First Playdate- Need Ideas

I think you're overthinking it. The kids can play like kids do, and you and the mom can watch them and talk about them, which is usually what moms do. Have a couple nice things to drink and snack on. No big.

Breathe, it's not a party, it's just a playdate.

If you get this concerned about making it perfect, you won't want to do it again.

Great tips already...put all the toys in a safe zone, sit on the floor with a cup of tea. Exchange favorite toddler food tips.

Better, if it's nice, go to the park.

Nail it? Lol! Don't put that much pressure on yourself or the kids!

It could go well with just fruit, dry cereal, cheese, nibbles, really.

Toys and well rested kids are a good combo!

It might go well, it might not go smooth, but if you get some adult time and the kids come out of it alive, SCORE!

Eh. I wouldn't overthink it.

Put out a bowl of chopped fruit and some veggies to snack on. Maybe meat, cheese, and crackers or something. Drinks. You and the other mom can chat and snack, while the littles play. At this age, they likely won't play together and will just parallel play so I would make sure to have enough toys to be a distraction if they both decide they want the same one.

Maybe pick up some kind of busywork that you can do while the kids play... Maybe a puzzle you can both work on, or if you know something she is into. If you really want to get into it, maybe pick up a couple of cheap blank shirts and the two of you can tie-dye them for the kiddos while they play. That way you have something to break the ice/something to do in case of awkwardness.

But really, just a light snack and something to drink.

My friends and I were very lucky to have dining room/living room combos. We usually had fruits, veggies, maybe goldfish to munch on. The kids would drink juice while we had coffee. We could (usually) sit at the table while they played. Sometimes we sat on the living room furniture while they played.

At that age playing still requires adult supervision, but it was still really, really nice to have a couple of people to chat with. I probably looked forward to those days more than my son did :-)

Just let them play. No planning needed. Just go with the flow. Back in the day, we never "planned" these things. Just relax and enjoy.

At two, chances are they won't even play with each other. They might be in the same room, but they'll amuse themselves individually or take turns wanting (and trying to grab) each other's toy. Don't worry about that and don't think your child is "boring" the other child. They're two, it's how they socialize at this point.

Don't expect to have the kids hang out unsupervised while you and the other mom drink coffee and chat. You will, most likely, be on the floor with them, saying things like "You can SHARE that toy...NONONO, don't grab it from her, take TURNS..." while the other mom will be dealing with her own child in a similar way. Again, this is perfectly normal for a two yr old playdate.

And whatever snack YOUR child likes will probably be a hit with the other child, too. You may want to call the other mom to ask if her child has any allergies, though.

It's been YEARS since my kids were that young, but I DO remember the 2yr old playdates being "disaster-y" on a regular basis. Toys everywhere, chaos, spilled juice and goldfish crumbs everywhere, two kids who don't seem to give a rat's @$$ about each other, me and the other parent apologizing to each other because we each thought our kid didn't "commit" to the playdate and we felt such pressure to be perfect. You may or may not have a similar experience.

But it does get better. Don't worry if the first (or second or third) playdate isn't perfect. You have MANY, MANY years of playdates ahead of you and they'll keep getting better and better. And pretty soon, you WILL be able to leave the kids to play by themselves while you and your friend drink coffee and chat. But it all starts here at the 2yr old playdates. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to create a perfect playdate. If there's no blood or trip to the ER, and if the kids want to do it again (even though it seemed like they hated every minute of it), THAT'S a perfect playdate. It's not about serving a cool snack, trust me. At this age, it's just practice. Perfect comes much later.

Have fun!!

Have a safe, contained area where the kiddos can play with lots of toys and have some space to roam, while you are free to chat with your friend.

Paper cups of goldfish crackers or Cheerios are optional.

Nailed it!

2 is really young for any kind of scheduled activity. At that age I would have some toys out. A snack and some outside play. At that age they are just starting to grasp the concept of playing together so don't have any big plans of things they have to take turns on. Good luck.

Be yourself! Have fun! Put out some munchies and let things roll.

Two is too young for a play date. Two year olds don't play with each other. I suggest that getting together is for you and your friend. Don't expect the babies to play together. They won't share toys or interact much. That is ok. You and your friend chat. Focus on you and your friend's enjoyment. The babies are just along for the ride.

