My twin daughters, Liliah and Alexia, just had their 5th birthday party! It was pretty stressful throughout the party planning process but I learned so much that I can say with certainty I won’t be making the same mistakes again. I wanted to share tips, which will make your next birthday party as stress free as possible.
Food
I made a tray of sandwiches with cold cuts and cheese for the adults. I made PB&J sandwiches for the kids. Try to stay away from serving messy food because you want to avoid the cleanup of messy food everywhere. It is always important to ask if anyone has any food allergies or intolerance to certain foods when planning a party. Many parents would tell you about the allergy when they RSVP but it never hurts to ask!
Ideas for stress free snacks…
Kid’s cheese tray: Serve assorted cheese on a platter, i.e., mozzarella, white and yellow cheddar cheese are loved by most kids and some brands even package them already cut into fun shapes. You can also add cheese flavored snacks like goldfish crackers and Chex-Mix.
Fruit platter: You can buy these already prepared at any supermarket so that’s one less thing to prepare.
Freezer foods: You can also purchase appetizers like chicken nuggets, fish sticks, or mozzarella sticks in the freezer section of your local supermarket. Just bake an hour before the party starts and keep them in the oven at a low setting so they’re warm.
Party Games
I didn’t go crazy with the party games. Initially I planned on having quite a few games. I considered face painting, a piñata, or playing pin the tail on the donkey. The problem I had with doing all of these things was the stress factor. You’re trying to have a stress free party or as limited amount of stress as possible. Don’t give yourself a ton of things to micromanage. If you plan on having a variety of activities or games, ask parents to volunteer and host a few games. (This way you can hang back and take some photos of the fun!)
As an alternative, I had a photo booth kit, where kids and adults could take some silly photos. It was a huge hit with both the young kids and older kids. The younger kids were so excited to play with the balloons and each other that I doubt I would have been able to get any of them to play any party games anyway.
Photos
Plan to take your important photos at the start of the party. My daughters had a Princess Cinderella cake, with beautiful shades of blue and green. Of course after we had eaten the cake, we all realized that we should have taken our big family photo before we cut the cake. The dye from the cake did turn many of our mouths blue! It sure was a sight! So don’t forget to take your group photos before you cut the cake.
Overall, remember who the party is really for. You might not be able to give your child everything they want for their birthday party. I wasn’t able to buy real ponies for my daughters’ party. (Yes…My girls really did request ponies for their party!) There was no way that was going to happen unless I hit the lotto overnight!
Even though they didn’t get what they asked for, not once did they get upset about it. They had lots of hugs and kisses from Mom and their family and that is truly what made their party a success. So save yourself the stress and remember that your child will have a great party because you are there, not because of the things you buy them. 🙂
(For more tips about planning a birthday party for multiples, be sure to check out Joscelyn’s helpful article at http://www.examiner.com/article/celebrating-birthdays-with-multiples).
Have a Fun Planning Your Next Birthday Party!
Gabie Ocasio, Motivational Mami Contributor and Northeast Family & Travel Contributing Columnist
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Kids birthday parties can be very stressful and as parents we can forget to enjoy the moment because we are worried about everything else. Good tips!
Thank you Samantha!
Las dos princesitas se ven hermosas, el pastel con colores y diseño espectaculres. Me imagino todos disfrutando de una linda fiesta. Gracias por los tips que nos das, para cuando nos toque a nosotras.
Thank you Mayito. I’m glad you enjoyed the tips, and the party went well. My daughters loved it. 🙂