Birthday Party

dragossoul84

For the moms that have already had their LO birthday party what are some things you wish you thought of or that you would have done differently? I am getting ready for Alex's birthday and I'm getting anxious about it. I already had friends of MIL ask to come that I wasnt expecting which is great more people that love DS the better but with the list I was expecting already doubled. I was thinking of doing cheeseburgers, pasta salad, chips, watermellon, smash cake for Alex and cupcakes for the adults. I feel like I need more food maybe like some jello etc?

acbfreire

I almost wish we did not have a party. DD did not enjoy it at all. She cried the whole time... She was way over stimulated.

amex0107

There's not a way we could have done it differently, but I really wished I could have stayed home & gotten my not-so-good napper to take his morning nap.  He had a meltdown halfway through the party, so we had to speed things up & take him home.  He's typically pretty good throughout the day when he doesn't nap, but it must have been all the people.

Anyways, we had a simple party in the park with about 30 friends & family.  I had to get to the park hours beforehand to save a spot & set up as well.  We had pizza, pasta salad, cookies, & cake.  We had more than enough food.  But it's best to have more than enough right?  Everything went smoothly, besides the meltdown.

Good luck!

jess9802

We had DS's party today.

Menu-wise, we had pulled pork sliders, pigs in a blanket, potato salad, chips and dip, fruit and veggie trays, and no bake cookies in addition to the cakes. We served lemonade and iced tea for drinks. We had a lot of food but got lots of compliments on how good everything tasted. I think your menu sounds pretty good, though I'd personally add some more fruit and some veggies.

Otherwise, the party was fun. DS actually did really well, other than crying when we sang happy birthday to him. There were two other babies there (11 mos and 9.5 mos old), and my MIL set up some water tables for them on the back patio and they had a BLAST splashing the water. 

Daisy22

Make sure you do it at a time that is good for him. It makes a world of difference. 

I think your menu is fine and sounds good. Remember to have fun and try to relax.  

mountainkimi

We did DD's party at 3pm which was perfect since it was after nap time. She was fine through the whole thing. No melt downs or anything.

We had WAY TOO MUCH food. I think what you have sounds fine. We were eating leftovers for a week. We had 50 people and had- baked ziti, marinated chicken, 4 foot sub, tossed salad, fruit platter cake, and 3 appetizers(cocktail meatballs, tortilla chips and homemade salsa, veggies and dip). I ended up throwing away a bunch we didn't eat after a week. Try not to go oevrboard or it will be a waste.

I agree with try to relax and have fun. I was running around always doing something. I find its much more fun to go to a party than host one. But DD only turned 1 once, so it was important to me to celebrate it. Everyone had a good time-including me. I just didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as I would have liked.

abbyhannah8

DD was just so overwhelmed the entire time! She only wanted to be held by me, dh, or my mom, she was pretty standoffish with everyone else! She was exhausted even though we did the party after nap time! She cried during the smash cake and overall was just not into it! 

Sigir

Number one most important thing... Make sure they nap long and hard before the party. That was my top priority of the day and it made all the difference.

Get double the amount of plates and forks you think you need. Then double it again. People used fresh new plates for second servings and I was not expecting that. Thank goodness my mil brought her party box and had extras. I bought one pack of fancy plates and the rest plain white chinet. You can always use any extra at another time. This was my biggest error.

Resign yourself to the fact that this party is not going to be fun for you. My dh calls me negative, but I like to think I am realistic. I was running around the entire party. It does not help that I am pregnant, but I was exhausted. I would suggest celebrating your dc's bday in a smaller way w your dh and any other kids first.. That you will really enjoy. The party is just plain work. You'll feel happy when it's over that everyone had a good time, but it will have its moments.

How many people are you having? We had about 30, and if you are having a group that big i would some things. I would add a green salad to your menu. Easy healthy option. Also add either hot dogs or chicken... Not everyone likes cheeseburgers and they are easy to throw on a grill. But if you are having 10 to 15 you are probably good as is.

dragossoul84

We moved down to this state less than a year ago and I'm a SAHM so I havent met many people we are only going to have 14 people I was only expecting 7 lol. I do like the idea of a salad though I was already on the fence about it so thats a great suggestion.

emberlee3

I kept DD's party really simple.  It was just us, my parents, and my good friend and her 3 year old.  I invited another family that we are friends with, but they were out of town.  It was awesome that it was so small.  I planned the party for 4 pm so DD could have her afternoon nap.  She must have been in party mode already, because she only slept for about 30 minutes.  With the party being small and at home, she ended up having a great time--no meltdowns! 

My menu was similar to yours: burgers, cole slaw, watermelon, chips, cupcakes.  

Have fun, and don't stress!

clhali

My favorite menu item was the toddler appetizer tray! I had squeeze packs, puffs, yogurt melts and fruits for the 1 2 year olds.