I'm really stressing out here as my dd's 2nd birthday is coming up in March and our family always celebrates the little kids birthdays with all of the extended family on both sides. And I have no clue where or what to do for her birthday. I have the invites bought but I have no idea what to write in them because I'm not sure where and what we will be doing! Should I rent a restraunt, have it at my house ( thats stressful), @ a ymca type place? no clue. I just can't rack my brain to be creative! Anyone have any suggestions or ideas 4 what you would do for a 2 yr old girl birthday party? Thanks!

__________________

My 2 year old is very shy so we had grandparents and immediate family only. She was happy with the balloon, it was the best part of her day. You don't need a lot to entertain them. It is a shame that you feel like you have to entertain the entire family. I say it like that because I know how demanding family members can be.

My oldest will be 5 in March and we are having her party at ChuckeCheese. That is what will make her happy. She WANTS to invite her friends from preschool (I invited 4 girls).

If I were you, I'd try to relax and only think about what will make your 2 year old happy. If your family doesn't like it, gently remind them it is HER day Good luck !!!

My dd's 2nd b-day is also in March; we are doing a monkey party; I made the invites and sent them out already. We will have it our house (not that stressful to me), and I will make a monkey cake and have banana related foods. We are doing a scavenger hunt for jungle/zoo-type animals that will be part of the little kid's goody bags (we bought some cute/cheap stuffed animals (monkey, tiger, lion, zebra, elephant - too cute). It really is about your dd - so try and think of things that make her happy. Does she do well in restaurants? Would that be easier on you, just taking her to a pizza place or other variety that does well catering to large groups? If you have a zoo nearby, you could do that. Have everyone meet there and stroll around and then do cake (maybe presents, but you might want to just take those home) and food at the food court type place. Just follow your dd's lead. I know it's rough, but like the previous poster said, it's about your dd and your celebration of her 2 years - do what you and she want and what is best for your sanity. You'll be happier in the end. hth.

__________________
mommy to 2 beautiful girls: Jadyn (3/2006) & Jocelyn (10/2008)

theres really not much to chose from when it comes to places for parties. My house is small so cramming everyone in our home would be a swamp. I can rent a room at our rec center but its just an empty room or rent a room at our leadership center with an indoor pool but I don't know if she'd want to swim. I'm just trying to think of what activities to do to keep everyone from beeing bored. My family is the type that if they arn't entertained than they want to leave early. Any game suggestions or actiivity suggestions? When my son was 2 it was in the summer so we had an outdoor party. Its hard to think of things for March because its still so darn cold out here! lol

__________________

oh and whats funny is,I asked and begged my husband for ideas for her birthday so we can be on the roll with plan making and getting invites out and his answer was "I really don't know, ask the moms on mommysavers" hahahaha.

__________________

We did a princess party when my dd was 2. We also used a empty room at the church.. There were 7 kids and plenty of adults there... So what to do?

cotton ball on a spoon race (pink cotton balls of course)
blindfold find the pink buttons in the grains of rice
We had a pin the crown on the princess (dollar store)
Decorated foam crowns (Michaels has them and the stick on accents)
Princess Ball ~ the grandpas loved it... We turned on her Disney cd and EVERYONE danced

Of course a princess cake was involved and we had royal punch (pink with sherbert) and pink ice cream.



If you come up with a theme I would love to help you... you can pm me if you want.. Someday my plan is to be a kids party planner. You can also check family fun for birthday ideas.

__________________
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

Great ideas! Did your 2 yr. old get into the games (cotton ball on a spoon and pin the crown on the princess?).

If that many people want to come I would make a cheap but simple dish like sloppy joe or baked pasta (pm me if you need a recipe for baked pasta) for them. I would also ask a few close relatives like Grandmas and Aunts if they would be willing to help out with a side or a snack.

Heck make it a 2-3 hour party just enough time to eat, open presents and have cake. Then no one will get bored. You can always use her age as an excuse (aka impatient, needs nap, long party will be to much for her, etc)

You can always pop in a kids movie for the kids and offer a few simple games.

Jen

We just had my 2 yr old's party last month. We had a monkey theme, I created the invites and emailed them out to everyone, anyone that didn't have an email addy I sent printed invites to. We had monkey games (some curious george games I got at the party store) and just decorated with various curious george and jungle theme colors. We had it in my parents basement, had about 30 or so people there. A lot of fun, lots of drinks, food etc that were all made ourselves.

We also let the kids play with the Wii and watch videos on the big screen tv as well.

My DS just turned 2 last weekend. We had a bug hunt birthday party. It was in our back yard and we invited 8 of his friends and their parents. The kids played on the slide and ran around the yard. My mother in law read them a book about bugs and then they went on a bug hunt. I gave each of the kids a bug house and they got to collect bugs. We had a big subsandwich for lunch, chips and salads. I made bug cookies and cupcakes. It was a 2 hour party and the kids kept themselves entertained. For a girl you could do butterflies and ladybugs.
Recently we have also attended an Elmo birthday party and a party at the zoo. All for 2 year olds.

I would say keep it easy. At 2 they are more interested in playing so it doesn't take much to make them happy.