Just pull out a bunch of toys and let them play- maybe they'll play with each other and maybe they won't...2-3 year old's often "parallel play" at this age. Also don't be surprised if they get upset with one another, I've seen that happen a lot at playdates in the 1-4 age range.

I would do something simple for snacks, like goldfish and fruit...I'm not sure 2 year old's really appreciate pinterest type snacks. The only thing I ever usually want at a playdate is water or a cup of coffee and to sit and chat while the kids play.

Make some real lemonade or raspberry iced tea. And I'd be thrilled if someone offered me chips and fresh guacamole!

Other than that, throw the toys out and let the kids play. Kids love inspecting each other's toys. You'll have fun watching them and chatting about how cute they are!

S.,

Two year olds have the attention span of a gnat. Don't set your expectations too high.

Keep it simple. I would keep it to an hour, maybe AFTER nap time?

Ask the other mom if there are food allergies for serving snacks. You don't want a problem on your hands. At two - it's not like they are really "in" to anything, right? Go to the park. Have carrots or some other easy veggie with drinks.

KISS method - Keep It Simple Silly. Don't over plan. They are TWO!!!

They're two - they're not going to play WITH each other as much as play NEAR each other. Keep your expectations low.

Snacks - whatever your kid normally snacks on.

For 2 year olds? 2 hours max.
Have some snacks, drinks, etc.
If it's nice, go to a park.

Keep it short. Don't pull out all the toys, a handful at a time will do. I would keep snacks easy and familiar- pretzels, goldfish, fruit, yogurt, bananas, toast, cheese. I offer any adult that steps into my house their choice of coffee, tea, or wine, even if it is 10 in the morning. :)

Best,
F. B.

Play, just pull toys out.

Snacks- ask the mom what her child eats. I know that my son, we do no Dyes, chocolate, gluten etc.. so make sure what you serve has the other childs diet in mind. Typically safe are fresh fruits, cheese and yogurt.

Just let the kids play, it should be fun.

I hope you know that kids this age are very, very likely NOT to play "with" each other for more than a few moments at a time. Now, and for quite a while to come, young children do "parallel play" as someone mentioned below. Please be aware of this so you do not get stressed when your child seems to be ignoring her "guest" and so on. The post indicates you are out to provide some ideal and perfect play date experience, and that just isn't realistic. Please don't push the kids to play together or share everything, every moment, when that's just not something that they're developmentally capable of at this age and stage.

Expect to see fusses, to see one kid jerk a toy away from another, to see the kids not play together much or at all. It's really no big deal. If those things don't happen, that's great, but your expectations seem pretty high. If you're not already up on typical two year old behaviors and age-appropriate expectations for two-year-olds, consider reading up on it.

Specific tips: Be sure your kid is well rested and most of all, keep your kid's "lovey" toys --the one she sleeps with and the ones that comfort her when she's upset -- away from the other child. Lock them up for the play date time. A kid can go ballistic pretty quickly if she sees another child holding HER own precious lovey. Otherwise, just monitor both kids and if fusses start, distract, distract, distract -- do not expect them to make up any fusses, just distract each of them separately with something new.

nothing to nail, hon. 2 year olds are notorious plan-wreckers! so calm your expectations way, way down. for starters, calling it a playdate sets up an unrealistically high bar. 2 year olds don't play together. on a good day you'll get some periods where they play in proximity to each other and DON'T bash each other with their toys or roar in fury because someone has touched something that belongs to somebody else.
don't expect them to play together.
don't expect them to share.
don't offer them fancy snacks. if you want to pinterest up something for the other mom, that could be fun, but the kids won't be impressed. crackers and grapes will be fine.
and keep it short. an hour, two at the most, will probably do for the kids. be prepared to remove toys that are overly desired by all, and for meltdowns. hopefully the other mom is chill, and will have realistic expectations for what 2 year old 'friends' can do together.
the main connection here will be between you and the other mom.
khairete
S.

Meet at a public place where the kids can play and have fun that is age appropriate. Then you don't have to worry about stuff. If you are tired of the other person or the kids aren't playing well you can leave.

You DO realize 2 year old kiddos are not going to play together right?

It's not a developmental stage they've reached yet. They might notice each other a bit but they won't play together at all. Side by side play is mostly what kiddos this age do.