Birthday in a new city

Celebrating birthdays can be tough especially when you haven't just yet made a circle of friends who also have kids. There are many moments when you miss family and friends and celebrations are one of them. Though the last year has taught us that digital birthdays or celebrations are possible; the real ones have their own old-world charm (can't believe hosting parties the normal way has changed to the old world way in just a years time). 

Although birthdays can get stressful; I planned to use this opportunity to invite 4-5 kids to my house (considering the Covid guidelines) and throwing Ivaan a fun-filled birthday party. My son is still new to a birthday party concept simply because all his birthdays have been a vacation with his grandparents (baring last year where we were home-bound and managed a just zoom call). With all the planning and reading up on blogs to ensure kids enjoy the party, I think I overstressed. The result was good with a few mishaps which I will not detail out. What I will detail out are the To-dos which will make throwing another bigger party a breeze next year (for me).

1. Ask your kid if he wants a birthday party. If yes, anything he wants specifically. Most kids might just not have the whole theme idea in their head and that will save you tons of money and effort.

2. Ask the kid to name a few friends she/he may want to invite. Suggest names that you know about.

3. Plan the invite and send them out atleast 2 weeks in advance.

4. Buy the favor bags (return gifts). This can easily be done one week before and saves you last-minute runs to random shops and overspending. Look for gifts online but maybe a month in advance (to help you return them if needed).

5. Order the cake well in advance if you want something big and specific. Or bake your own cake (which is what I will do next time).

6. Plan games and prizes. Make sure you have planned 2-3 good games. Parcel in the parcel was fun for our lil ones. Musical chairs, dance&statue, dance on a paper and fold the paper when the music stops, etc are all fun games for a 5-10 year age group.

7. Plan the finger food but don't stress much. I noticed kids only stick to cupcakes and crisps. Maybe some fruits.

8. Have a few colorful drinks and attractive dinnerware (I used party paper plates and cups) for them to enjoy their food and drinks.

9. Buy your balloons and party decor. This is crucial for little kids to feel like it's a party.

10. Ensure you have some nice dress/clothes for the birthday girl/boy. 

11. Get confirmations and gently remind folks about the party 2 days in advance.

12. Just enjoy the mishaps and goof-ups. It's part of the process.

 

My son's birthday party was super fun even with just 5 kids in total. It was an effort, I will admit but the effort was all worth it. We all made some new friends in the process and this feeling of being at home started to sink in just a little. The next day was Sunday and we just ate cake and bread and binged on Netflix feeling super satisfied with our little one trying his new toys and our house still a little too messy mostly with ballons and happy vibes.