2 year old birthday party suggestions please archived

Turtle Back Zoo?

We had mr. Ray when my youngest was 2. (Her older sisters were turning 6 & 8, so it worked out well.)

For the oldest, we did a backyard party with an Elmo character (what?! It was 1998!). It was a brunch for the adults/bagels for the kids kind of thing. (Number 2 was a few weeks old at the time.)

For number 2 we did a circus theme party. They each had their own banner to decorate, I served them individual "baskets" of food-- fries, veggie dogs/hot dogs/fish sticks, etc. They decorated party hats, etc. It was cute.

Think outside the box! You can find lots of ideas online nowadays. If that's not your thing, Stories in Motion is great (and local). They incorporate lots of fun things.

There's a train museum in Whippany off Route 10. My son LOVED it at age two. Maybe they do parties?

Two year olds are basically happy to be any where.... a room of toys and a small snack is usually enough. How about the local park/playground with bagels, fresh fruit ( grapes, cut watermelonpieces, cantalope) cupcakes and juice packs? Tis is all it takes for them to have fun .You could get a large coffee dispenser from Dunkin Donuts for the parents and extra bagels and stuff if you would like to offer them something to eat also.

Corey

Wait till you have to decide on a place for a 13yr old....then it gets harder lol Enjoy the day wherever you end up celebrating!

Can't suggest anything for a two year old party unless you have older children and/or guests and the party is really for them. My philosophy was you did a one-year old party for the relatives/friends and yourself because getting past that first year is important for many reasons and then no more parties until the kid is old enough to ask for one, which would be no earlier than three. If you're in a playgroup then have some cupcakes. Two year olds do not appreciate the concept of parties and personally I think it's a waste of time and money. You're better off banking that money for future parties or donating it to charity. Sorry if I sound harsh but please you don't want to do what is all the rage and care what two year olds or their parents think of this?

My neighbor always wanted to be the one to do it up big from the day that her daughter was born. Her daughter and mine were 3 weeks apart- For her child's 2nd birthday she had a pony at her house to give the children pony rides. My 3 year old was okay with the pony but my neighbor's two year old screamed herself silly...my own 2 year old was not too keen on the pony either. I always had a family party and invited my neighbors but my children did not have actual children's parties until they were 4 years old and in pre-school. They would not have remembered them!
ciao,
b

I'm pretty much w/ Wendy...if it's important to you, go for it, but the kid will likely not care much - maybe at three - yes at 4. For sure cupcakes/singing/blowing out a candle is fun for every age. just my 2 cents.

A two-year-old's birthday party is similar to a one-year-old's -- it's really more for the adults than for the kids. A two-year-old really doesn't understand what is going on, but they are more able to appreciate being the center of attention, getting to eat birthday cake, and getting presents. I think it's more fun than the first birthday party.

For my daughter's second birthday a few weeks ago, we just had a party at home, out in the backyard. Other kids attending ranged in age from newborn to 7. My daughter didn't really know most of the kids except for one little girl who is in her playgroup, and that's who she wanted to hang around and play with. She has a Little Tikes playhouse, mini kitchen and washer/dryer that we put out in the yard along with a few ride-on toys which the other kids happily played with. I also ordered a bunch of inflatable beach balls in different animal shapes and some mini bubble bottles from Oriental Trading, which the kids played with during the party and then were allowed to take home with them as favors. We ordered falafel from Beyond Pita in Montclair for the adults, and pizza for the kids.

In retrospect, I'd say go ahead and have the party but keep it low key -- try to confine the guest list to close family and other kids your child knows well. (Of course, there is the issue of reciprocity for any birthday parties your kid has already attended. Two moms I know well are no longer speaking to each other because of a non-reciprocated birthday party invitation.)

A firehouse party is generally a big hit with all ages. The kids get to sit in the firetruck and help spray the hose, and all the guys at the fire station are always super nice. They will do a demo of how they look in their fire gear, which is really great for familiarizing the kids with what they look like in case of an emergency. But I wonder if it wouldn't be too much for 2-year-olds, and if you couldn't discuss with them an alternative to tone it down a bit. Then you can go across the street to the Civic House in Memorial Park and have pizza and cake. And when the kids leave, they can stop at play at the playground. And it's super cheap.

That being said, I agree that a 2-year-old party would be more for adults than for kids. Low key and quick would probably do the trick for the kids. They really don't need much. Just did a party for my youngest who just turned four, and it was mostly a glorified playdate. This was his first year having a party with his little friends--prior to this it was always family and good family friends, adults and children. Only invited like 5 kids (plus his two older brothers), put out the sprinkler and lots of buckets and tubs and water guns, they rode bikes and trikes and scooters, they played on the swings, had pizza and cake and busted open a pinata, and we were done.

Another big hit (with boys and girls alike), although I'm not sure about 2-year-olds, is a Build-A-Bear party at the store at Livingston Mall. Did this with my oldest two for their birthdays last fall. It's something like $25 per kid and they go home with a bear so you don't have to worry about favor bags. Then we had dinner at the Burger King upstairs. The managers there were very nice and helpful and accommodating.

If you choose the Build A Bear idea...know that Burger King is closed for renovation

Corey

We've used Orchard Park on DeHart Road in Maplewood. $25 gets you the key to the bathroom. Bring a cake, order some pizzas and eat on the picnic tables under the awning. Playground is perfect for younger kids. Cheap, fun, low key and familiar to little kids.

Other thing we like for younger ones is Stories in Motion. I've only been to home parties where they come, but they have a studio now.

I just had a birthday and my 4 year old kept asking "where is it going to be?". I think she wanted me to have my party at Diamond Gymnastics.

Posted By: wendynI just had a birthday and my 4 year old kept asking "where is it going to be?". I think she wanted me to have my party at Diamond Gymnastics.

LOL. That's even better than me recently having a birthday a few weeks after my daughter, and she was so excited that I was also turning two.

Yeah, my 6 year old told my 4 year old "mommy is going to be THIRTY NINE! For real!". :shocked:

Maybe I SHOULD have had my party at Diamond.

My kids never had b'day parties at 2 or 3. We had small get togethers with the grandparents, a few of our friends and their children, and a few neighbor kids all done in our kitchen. Not 'til they attended pre-school and began making friends did we organize b'day outside parties. Messy Artist was always a hit; did Chuck E. Cheese ONCE and then movie parties.