Ideas for a Second Birthday

I would pick a fun pizza place, and take over a long table! (Call them- they might be able to put you in a private-ish area or nook.) Balloons tied to all the chairs, hats and noise makers, pizza and drinks, and a cake that you bring. 5-6 kids are plenty, especially with their parents there. And invite some family too! If he likes a particular theme (Blues clues, etc.), then it's very easy to coordinate that and make it extra special.

Seriously- super fun, and not too pricey. He'll have a ball, and he's really too young to enjoy fancier stuff yet. I agree with you- save Chuck-E-Cheese for a time when he's older. He won't really "get it" yet. :)

Happy 2nd birthday! It goes so fast, doesn't it...

For my son's second birthday party in December, we invited three of his friends, plus their parents. I chose the friends he seemed to get along with best. They say only one friend for each year of your child's life, but three was a good number for us. You will have to decide if 5-6 would be too overwhelming for him at once, and then too overwhelming for you. Remember too that you will have the 5-6 kids plus the accompanying adults, so you will likely provide food for all of them.

We kept the party to 2 hours. When the kids arrived, we gave them time to play, just like a regular playdate. Then we had pizza and juice boxes for the kids (they sat at a little picnic table in the living room). The adults had pizza and soda, and a few dads had beer (my husband is into home brewing, and all the moms were pregnant so they didn't drink!) We also had a few other snacks which were available the whole time (before and after the pizza)--snacks were things like chip & dip, sun chips, pretzels. After we ate pizza, I brought out cupcakes--there were iced ones for the adults--the kids got to decorate their own. They LOVED it!!! I just bought two cans of icing, one chocolate, one vanilla, plus two or three different kinds of sprinkles and decorations. That kept them occupied and happy (of course there was adult supervision, but it didn't require much).
After that, it was about time to go, so the kids played a little more until the parents were ready to leave. I kept decorations to a minumum--partly because it was the week before Christmas, and partly because I just wanted to keep things simple. Favors were little paper bags I bought at Party City (red, for elmo). I put a Sesame Street character sticker on the outside of each bag, and wrote each child's name in black marker. Inside there was a small packet of goldfish crackers, a small pack of crayons, a can of playdough, and a sheet of Sesame Street stickers. (I got the full-size Playdough cans on sale at Target). I didn't do games because I figured it would be too chaotic, and they were still a little young. I figured it would be enough fun for them to just have unstructured play, and it meant less hands on for the parents, who needed the break!

Hope this wasn't too much info. Have fun!!!

If you need party favors, I have my own business I started a couple of years ago. www.littleshopoffavors.com. I have some really cute things for 2 year olds. I also offer a 10% discount to MamaSource moms.

Hi H.,
Keeping things simple for 2 year olds is good. they don't like to be still for long so I think a few short games like maybe a bean bag toss into a decorated trash can. And an active game like duck duck goose ( parents will have to help the running) or maybe a bowling activity. Bubbles are fun if an adult is blowing them and they are trying to pop them. A table activity like play dough with cookie cutters will help them transition to the cake time. Open presents and have something that they can all play with like little farm animals or some other little thing. And send them home or read a story before they go. I know it sounds like an old fashioned party and it is but kids love them. Oh yes, 2 year olds love to toss balloons around but you have to be careful that they don't chew them and they pop and the big issue is getting them stuck in their airways. It is usually ok for them as long as they are well supervise.
Hope you have a great party.

At 2, they are a little young for structured activity, and you are right - chuckie's and kid zone are overwhelming for kids at this age. My kids still had family parties at 2, they didn't really have friends, didn't go to preschool yet and my daughter only had one kid her age at daycare. At this age, they still play on their own a lot and most of the structured games, activities and crafts will mostly be done by the parents. I suggest putting out a lot of fun toys and just let the kids play.

Mayb you could have all the children get together at a place like my gym (take him alone first to see if he likes it )and let the play there. I do believe they do hold birthday parties there as well. Its not as "grown up" as a chuckie cheese but its age group appropriate. Or i know gymboree (in scarsdale ny) has classes as well you could try there.

For my DD's b'day we had a small group of kids and parents over to our house to play and make pizza's. I also set out art materials - crayons, markers, stamps, paint at the easel - that they could explore. The kids, and parents, made mini pizzas using pita bread for the crust. Everyone seemed to really like it. It was laid back and fun. Like a play date.

Hi There,
Kids at this age don't have huge attention spans, so make it simple and active. One idea would be to stick to a seasonal theme... my nieces 2nd birthday was in January, so they did a sledding party at a park near their house, then went back to the house for cake and hot chocolate. A spring idea might be to do a "spring treat hunt". You can hide little favors and treats around the house or in the yard and let the kids find them. A friend of mine did something similar this fall. Her son who turned 3 loves dinosaurs, so she did a dinosaur theme. She hid little plastic dino's around the yard to find, then had dino cake etc. Keep it simple and inexpensive!!

Hi H.,

My son will be 2 years old in June, God willing. :) I am going to get a spiderman theme cake and get the spiderman PJ's so he could run around and play with his cousin in them. He loves spiderman. Pizza/chips and juice/milk, 2hrs. Call it a day. :) P.S. Lot of pictures LOL :) That is what I am planning, hope it gave you some ideas. :)

My son will be 2 in August and he loves animals. So, my husband and I found a small farm that will do everything for you. All you have to do is show up. They have farm animals that the kids can pet and a pony to ride. They provide the food and party bags. Old Macdonald is our theme; I thought I would do that now because as he gets older I am sure he would rather have some other theme like chukie cheese. A google search will give you farms close to your home.

My son is turning two on March 31st. We are having a music dance party for him. Just going to put on some fun music, clear out the living room and let the kids dance and play with instruments. All decor, etc is music related. He loves to dance and play instruments so I thought, how perfect!

I would take the kids to Build a Bear to make there own stuffed animal and then out to eat after, invite the parents along so you can have fun with your son and not have to babysit. It also relieves the whole "being a hostess" responsibility. Hope he has a great day!

For my daughter's 2nd birthday we had a small party with a few of her friends and cousins. I did a small scavenger hunt using Blue's Clue's paw prints. I put Blue's paw prints in relatively easy places all over the house and then "hid" nearby a box that had some sort of prize in it (crayons, coloring books, kazoo, bubbles, etc.) I broke the kids into teams of two and paired them with an adult. Each team started in a separate room. The kids were given their empty goody bags and then went off in search of the clue. When they found the clue the adult would get the box of goodies and each child would take one. Then it was off to find the other paw prints. It went over well and the kids liked it. At the end of the scavenger hunt their goody bags were full. We also did a pinata which the kids really enjoyed. I got the kind you hit and the little kids went first followed by the older kids. All ages seemed to like it and they all LOVED getting the candy afterwards.

The rule of thumb is the age of the child is the number of invitation. However, it doesn't seem to work that way in reality.
Children at 2 are just learning to socialize and play. All they really want when they are little is to play. Have a simple get together with his favorite lunch, play some musical chairs, read a story and decorate your own cupcake. You can put a spin on musical chairs, the children sit in a circle and pass a bag with prizes, when the music stops they pick a prize and than are out. It avoids the fighting over the chairs and tears.
Happy Birthday.
S.