Sharing a Party Between Son and Daughter

My two youngest have birthdays five days apart. We have done shared birthday parties and separate birthday parties. The shared ones are usually larger and if they have separate ones they are usually only with a couple of kids.

We don't do large birthday parties every year for every child. Having four kids that would get too expensive. So they take turns having the big party, and for the kids who don't have the big party, we do separate family parties on the evening of their birthday or something else special for them, like letting them have one or two friends over for a sleepover.

My sister and I have birthdays six days apart. When we were growing up, we didn't have many parties at all, we couldn't afford them. My mom always did something special for us on our own birthday. When we got older and moved away from home, we started celebrating our birthdays together. We would get together whenever convenient and have a nice dinner together.

my sister did the roller rink for her two kids, boy and girl. it worked out great. one cake though.

A.,
you really do 'get' more for your dollar per child as a huge unit ...
Kids just want gifts and fun ....... Do the huge skate rink , swim party/ zoo party anything ....
Why would any child ' complain'?......
Simply make sure parents of party goers understand party of 2 children . [ they can get solely a girly gift or a cool boy gift or a together big gift]
i vote 1 big party w/ tons of fun ....
Now; if it were sweet 16 [ different answer]
and so on ......

My daughters were born 5 days apart. They have had their parties togeather since they were 2 and 4. They would not have it any other way. What do your kids say about having a party togeather? Maybe you should ask them and their ideas.

My son and daughter are 2 weeks shy of being 2 yrs apart.
Every other year they have a shared party and the next they have seperate. They enjoy both. The shared is usually at our house with many kids and adults while when they have seperate they have it at a location of there choice.

We had a "survivor" party for my son and daughter at around the same age. We set up tents and provided t-shirts for the 2 teams. We had many competitions like a pie eating contest with a gummy worm on the bottom, relays,created a giant survivor puzzle they had to put together in a certain amount of time. You can come up with different water games also. It was a great time for each team. You can find all sorts of theme decorations at the party store that will create an island look (hawaiian hangings, tiki torches...) . It was one of the best parties they shared... too bad they become teenagers and can't have fun anymore!

I would ask the kids what they want. I personally like doing them separate because it makes them feel special that it's just for them. But ask the kids. Tell them your ideas for all the options and let them decide. If you're up to doing it either route then leave it up to the kids and do what they'd like.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Hi,

I say that shared parties are great. My kids now 6 and 4 have always had shared parties. Their birthdays are less than one month apart and yes sharing the party was easiest for me. We usually do a backyard BBQ with a moon bounce and they love it (summer birthdays). I have the kids pick the theme and they share the cake as well. The cake is theme related, has both their names on it but a number candle to represent each. We have never had a complaint from the kids and I figure as long as they are happy we will keep doing it. We do celebrate their individual birthday as well. On their actual birthday the child chooses what or where we have dinner and they get a birthday cake. I think the previous poster who suggested the "survivor" idea was great, especially for the older kids. You have many good ideas, the splitting the day is very creative as well.
Good Luck

My brother and I have our birthdays a week apart and we were in the same grade. I remember a couple of shared parties, down to the sheet cake being split down the middle by a line of blue icing w/ a Smurf on 1 side and Smurfette on the other. I don't remember minding too much as a kid, especially since we ended up sharing all big moments. When we were older, we got separate weekends to celebrate. Now, having 2 kids myself, I understand that sharing the birthday made life much easier for my parents.

So I vote for 1 party. Get it over and done : )

I don't see the problem with having one party. You can find a variety of ways to make it special for each child. I have a twin brother and we always had joint parties. Sometimes we had our own cakes, sometimes we had a joint cake with half decorated for me and half for him. Sometimes we even got a joint gift if it was something a bit more expensive that we both could enjoy. I will tell you, I have never felt deprived in any way because I didn't have a celebration that was all my own. My parents did a good job of using our shared birthday to teach us that there could be 2 special events on the same day and to focus on what was important - enjoying the company of family and friends. I actually thought sharing a birthday was special in itself. I think all of your ideas are good ones. As far as which option to choose, you might want to narrow your options by what you think you can best handle, which one is a good fit for your budget, etc. Or you could run them by your kids and let them decide. Whatever you decide to do have a great time!

I would ask them if they'd like to share O. large party...they probably will!