Need an Idea for 2 Year Old Birthday

for my daughter's second birthday, we rented a bounce house in the back yard and had cupcakes and ice cream. It was so easy and such a hit with the kids (of all ages). My husband wants to do that every year.

What about a pancake birthday party? Have a few of her friends come over for an easy brunch of pancakes & bacon. If you just have a few children over you can have the parents along too. You could add whipped cream & sprinkles & candles to the birthday girl's pan"cake". The children/guests can come in their pajamas. I did this for my daughter when she was three and it's been her favorite party. Easy & fun and you & your guests have the whole rest of Saturday to do family things. For a party favor you could give them the great board book "Pajama Time" By Sandra Boynton. Hope it goes well! http://www.amazon.com/Pajama-Time-Sandra-Boynton/dp/07611...

I have 3 older boys. By the time the 2nd & 3rd one came along, I didn't even give them a party until they were 4 or 5. They weren't even aware of it then or now. Most of their parties in elementary school were at the park with a homemade cake. The kids had a blast. Your 2 year old will not know what day it is. You can have cake at home with the immediate family and grandparents. Presents are such a waste. They play with them for 3 minutes then get board. You are better off saving the party money and putting in a college fund for him or a Disney trip fund. My boys are great kids. Kids just want there parents approval & love. Good luck

Hi B.. I am a children's party planner. One of the party types I offer is sort of like Build A Bear but I go to your house, or send you a party in a box if you live far from me. This is a great party for 2 year olds because they get to stuff an animal and take it home with them. It is so cute to see them all lined up with their finished animals and the smiles from ear to ear because they stuffed it themselves!
Here is my website if you are interested.
WWW.MYHUGGABLEPARTY.COM

My son will be two in May and I just booked his party at Animal House in McKinney. They have bounce houses and lots of other activities to keep them busy. Great price too. This was the only place under $200 (on a weekend) I've found. That includes invitations, paper goods, drinks, ice cream and more! Check them out :)

Honestly at 2, the party is still for adults.
I had a spaghetti dinner (kids typically like that too), I made his cake from scratch. He opened gifts and our friends who brought kids, that was their activity. Playing with his toys. lol
It was that simple.
We got bday plates, etc... I think Thomas ones.
Now, for his 3rd, my husband was in Iraq and I was feeling guilty and I had this greatest guy come with a pony and petting zoo (10x10 pen) for like $300 and since his bday is the week before Halloween, we had a festival. Entrance was canned/dry food for the Tarrant Area Food Bank and we didn't let folks bring gifts. Instead we had "fair like" booths set up (stations). They decorated pumpkins, tossed bean bags, and a few things... They got goody bags and it was great.
We collected over a hundred lbs of food for the foodbank.
GOOD LUCK!

Hi B., when my son turned two, we took him and his brother to the Wiggles in Frisco. We didn't reserve a room, just paid admission for the two of them, let them play and eat there and then we came home, had a cake and let him open his presents. It was simple, inexpensive but still fun for that age. We are trying really hard not to set expectations of a big blow out birthday every year. Take lots of pictures with the birthday hats and opening of the gifts. Good Luck!

WIGGLES center in Frisco. I went on Friday and it is perfect for 2 year olds. Go check it out.

my son just turned two in sept and we had a firetruck birthday. I made him a firetruck cake with a regular cake mix and decorated with candies. it was fun. then i just got little fire station goodies from the party store for the kids and printed out some fire engine pictures to color...nothing too expensive. we just had family over since he has four cousins and a brother to play with. we had pizza and cake and ice cream and it was easy and fun. the kids just played and rode bikes together and had a blast. of course there were some presents too.

I am not sure where you are located, but I think Pump It Up Junior is a great idea for a 2 year old birthday. It's like Pump It Up(big bouncy houses) but for the little ones.

We went all out on my son's (age 6) parties until he was 5. My daughter had her 2nd bday party the end of July. We had our closest friends and family that is within 15 minutes of us, come over for simple finger foods and birthday cake. The party was fun for the kids when I brought out the bubble making machine (got it for $15.) Not only did the 2 yr old like it, but her brother as well!
~K.

We did a Blue's Clues birthday for my daughter's second birthday...every two year-old loves Blue. It requires a little prep and few materials....we got a big cardboard box and using construction paper and posterboard, made the front look like the blues clues house, just so the kids could play inside it. I got shovels and pails for the treat bags and using a sharpie, drew faces on them mimicking the "shovel and pail" characters and filled them with blues clues playing cards/coloring books from the dollar store...you could cut out "thinking chairs" to paste on cheap hand-held notebooks and put crayons in the pail too. I put the pails in the bathtub and used craft foam to make "paw prints" and had the kids do a very simple clue hunt. For example "This little thing is on my bed, at night it's where I put my head" What do we put our head on when we go to bed...yes, a pillow...then we went to her pillow and there was another "clue" pawprint. Those kids will follow you around the house for an hour looking for prints!! We also did a "free play" at the beginning and the kids loved cramming into the "house." We did a blue shaped cake that my friend helped me make and used a fruit rollup for the tongue...you could just make a round blue cake and use cupcakes for a pawprint...keeping it simple. Good luck!

