Birthday Party Ideas - Arlington,VA

Keep it really small, she doesnt have friends yet, and she wont remember anything of it anyways. If you have relatives here, ask the closest ones, like grandparents.

We were lucky to have my parents visiting us at the time of my first sons second birthday, and that was a party right there. Very small, but celebratory occasion with a cake and presents anyways.

Hi A.,

I love having birthday parties and I usually get great ideas online. The website to check out is www.birthdaypartyideas.com it's really easy to see lots of ideas for different age groups. If you ever want to chat about it just send me a message and I can give you my number. If it's easier for you to speak in Spanish, I'm fluent so no problem.

Good Luck and Have Fun!
A.

My only suggestion is to keep it simple. I went all out for my son's 1st birthday and it wasn't as enjoyable as I had thought. So for his 2nd, I kept it simple with a few little friends. We moved the furniture so they could run around and play, we ordered chicken nuggets from Chic-fil-a, subs from Subway, some snacks and an ice cream cake. It was a lot of fun and as far as decorating I mixed it up with all his favorites (i.e. blues clues, jojo's circus, pooh, mickey and spongebob) instead of just going with one specific theme. My son looked like he was having a great time.

Since we don't have family or lots friends around us, we decided early on that my daughter would have very simple parties until she starts school & makes her own friends. For her first two birthdays, we've just had my parents fly in from the West Coast & we do a birthday lunch.

My daughter turned 2 last April and all I did was invited the family and a few friends over for pizza and cake. You don't really have to make this one a big deal either because she is only two and will not appreciate a party until she's older. However, I did make sure that I had party hat's and party plates of the Backyardagins (her favorite). It was really nice and everone had a nice time.

I have the same issue, my daughter will be 2 in march and I wanted to do something big, but now I'm considering doing a family vacation during that time since she doesn't have to go to school and the rates are extra low during this time of year. Great opportunity to see some relatives. I wish we could go to Argentina (Where my husband's from), but that's a little too much at this age.

Being a mom from Mexico has advantages...try bringing your culture into the lives of your friends and family here in the US...have taquitos and easy finger foods...and include a pinata! Kids love them.....If you want to just invite your friends over, your daughter would be happy enough since she is so small and does not have her own friends - she just likes attention on her birthday!...and have a cake for adults and a smaller cake for her so she can eat with her hands and get messy. :)

Keep it simple. A two year old will enjoy cake and opening a present or two, but she doesn't need lots of peers and games. I would invite people that you normally have over, add a few balloons, some music for fun dancing, a cake that she helped to make or picked out and a present.

With my first I did too much for every birthday. She doesn't remember and it was a lot of stress for me. With my second, I did just a family birthday celebration until he turned four and then we just had our family friends over (their daughter is his best friend). That was perfect. Keep the guest list small.

try my gym or little gym. they will let her have fun and run around. invite a few other little kids she knows that are age 2 and can follow dirrections and the adults sit at a table or bench and watch the kids have fun while they talk. they set aside time for you to eat cake and ice cream and even serve you.

Hello, Abysmas

Of course you'd like to give your daughter a wonderful celebration for her second birthday -- and yes, she will be a bit better able to appreciate a party this year than last. But tread carefully here, because at 2, she's still very young and won't need a blowout bash just yet!

If she has a little circle of friends, perhaps in the neighborhood or from any playgroups, by all means plan a small party for her. Or, if you have family members who want very much to share in this special celebration, plan an event. But you'll probably want to keep it fairly simple this year, realizing that the best birthday party years are still to come.

I do agree with another mom's suggestion that The Little Gym is a good choice for a party for 2-year-olds, who can run ande bounce on padded mats and have a tumbling good time, and my experiences with The Little Gym party programs have been very positive. But professionally-staged parties in venues such as The Little Gym carry a hefty price tag, and as a professional party planner, I don't recommend that moms spend that money on a party for a 2-year-old. The exception to this would be for a 2-year-old having a party attended by a group of older children of different ages. In some cases, a 2-year-old is the youngest child at her own party, because her siblings, cousins and neighbors are all older. In that case, a gym party is a great choice. Gym parties usually work well for mixed gender and mixed age groups.

A small home party focused on something that your daughter absolutely adores, whether it's a TV character or an activity or a favorite book, with just a few good friends, would be the perfect option this year. Next year, when she turns 3 and her circle of friends grows along with her individuality and interests, you'll probably want to stage a slightly more elaborate party.

The ideal age for a blowout birthday party for a young child actually is from 5 to 7, so with that in mind, try to hold off a few more years on the expense and effort.

My web site, www.askthepartyfairy.com, offers free party planning advice, tips and strategies to moms planning home birthday parties, and I also answer individual questions there free of charge, so please let me know if I can help you brainstorm more detailed ideas for your daughter's party. :)

When my kids turned 2 I had a small party with about 3 or 4 friends. They got a party, but it was low key enough that they weren't overwhelmed. I kept them very simple too, goldfish type snacks, and cake.