronto out for some ideas of entertainers and places to go in and around Toronto.

When going out, it is always best to have extra help to make those inevitable trips to the washroom possible.

It is always a good idea to get a reference when mixing entertainers and children.

If you are having a party outdoors always have a plan "B" just in case the weather changes and it pours down with rain.

If applicable, advise on suitable type of clothing for the party on the invitation.

Crafts

Check out Kidsdomain.

Games

Plan extra activities and games, it’s better to have too many than not enough.

Make them all a winner. When playing a game such as Musical Chairs, consider giving a prize or treat just for being out. This way everyone is a winner and the kids will like the game a whole lot more. Consider group games such as a treasure hunt where the treasure includes something for everyone.

Check out Birthday Express for party game ideas

Or Family.go.com and do a search by age, type and size of party

For an extensive list of games try www.gameskidsplay.net/frame_alphabetical_listing.htm

Food

Children can inhale food in a matter of minutes so don't plan much time for refreshments

Thinking of making the cake yourself? A variety of Wilton cake pans can be rented at the Bulk Barn for a very reasonable amount.

Check out www.wilton.com and do a search on a character or theme to see what pans might be available. It will also give you an idea of the numerous cake decorating possibilities.

Check out Birthday Express for cool recipe ideas.

Check out Birthday Express or Familyfun.go.com for some cake ideas.

Gifts

Give thought to what gifts your child may like. More times than not you will be asked this question when receiving the RSVPs. It is best to have a few reasonably priced ideas ready.

Prior to the party it’s a good idea to remind your child how to act gracious regardless of what present they receive. Also remind your child not to make a big deal out of duplicate presents.

Make gift giving fun for the giver and the receiver. My daughter recently attended a party where the party girl spun a stuffed animal. The winner was the next to present their gift to the party girl.

My daughter attended a party last year that was held at the local animal shelter. The kids toured the shelter and all gifts were bought for the stray cats and dogs.

Loot Bags

Keep loot bags out of sight from guests until the end of the party. If they see them they will want them there and then.

Make up a couple of extra loot bags for brothers, sisters of guests who might stay unexpectedly.

In choosing party favors, spend more on creativity than money. A flower pot and seeds for a garden party or modeling clay for an art party. You can even send the kids home with an item they have made during the party.

Stay on the lookout for loot bag deals through out the year.

For those that simply do not have the time to shop around, a trip to Party Packagers should do or you can always shop on-line

Check out Momentous Occasion.com for lootbag ideas

The Fisher Price web site site had the following suggestion for a Rescue Heroes party: you can fill a bag of favors without spending a dime. Visit your local police station, firehouse or insurance company. More often than not you'll walk out with your arms full of coloring books, stickers, magnets, mini flashlights and other fun giveaways—all for free.

Other tips and ideas

Put the names of each guest on cups to avoid misunderstandings.

If going out, take extra carrier bags to the venue to put presents in to take home.

Ask if any of the party guests have any special dietary requirements, such as a food allergy. Find out as the RSVPs responses come in.

Always get to the venue early, especially if setting out food.

Remember the camera. Give someone the job of taking the photos so you can concentrate on the party. A child's birthday party presents an opportunity to create a memory that lasts a lifetime. Take lots of pictures and don’t forget the video camera.

Not all children are comfortable with animals, so make sure the family pets aren’t socializing with the party guests.

Children remember what they did at a party much more than what they ate, what the plates and napkins looked like or whether the house was spotless. Don't sweat the little details!

Ask a friend, family member or neighbor to help with the party. Extra hands always come in, handy.

In case of emergency, make sure to bring a list of all party goers and a number where the parents can be reached at all times during the party.

If you end up with leftover party supplies (favor bags, decorations, plates & napkins), pack them up and give them to a local women's' shelter. Their children have special occasions, too!

Plan more activities than you think you will need and schedule the events.

That just about covers it. Remember to have fun and enjoy the celebration of your child's birth! Oh yea – remember this is a special day for you also – after all you did all the hard work a few short years ago. I started a birthday tradition for my family. I send my mother flowers on my birthday – just to say thanks. Maybe this tradition will be followed through by my kids when they get a bit older!

Well I’m off now to have a party for two four year olds. By the time you read this article the party will be over. Too bad I didn’t start this article earlier – they would have loved the Rescue Hero ideas.