It is natural as
parents to want our children to enjoy themselves as much as possible. And when
more than at their birthday party?! All this stress and pressure to have a good
time can often lead to tears and frustration, and I don't just mean for your
kids (I think I've cried for one reason or another at just about every party
I've had)! So I decided to push my anxiety a side and plan a
birthday party for my 6 and 3 year old that I thought they'd truly enjoy. If
you too are embarking on the planning of one of these much anticipated events I
have compiled a few lists of things I think will help so that your little one
has the time of his or her life, so that your nerves stay intact and you might
actually enjoy the experience! But let me preface this by saying, even if you do everything right there
still might be tears. The important thing is to stay positive and remember this
is a celebration however bizarre it might turn out!
Guide to Planning the Party:
Theme of the moment. Think about a
theme or themes that makes your child happy right now. I say right now because
we all know that our children's interests seem to change on almost a weekly
basis. So try not to plan the party too far in advance, a month is a good amount
of time. Whether it is Thomas the tank engine or Barbie go with whatever makes
them happy and try not to get caught up in how much you like the theme. The
theme can be incorporated into games, decorations, costumes, party bags, food,
cake, invitations and activities. For example if you have a super hero theme
one of the activities can be decorating a cape with stickers and glitter. This
will not only help on the decision making for all these areas but also help you
stick to a consistent color theme (example: red and blue for Spiderman). I may
be all for making the kids happy but nothing wrong with a party that's
aesthetically pleasing too!
Planning the food. No matter what time of day you have
your party, children always need to eat! The first rule of planning food for a
party though is getting rid of any guilt you may have if you decided not to
bake all your own food! I promise you its okay! If you do decide to cook, try
not to kill yourself because it is unlikely you'll be able to keep the party
goers attention long enough for them to really eat a meal and what is most
important is that you have energy to play with your toddler throughout his or
her special day. Whether making at home our buying in go for two types of
dishes: Intensely nutritious foods combined with intensely naughty!
Even better if you can combine the nutritious with the delicious (see the
cupcake recipe below). Some other ideas are chocolate covered fruit, chocolate
covered pretzels, pineapple chunks w/ cheddar cubes on a toothpick, mini
anything from sliders to mini-pizzas to catch the toddler's attention. If you
can make the display enticing by placing the carrot sticks in a happy face
shape for example, all the better to grab the children's interest. Anything to
get a bit of food in before their blood sugar dips too low and crankiness sets
in. Also, be sure to have enough sensible beverages around but definitely stay
away from sparkling drinks. But while it is important to try and pack those
vitamins in I do also think there are a few days a year (at least) when we
should literally let our wee ones eat cake and don't fall victim to people
giving you a hard time about this....as my Mother in Low would say cake is an
essential food group!
Timing. Make sure the party isn't too long so
that the kids don't get over tired. I would say anymore than 2 hours is too
long. I also advise having the parties earlier in the day so that the
anticipation of the day doesn't get the best of your toddler (or you). Early
parties also leave time for a necessary nap in the afternoon even if your wee
one has dropped their usual nap.
Don't over or under schedule the party. Let free play
first while all the children arrive and then the activities. I suggest planning
a certain amount of time doing each thing - 15 to 30 minutes; an activity is
usually long enough with singing and cake/cupcakes as the grand finale.
Presents. if you can manage it I suggest waiting
till after all the children have left to open the presents. It is hard for the
other toddlers to not want to play with the new toys and this can be doubly
hard on the birthday girl or boy. Sharing is always tough but with new presents
even tougher. I've learned from experience that it’s a bit much to ask and no
one wants to spend a birthday disciplining. Why not have a table out of the way
at the party where guests can leave presents and only bring them to your wee
one's attention after everyone has left. It will be a nice activity for the
second half of the day.
Gift Bags. gift bags are a nice touch at the end
of a party but you don't have to go crazy with spending a lot of money.
Stickers, crayons, coloring books go along way and can be themes just like the
party. Be sure not to fill the bag with anything that could be a choking hazard
as toddlers often have younger siblings. Do make sure you make a few extra gift
bags though in case people bring brothers and sisters.
Keeping track of the gifts. Do try and
keep track of who gave your toddler what. However, don’t let perfection get in
the way of good intention and if you don’t manage to do so just make sure to
send a thank you note to everyone even if you aren’t exactly sure what they
gave as a gift. When you are writing the thank you cards it is my policy that
if you are writing to the parents then it should be from you (with perhaps a
nice wee scribble or masterpiece depending on how you are looking at it, from
your toddler), and if it is to the children then it should be from the child
even if you are writing it.
Rules to Surviving the Party:
Make sure to give your wee one a large healthy breakfast. I’m a
big fan of oatmeal because it is likely their next meal will be icing based!
Don't force your toddler to take part in party activities. It
will make them anxious and they will join in when they feel ready and with the
right amount of positive encouragement. Sometimes it can all be overwhelming so
give them time to adjust to all the people and all the hype.
Be sensitive to your guest’s allergies and ask people to notify
you if there is one you should be aware of.
If you are inviting children from your toddler’s nursery either
invite all in their class or less than half to avoid any feelings of being left
out by other children.
Plan a relaxing afternoon post party activity and even if your
toddler no longer takes a nap go for a stroller ride or car ride to get them to
take a snooze and get their energy back.
Keep some of the snacks your toddler likes in your bag just in
case they need an emergency dose. You never know when the all that icing might
even be too much for them.
Most of all don’t’ worry if it doesn’t go according to plan, it
almost certainly won’t. Just say positive and remember no matter what this is
your toddler’s special day and quiet simply you are just happy to be able to
spend it together.
Here’s a great recipe
for delicious red velvet cupcakes that are also packed with goodness, but
remember from one crazy busy mother to another, don’t feel guilty if you just
decide to buy them instead. Enjoy!
RED VELVET BEET CUPCAKE RECIPE
Ingredients 3/4 cup beet purée 1/4 cup milk 1Tablespoon whole plain yogurt 1
Tablespoon good balsamic vinegar 2 large eggs 1/2 cup melted butter or canola
oil 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or you can use vanilla bean infused
milk) 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup flour 3/4 cup alkali free dark cocoa (60%+) 1
teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup
crushed walnuts 1/4 cup crushed flax seeds To Make Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine dry ingredients and set aside
Combine wet ingredients and mix in mixer until smooth
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly and mix until
incorporated
Place batter in ungreased cupcake pans with cupcake liners
Cook at 350 degrees 15-18 minutes until toothpick comes out
clean
Top with cream cheese frosting
Makes 18 cupcakes
To Make Beet Purée
If you use fresh beetroot cook them in the water first and then
trim ends, scrub the peel off the beet, dice and puree.
To Make Cream Cheese
Frosting:
Take 2 packages of cream cheese place in bowl and mix with a
mixer until whipped
Add 2 tablespoons of vanilla and beat until smooth
