Simple Children's Birthday Parties

Celebrating my wee one’s births is important to me. Remembering when they made me a mother, and reflecting back on their life in the past year, telling them their birth stories, the history of their names and how they changed my life is my favorite part about this time. I love how their eyes light up when they are surrounded by friends and family. Unfortunately I feel like celebrations like this have been over commodified instead of more intimate and personal. I’ve had friends and loved ones feel the pressure to spend lots of money and over expend themselves in order to celebrate their children. We don’t do that here.

Planning

I often begin planning my summer babies birthday celebrations in January when the cold weather has me pining for summer. I make a pinterest board, consult the kiddo and learn their wants , create a wee budget, do my research and try to source any materials I need as frugally as possible. I do this because I spend a LOT of time thinking about the impact that our lives have on the Earth. I think of single use plastic sitting in landfills never decomposing. It was my choice to bring these kids onto this planet, and its my responsibility to do my part to take care of our home. Birthday celebrations are full of waste, single use plastic products, balloons, party favors filled with tiny crappy little plastic toys and stickers that kiddos lose and break almost immediately. I knew I did not want that for my family, so I have some rules I stick to when celebrating them.

Venue

I also try to have things be as free/ homemade as possible. All our parties are at home or at our local park down the street or at the local county splash pad. From ages 1-5 They will barely remember these parties and they are mostly for the grownups who love them to celebrate their birth. Summer birthdays are great in that you can turn on a sprinkler, pop some fruit on a platter with some cupcakes and call it a day. This year my oldest wants her party at the trampoline park down the street. There will be an overhead cost for renting the place, but im happy to do it since i’ve planned everything in advance and this is a party she will probably remember. Plus she will be 7! My big girl.

Decor and Cutlery

Everything should be as low waste as possible. I do this by searching for second hand items first as well as prioritizing reusable and sustainable items. I try to support small businesses as well. Of course there are exceptions to everything with in reason. Last year we ended up with a mother-load of plastic solo cups from a local event that were about to get chucked. I was very pregnant and happy to not have to buy compsotable cups or wash loads of dishes. I’d rather use those up than throw them away.

Think long term. We have a birthday ring and linen birthday banner that we reuse every year. My daughter loves going to bed and waking up to the table set especially for her with the banner, decorations, and her favorite breakfast. For her fifth birthday I made her a giant 5 out of cardboard, felt, and old faux flowers I asked asked for around town in our local buy nothing group. It was perfect and she loved it. When it was over, I passed it on to a family member with an upcoming 5 yo party with the promise that she would pass in on too. No balloon needed. We also have a large bubble maker, perfect for outdoor celebrations with little ones that we can share with our friends.

my greatest decor achievement to date. humbly began as a neighbors new refrigerator box.

I don’t do party favor bags. The end. Keeping birthday parties short and sweet is my go to, a maximum of two hours. Come in, eat, play, see ya! If I had a kiddo with a winter birthday that required us to be indoors, I might create some crafts for them to do together like decorate birthday cookies, make friendship bracelets or venture outdoors for ice skating.

Food

The cake is usually homemade. I’ve only outsourced it twice but no longer do that because we have family friends with dietary restrictions and I find it easier and cheaper to bake for them in my home. Last year my friend baked the cakes for me and I decorated them, so asking for help and delegating is helpful if you have a lot on your plate. Also I get a kick out of my botched attempts at decor of the cake. It’s the thought that counts ha ha.

We usually have the parties right after lunch but before dinner so no one is too ravenous. We just have lots of fruit and lemonade available since its scorching hot and everyone seems to be happy. I have a friend who lets her children dictate their entire day.

Toys

I use children’s birthday’s to invest in something they really want/ need thats a bit more costly vs getting a bunch of little cheap little things. I’m trying to teach my children that they are responsible for everything they bring into our home, so we need to be mindful as well. We live in a small home, and we don’t have a lot of room and can get easily overwhelmed by excess. We do seasonal decluttering and try to pass on items we no longer use before we bring anything else into our space. I also try to source things second hand if possible. She still has the wobble board, and toy kitchen we purchased / thrifted for her previous birthdays and those will go on to her brother but she got a lot of enjoyment out of them and they were not cheap. This year im thinking of a Yoto player for her as she LOVES podcasts and audio stories. If you have a Yoto player for your wee ones please let me know what you think about them.

Can’t throw a birthday party / Alternative ideas

Not everyone is surrounded by lots of friends and family / are on limited income. One way to celebrate your kiddo is to let them pick breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks for their birthday in advance, along with an activity of their choice like going to the book store to pick-out a book, or the aquarium etc etc. Make decor from things you have lying around the house like cardboard from cereal boxes and acrylic paint. This way the child gets to feel celebrated and you as a caregiver can budget or be prepared.