It’s just 2 months until Christopher’s 2nd birthday, which means the party preparations are in full swing! I usually start planning 3 months in advance because that allows me enough time to spread out the work which minimizes the stress.
While getting everything organized for the big day, I thought I would share my party planning process with you. Hopefully this will help to take away some unnecessary stress and give you a few helpful tips!
At the end of this post you will find a complete party planning printable which includes everything you need to plan your child’s birthday party. Pages included: General, Budget, To Buy, To Do, Guest List and Notes.
Be sure to save your free copy.
Let’s get started!
Budget
First things first, you need to set a budget. Decide how much money you are going to spend on the party. Once you have a figure, keep that in mind when looking at options for the party.
Set a budget for each category and work from there.
Theme
Once the budget is set, I try to narrow down a theme. Having a theme makes planning a party so much easier because it simplifies decision making and gives you direction. It also makes the party more memorable.
Once I have 2 or 3 themes in mind I go onto Pinterest and start searching for ideas. From that I can see which theme I think my child will like the most and which one is most realistic for me to put together.
When I am sure of the theme I create a Pinterest board to save all the ideas I like.
So far I have done 4 birthday themes for our kids: Jungle Animals, Mickey Mouse, Blue & Gold and Construction! I have included some pictures from these parties to give you some ideas.
Birthday Cake
I always match the birthday cake to the theme of the party so I usually pin cake ideas to the Pinterest board too.
I have a passion for baking and specifically for decorating cakes with fondant, so I always make the cakes myself.
Making your own cake is not difficult, but it is time consuming. The day before a party is not often a relaxing one with ample free time. So if you are concerned that you might run out of time, making your own cake can add a lot of stress, in which case I recommend ordering a cake. It saves you so much time and you don’t have to learn any new skills.
However, if you share my enthusiasm for cake making and decorating, here are some tips which I do to save time:
- Plan out your design in advance so you know exactly what you need.
- If you need to buy any tools you can order them in advance to make sure they arrive in time.
- I often make my stencils for fondant designs by printing images from the computer. I did this for the Mickey Mouse cake and the Transport cake. This can also be done months in advance.
- Bake the cake ahead of time. Once it has cooled down, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it. This can be done up to 3 months in advance. Take the cake out the freezer about 20 minutes before you are ready to decorate.
- The day before the party you can assemble and decorate your cake. The cake will taste as fresh as the day you froze it.
- If your cake is completely covered in fondant, it gives an airtight effect so it will still be fresh the next day for the party. Just don’t put a decorated fondant cake in the fridge as the moisture will ruin the finish.
If you would like more tips and tricks for working with fondant, let me know in the comments and I will make a designated post on that. If you have any questions or need any advice on specific fondant techniques, send me a message or comment below and I will gladly answer your questions as best as I can.
Guest List
Plan your guest list. Try to get all the relevant information from your guests such as phone number, email, postal address, number of guests attending per family and any special requirements such as food allergies.
Invitations
Invitations should be sent out about 1 month in advance. It’s important to give parents enough time to save the date because children’s social calendars fill up quickly.
The invitation can be digital or physical, but my preference is physical. It makes the children so excited to see a letter in the post addressed to them.
I also love sending physical invitations because not only do they provide a visual reminder to the guests of the party, but they also serve as a special keepsake.
It has happened that a friend lost her phone a week before one of our parties and she said had it not been for the invitation on their fridge they would have forgotten about the party.
I always create an invitation online (or buy one from Etsy) and then print and laminate it. At the back of the invitation I stick a magnet so that the invitees can stick it on their fridge or magnet board.
I bought a roll of magnet tape for Gideon’s first birthday invitations and that same strip has been used for 3 more party invitations and will probably still last a few more, so it goes a long way.
Decor
When planning the decor I like to create a feature wall. This creates a focal point and has a big impact.
How to create a feature wall:
- Start with a backdrop, you can make this yourself or buy one ready made.