I do not know if this will work for you but here goes...we made a plan to have a big celebration every other year. We have the big one on the even number years so that we can have the sweet 16 parties. I have also read that have a big party before the age of 5 or kindergarten is not necessary, the kids do not remember it. I would maybe have a hot wheels party? If your son likes cars buy a package to use a decorations and cake toppers. Just an idea. We have three girls and needed a way to cut down on all the b-day expenses. On the odd number years we allow them to invite 2 people to spend the night and celebrate. My thought is to just keep it simple. Hope this helps.

Hi B.,

I understand about wanting something simple. Last year my son(10) had a sleepover that consisted of 11 rowdy boys and my daughter had a jumping party at Jumping Party of Arlington. I made my own invites and goodie bags for both. I even made color labels for the goodie bags. I am always so tired after them so a couple of years ago I decided to have a party every other year. This year we are taking my 6 soon to be 7 year old bowling and letting her invite a friend and we will get cake, ice cream, and pizza for the house. Now that I discovered Jiffy pizza mix I am going to let the girls make their own pizza.

Last year for my nephews 2 year old party we bought some toys for the kids to play with in the back yard and got a cupcake cake. Had ball.. Quick and simple.. You can always go to Jumping Party of Arlington, Incredible Pizza, Putt Putt Golf.. Incredible Pizza has a place in the back just for toddlers so that's pretty cool!

Hi B.! Mi daughter Sophie just turned two, and as a matter of fact we had her party last night. She is my first born and we were also thinking of going all out with the party... but there were some money and time issues. We ended up deciding to just have a party at out backyard, rented couple of tables adn enough chairs for everyone, nice tablecoths... and some "little tikes" games (slides, house, seesaw...). We invited the around 7 or 8 kids her age only from her friends from church and their moms for cake and coffee after lunch (and before dinner). It was very enjoyable cause the kids were very enterteined and the moms had a nice evening with a nice chocolate cake. It was also very affordable!!! We docrated with balloons and that is pretty much it.
Hope it helps.

you can have a b-day party at McDonalds play area for less than 100 dollars, includes cake, plates, gift bags, and a happy meal.

Old mcdonald's farm is great, the kids entertain themselves.

Chucky cheese is the same way-fast and easy.

Don't stress out, he is only 2, he will only remember the birthday with the pictures you take.

My little boy turned Two in September. We only invited two kids and the grand parents, etc. His god-mother and I decorated a refrigerator box to look like a fire engine. Cheap tempra paint and some goodies from the dollar store to look like lights and mirrors and headlights. A bunch of hot-glue and a creative streak made it awesome. We set it up in the front yard and it was a big hit. We let him play with it for two weeks after and then we just recycled it.
We took him (just prior to the birthday)to the fire station to see the real thing. His cake was appropriate to the theme and the favors included a fire hydrent sippy cup. I think I only spent $60 on the party.

i have one also turning two on feb 24th and I say simple. you dont really need games, make it short sweet and to the point. we always cook food just because the best time for our kids is mealtime with others. dont do it late in the day....cake - ice cream, no more than 5 kids, just think "they are all two yrs old!!!" Yikes........my older two kids love outdoor birthdays, but its feb.!
L.

We used Party Pets for our son's 2 year old party and it was a big hit! www.partypets.net

Go to the zoo...they do everything for you and the kids absolutely love it! It is great for all ages and they will most likely have a petting zoo within the main entrance. It is also reasonably priced.

Happy early birthday to your nearly 2 year old!

We had my sons 2 r bday party at a park, and let them run around and play, but we live in the middle of no where litteraly and the closest chuckecheese or gattitown is like 1 1/2 hrs away. We just put up a pinata and that was fun enough to watch a bunch of 2 yr olds hit it!! LOL!! Hope this helps not only that our park (which i know some you dont have to pay to use) but it was like 50 and if you left it clean you got 25 back(which was for all day), plus they have electric under the gazebo, and a river to go fishing!! Hope this helps you.

HI B.,
My son's 2nd B-day party was train theme. Not Thomas the train, just train. All the kids loved it. Very simple train pull pinata, cake, ice cream. And simple games like dancing, follow the leader(it's cute because they are learning). I made a card board train cut out and took pictures of each kid behind it and sent those out as thank you cards. (that was a little over board) Otherwise the rest was fun. Oh and pizza with juice, coke, whatever.

How about Paradise Pond in Grapevine? here is there website http://www.vinekids.com/templates/System/details.asp?id=3...

I didn't read many reponses, so sorry if this is a repeat suggestion. I just had my son's 2nd birthday party and we did it at Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't do their party, just used their place and bought my own pizzas, drinks and tokens. It was fun and fairly stress free (as much as it can be). I just considered the tokens to be the party gift and opened the presents once we got home. Most people understand since kids that age get easily distracted. For my daughter's 2nd birthday we just had family (cousins, aunts, etc) and went to the park. It was simple and fun. Good luck!

we did a bunch of kids, in the middle of the day so you don't have to feed everyone, like 2-4, cake, icecream, chips, drinks. i have had a pinyata, we put paper on our fence and let all the kids finger paint it. they LOVED it, but warn the parents ahead of time! you really don't have yo do anything more than just the decorations, cake and some snacks.

