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Let’s say you are planning a small family gathering for your kid, who is turning 2. Still, now that you are in a play group, your kid has been invited to all of the other kids’ two-year old birthday parties. Should you change your party plan and invite the toddlers from the play group and their parents to join your family celebration, have two separate parties, one for friends and the other for family, or keep with your original plan?
Given this particular scenario with a two year old, the kid will not remember the birthday and so keeping with your original plan will not take anything away from your kid.
If you feel like you must have a party for all of the play group friends, then the idea of either a separate or joint party from or with the family is a consideration. One of the best ways to evaluate if this is a reasonable option is to look at how much time and money you have this year to either coordinate two celebrations or host one big party. Of course, the combined party will be less expensive, but will require a lot of time to organize, and you will also have to consider all of the adults who will be attending with their kids as well.
A good compromise may be to have a mini-party at the play group one day around your kid’s birthday. Bring is a sweet treat, such as cupcakes, play a game or two or lead the kids in making a craft, and give them a small goody to take home with them. It will be low-key, but a fun celebration. This way, your kid gets to include his friends in his celebration, and you also get to stick with the original family celebration.
As kids get older, this scenario will inevitably change. As kids learn about other friends having parties, they may also really want a party on a given year that you weren’t expecting to organize. Here is where you may really consider it because your kid is directly asking. During the years where the kids will not remember a thing, make sure to do what is best for you, your budget, and time allotment.
