My mother-in-law and my daughter both have birthdays close to each other, i.e. two days apart. Given that my daughter is turning one, I would really like to have a special celebration just for her. Still, my MIL insists that we combine their birthdays and have one party to celebrate both of them. Is this appropriate? Are there any other alternatives?

It is natural to want to have a special birthday celebration for your daughter who is turning one. Still, it is understandable that the proud grandmother would also want to celebrate her birthday with her grand baby. If you really don’t want to celebrate them both at one party, then suggest that you have a party for your daughter, and then take your MIL out for dinner with the family. Although the party will revolve around your child, the dinner can celebrate and revolve around both your MIL and daughter, i.e. save the joint celebration for this gathering.

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It’s been a month since my kid’s birthday party, and I am just getting around to sending the thank you notes. Is it too late?

Never! The point is that you remembered, and better late than never! Enjoy writing them…it will be a pleasant reminder of appreciation for your guests!

Is it appropriate to place gift suggestions directly on the invitation? Some people say it’s rude, others think it is such a great idea. Is it appropriate or not? I would like to make specific suggestions, but don’t want to offend my friends.

With people being invited to so many parties today, times have changed. In our modern-day living, it is tough to find time to not only go out and purchase a gift, but also to think about an appropriate gift to give. Often, when people call to RSVP, they may ask the host parent what their child wants as a present to get an idea. Of course, that also takes remembering to ask.

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If you have tweens who are about to celebrate a birthday and you haven’t planned a party or a large celebration this year, a different alternative would be to give the money you have budgeted for this year’s celebration to your kid directly, and she can spend it on making her day special. As an example, if you have budgeted $50 for your child’s birthday celebration, give her this money in a decorated envelope directly for her to spend exactly as she wants to celebrate. Your kid may decide to spend it on a special outing with you or a friend, to enjoy a special meal, to buy some fun decorations for her bedroom, or on a special item she has wanted, i.e. they pick out their own birthday gift.

By providing your tween with cash will not only seem exciting and different, but also will teach a valuable lesson on how to manage the money in terms of “treating” herself for the day.

Looking for some more fun ideas to do with your party balloons? Have a Balloon Dare.

Using small pieces of paper, write age-appropriate dares on the paper. Some examples include, “Hug a teddy bear” or “Skip in a circle ten times,” etc. Whatever is fun and silly would be loads of fun, especially if it is a surprise! Sometime during the party, perhaps toward the end after cake and ice cream, have the kids each pop one balloon (have enough for each kid). Once they are popped, have the kids do their dare! It will be funny and fun to watch.

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I am hosting my kid’s birthday party at a specialty shop in a mall. I have been told by their management that we are allowed to bring out a traditional cake, light candles, and sing “Happy Birthday,” but we are not allowed to cut the cake, serve it, and eat it on their premises. As a result, my option is to trudge through the mall to the food court with ten 4-year-olds to sit down and serve the cake. I am concerned with moving the party like this. Should I be concerned, and are there any other alternatives?

It is understandable that the venue does not want the potential mess of the party’s cake serving. Simultaneously, a group of 4-year-old’s will be difficult to move to the opposite end of the mall for the cake serving, especially if you are the only adult at the party. If you have several adult helpers, getting the kids lined up and marching through the mall could go more smoothly than you first think, but you will need 2-3 other adults to move the group efficiently and quickly. If you decide to go this route, make sure to add in sufficient time to account for this shuffling of the party to another spot.

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Are you and your family out and about biking this spring? Is this a favorite activity that you think you may want to build a party theme around? Let’s face it: a biking party will be easy to plan since the main activity will be the kids riding their bikes around together! Still, you can spice up the fun by putting together an obstacle course, transforming regular bikes into party wheels with fun decorations, and much more.

A great resource for just such a party is FamilyFun.com’s Ultimate Bike Birthday Party plan. This guide describes activities, goody bag ideas, a yummy cake, and a very cool bike wheel card that you can make for the invitation. It is definitely worth taking a look at if you are organizing a spring biking fling!

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