I say hire the "hamburger man" to grill up- get a few baby pools and fills them with sand and trucks and beach toys and do fun cupcakes.

Take a look into doing a Stuff A Friend birthday. It's fun for everyone involved. The best part is you don't have to go to the mall to do it. Either a crew member from our company will come or you do it yourself. For more information visit www.noahsarkworkshop.com/constancecotton_s9956 . Good luck with the party planning.

I love birthday parties and every year when my kids where younger I gave them parties with themes. Pirates are very popular right now and would make and easy and fun, theme. 2 year olds also like trains, circus, and race car/trucks. Plan on no more than 2 hours for the party and include 2 games, the cake and playtime. Recruit some moms to help and keep the food simple. Chicken nuggets from Chick fila or homemade from the oven works just fine. Name your food according to your theme if you want but the kids really at this age don't care. Keep it to your sons entertainment level and it will be smooth sailing!

We justr had 2 year old party for our twins (boy and girl) and the best thing was the trampoline!! They all loved it, and it got the adults outside and helped the guys get heavily into being with the kids as well. Other friends have used a ball pit which was also good, and tents and tunnels work well as well.
Good luck,
D.

I have soon to be 6 and soon to be 3 year old boys. We were able to find someone to rent a bounce house from and have it set up in our backyard. You don't need too much room, and if you have older and younger kids, you can divide the time for the different ages to jump. If you don't have too many kids they will all be pretty safe. We did this for my youngest son's 2 year party and he still talks about the bounce house. It may seem simple, but to them it is a big deal. Plus you can stay in the comfort of your home and keep it cheap if you're looking to save money. And you can also make their cake a big deal too without a lot of expense. I make their cakes each year. Last year my 2 year old was into dump trucks and fire trucks. I went to Target and found a 4 pack of little Tonka Trucks for about $5 and a small Matchbox fire house for about another $5 and iced the cake with chocolate, crushed up oreos, and made a construction/fire site on the top of the cake. Everyone loved it, and he was able to keep the toys on the cake afterwards!! You can make a big deal but still keep it simple. Good luck!

My daughter turned two the week before Christmas. This is especially challenging because of the holiday and all. But, when I knew her birthday was always going to coincide with Christmastime, I wanted to make sure we distinguished the two and she would always feel as if we made it special. So, I have had a birthday party at the house for the past two years. I invite all the family (I have a large family), god-parents and my good friends with little ones. Although I'm a fanatic about making and decorating an elaborate cake myself, I try to make a theme that sort of sums up the year for my daughter. This year was a ladybug theme. I usually purchase a simple craft that the kids can make when they first arrive. This allows for staggering arrivals of your guests too and keeps the kids entertained. We did foam ladybug photo frames (Oriental Trading) this year. The parents usually stay with their child at this age so the parents are great helpers with the crafts. I always put out stickers and crayons and coloring sheets too. Limit the time of your party to an hour and a half. Once everyone has arrived and had time to make a craft, you can move on to presents (if you are doing presents) and then cake before they go home. It is really simple the day of the party and with a short window of time, you don't feel overwhelmed. The kids take home their craft as their party favor, along with a small bag of other items (stickers, bubbles and small bags of goldfish crackers or other mom-approved snack item).

I know that my daughter won't remember her birthday, but I want her to see the pictures and know that her birthday was important for us to help her celebrate in a special way. So, whatever you do, don't forget the photos!

L.

I've always enjoyed Gymboree. If there's one in your area, it's wonderful. Very self-contained, the kids get exercise, and you can watch everyone at once. I brought in Chic-Fil-A nuggets and fruit for the children. We also did cupcakes as opposed to a big theme cake. Hope this helps and have fun! M.

Keep it simple; they won't remember much anyway ! 2 or 4 friends, balls & cars, simple foods( chicken nuggets or the old standy pizza w/ healthy fruit) and just playing with friends. have fun. a cute age, but aren't they all ?

my son's 2yr birthday was John Deere Tractor theme (he loves tractors) - Pary Warehouse has theme plates (for cake) and I just bought regular green and yellow plates for food - we had hot dogs and sausages with beans and chips. All in all it was pretty cheap and I bought each of the kids a plastic John Deere cup (also at Party Warehouse) for $1 each and filled it with cheap dollar store toys as the "gift bag."
Good luck!

I guess since you have a 7 yr old too, then there will be a variety of ages at the party--so one idea is like Chuck E Cheese Pizza or Gattiland. The kids can play games--and what can be easier than a pizza party?! Even adults can have fun at these parties--especially just watching the little ones running around everywhere. Have fun!!

Try a ball party. Use primary colors for the plates, cuts and such. You can get balls at Wal-Mart and the $1 store. It does not cost much and the kids will have fun kicking the balls around.

if you go to Disney.go.com and do a search for "Celebrations", there is page after page of wonderful at home parties with Disney character themes. We (my little girl and I) just checked out the Handy Manny themed party, and it was chock full of great ideas using normal things a pre-school family would have...happy hunting!

CJ