- Frame the backdrop with a balloon garland.
- Put a table in front of the feature wall with the birthday cake in the center of the table and all the other food around it.
- The backdrop can also include the birthday banner and your child’s name.
Other decor items to consider:
- Table cloth
- Table decor
- Streamers
- Party hats
- Photo wall
- Foil balloons
You will get lots of ideas for DIYs and decor on Pinterest and you can often use every day items or even toys your children already have to add to the decor.
Bonus Tip: Keep all the party decor that is worth saving. Items such as banners and wall decor tend not to get damaged and you can definitely reuse them!
Ami Le Roux
Food & Drinks
Party food is a fun way to get creative and express your theme.
When it comes to the food I like to make sure there is a good variety of healthy food and treat foods so that there is something for everyone.
If you know any of the guests have a food allergy, try to include some options for them too and make sure to label them so it it clear they are allergy free.
I like to serve food which I can prepare in advance and is mostly self service because is requires you to spend less time in the kitchen and allows you to enjoy the party with your child and the other guests.
Bonus tip: get some empty cupcake boxes to send extra cake home with guests so that you are not left with too much food after the party!
Christine Lord
Here are some ideas of food to serve at your party:
Healthier Food Options
- Crudites with hummus
- Fruit kebabs
- Cheese and crackers
- Pretzels
Treats
- Chips
- Variety of sweets
- Donuts
- Cupcakes
- Royal Icing Cookies
Main Course
- Hotdogs
- Burgers
- Pizza
- French Fries
Don’t forget that you can also add to your theme with
- Napkins
- Cups
- Plates
- Utensils
Drinks
For the kids I prefer to serve water (still and sparking) either plain or mixed with 100% fruit juice. I don’t allow my kids to drink soda like Coke or Fanta because I think they are still too young. But that is a personal preference.
For the adults I always have sparkling wine (both with and without alcohol) to make a toast.
Party Favors
I love to send the children home with a little party bag to give them something special to remember the day, and also to say thank you for making the day so special.
As always, I match the party bags with the theme of the party.
This is the formula I use for the party bags:
- Bags with personalised name tag and thank you note
- Toy/keepsake
- Stickers, temporary tattoos
- Drink (box of milk/juice)
- Food treat (cookie, fruit pouch etc.)
You don’t have to include everything on this list. These are just a few ideas.
A great idea for the toy/keepsake category is homemade play-dough! It’s cheap and easy to make and a great hit with the kids. I have the best play dough recipe in the world, which you can find here! You can also add the printed recipe for the moms, they will love it!
Entertainment
Up until now, I have only hosted parties with children 3 and under. Personally, I haven’t found it necessary to provide specific entertainment because the kids seem to entertain themselves just by playing with the toys, eating food and running around.
However there are some fun forms of entertainment you can offer if your budget allows:
- Jumping castle
- Piñata
- Gigi Bloks
- Music
- Party games
Create Lists: To Do & To Buy
Once you have looked at all the options for decor, food, entertainment etc. create yourself a list of everything you need to buy and a list of everything you need to do so that you can keep track.
I have created printable checklists which I use myself when planning the birthday parties. I have listed everything above in the checklists as well as some blank spaces for you to add extra criteria. You can download them here!
I hope you found these tips and ideas useful. Of course everyone has different expectations of what a children’s party should look like. I’m sure some people will think I do way too much for the parties I host, and at the same time you will get people who think I don’t do enough.
Find out what works for you and your family and go with that!
The most important part of any birthday party is for the birthday child to have a great time! And in order for that to happen the host (YOU) needs to be relaxed and having a good time too.
Thats why planning ahead and staying organised can help reduce your stress and allow you to have fun on the day too.
Checkout my DIY Cake Smash post for some more birthday party inspiration.
If you have any extra tips to add, I’d love to hear! Share them in the comments!
Sincerely,
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