For my son’s first birthday, we went BIG! Minus the animals, we had a full fledge carnival in our backyard that included a jump house, popcorn, games and a clown that painted faces and did a magic show. I sent invites out a month prior to the date and follow-up online invites the week before. Planning for Joshua’s first birthday began the day he was born. I saved almost all of the Oriental Trading Company catalogs that came in the mail and started ordering decorations six months prior to his first birthday.
The next year seemed to fly by. I felt like I never had the opportunity to plan for what we would do when Joshua turned two. Before I knew it, it was the week before his second birthday and my husband and I were contemplating what we wanted to do. I was literally wracking my brain and thinking, “Should we celebrate or should we treat the day like any other day?” After all, Joshua would never remember what we did for him when he turned two. It had become a reality for me how time flies so quickly. In the next year or two, Joshua will be able to actively articulate what he wants and how he wants to celebrate his birthday. In just a few short years, he might even have a standard for what kind of birthday party he wants.
Up until the day of his second birthday, I was still wavering back and forth on how we should celebrate his special day. I felt like I had the “toddler birthday woes.” It was a routine grocery shopping day and I turned to my husband and said, “We don’t need to get a whole cake, but we should at least get a cupcake and sing Happy Birthday.”
When we arrived home, we put Joshua in his chair, sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes. Later that evening, I blew up a bunch of balloons and he played with them for over an hour. He was happy as a clam and all my confusion about what to do just went away. I was feeling bad for not having a party and buying a bunch of gifts, but Joshua didn’t even need that. He was perfectly content with a little extra attention, a sweet treat and enough balloons to fill his play area.
So my advice to parents of toddlers; do what you feel is right for your child, but remember…at this young age, it doesn’t take much.
BeaCea Mamas 