Second birthday parties

Just like the first birthday party, clever themes, elaborate decorations or children’s entertainment will be lost on your two year old. Although your child has come along way since that first birthday party, he can still become tired and overwhelmed, and the last thing you need is tantrums from all the party guests.

The main difference between the first and second birthday party is that your toddler can now talk in a few sentences and understands a lot more. Even though he can express his feelings about what he wants to do for his birthday, it’s probably best to either give him a limited choice, for example, “Do you want a Thomas the Tank Engine cake or a Dora cake?” rather than giving him the choice and ending up trying to make a cake with his favorite nursery teacher’s face on it (which is what he really wanted!).

Here are gurgle’s top tips on creating the perfect second birthday party for your toddler:

- Consider buying paper plates, cups and table clothes so at the end of the party you can throw everything away with minimal fuss and mess for you when you’re frazzled at the end of the day.

- Don’t go overboard on food, and avoid junk food and salty snacks. Instead choose nutritious food that’s easy to prepare, such as carrot sticks, simple sandwiches and plain chips that all kids like. Dips and pita bread are great too.

- Making your own cake may be terrifying, but if you stick to a simple recipe and design at least you will know exactly what went into the cake and won’t have to worry about nuts or too much sugar.

- Put plastic mats down underneath the table to protect the floor from food and drink spillages.

- Games like pass-the-parcel and musical bumps work well with two year olds. Try putting small individual party favors in between each layer of giftwrap.

- Schedule the party for about 3.30-5.30pm, when most two year olds have had their naps.

- Consider putting a travel cot in an upstairs room in case any children, or younger brothers and sisters need to sleep.

- Keep the numbers down – your two year old will not be able to handle too many guests and may become overwhelmed or overtired.

- Children will still need to be accompanied by their parents at this young stage, so remember to cater for adults too!

Keep party bags simple if you’re planning to have them. Check out online bookstores for bundled toddler story books, crayons and coloring books.

- If your child gets heaps of presents, put some away for when he is bored in a few weeks and will appreciate them more.

- Consider giving a little present to siblings to stop them from feeling left out.

- Give an older sibling some responsibility – you could assign him to hand out the party bags at the end, or have him carry the cake into the party to help him feel more grown-up.

Hot tip Be mean! Before the age of about four or five your child probably won’t ask for a particular present so keep it simple and cheap while you can. Soon they’ll be writing lists out for you with details of all the things they want!

Why not leave a message about this on our chat forum to get ideas from other parents. Find out what they did and get tips on what did or didn't work!

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 11/07/2007

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