Toddler Party Ideas

Birthday parties can be very difficult to plan for toddlers age 3 and under. Toddlers can be very temperamental and shy. They probably have a very distinct personality at this age and display it very openly with you, but maybe not with others. Typically at this age, toddlers do not have a large collection of friends to invite to a party and they may not have preferences of cartoon characters or other defining characteristics that would make it easier to plan a party.

Invite over your immediate family for a simple party. Make it very fun and a little messy. Perhaps you could make ice cream sundaes or decorate cookies with your toddler. Toddlers love to get messy and eat sugary treats, so this combines both of these elements. With your family at the party, you don’t need to be afraid to ask them to help clean up either!

Toddler parties should be all about the child whose party is being thrown. Be sure that if they do have a favorite cartoon character you incorporate that character into the party as much as possible with the decorations, invitations, outfits, and jumpers that you may have at your party. Creating a fun atmosphere will be vital to having a great toddler party.

Keep the timeframe short for a toddler party. Toddlers generally get a little cranky as the day wears on. A couple hours is probably an appropriate timeframe for a toddler party. Keeping the party short will help you avoid having crabby toddlers. You also want your child to avoid feeling overwhelmed at their party so they will continue to look forward to their birthday party every year.

Be sure not to have a strict timeline for the birthday party. Let your child determine what they want to do with their own party. To a certain degree you want your party to be flexible so that the child feels that this is THEIR party, not their parents’ party. Also, opening presents in front of everyone is difficult for children in the toddler ages. Many of the kids who are standing around watching will want to go into the fray and start playing with the toys. It is best to open them afterward, or with a smaller group of people.

Whichever option you may decide for a toddler birthday party, try to keep it relatively low-key. You will be happy when your toddler has a special day for their birthday and you will also not be stressed out!