Tip For Planning Your Kid's 2nd Birthday Party

Although many will say the “twos are terrible,” this age can actually be a ton of fun! The birthday parties can be great fun as well!

I’ve never seen a child be more obsessed with one item more than my son is with cars. If it has 4 wheels, Parth will immediately become obsessed! So obviously, we had to throw a Cars themed birthday party for our Parth. Let me tell you, he had the best time .

Since a kids’ party is likely filled with lots of grownup friends and family members too, you want to cater to both the kiddos and the adults in attendance. It’s all about striking the balance between stylish party and kid-friendly festivity. Check out my tips and some of the details from Parth’s birthday party below.

The Invitations: Sending party invitations via email is usually my go-to these days. My husband Pundlik and I choose car theme invitation and send it to the guests. But, if you want, you may choose to send out paper invitations to your guests. If you’re not as crafty, there are so many other cute kids’ party invitations on sites like Minted or ETSY.

The venue: Instead of hosting a celebration outside, we choose to celebrate it in our home. Also, we realized that by doing this it was more cost effective than renting a hall, an entertainer, or having a big party with tonnes of people. We liked the intimate size, and although we would have loved to do it at home.

Party planning:

Timings: We started the party at 11 am and were finished just after noon. The perfect amount of time for a child’s party, and just before nap time.

Most toddlers are still taking an afternoon nap, so take this into account when party planning. For example, my son usually naps from around 1-3pm, so the best timing for us to have a party was either in the morning at 11am or in the afternoon at 4 pm. I personally don’t like kids evening or night birthday Parties. I saw it in most of the parties that kids get exhausted, cranky at the time of cake cutting. I mean it’s their day, the celebration is all about them and it’s not good to exhaust them for the sake of our enjoyment. Anyway, it’s everyone’s personal choice.

Decorations: Although a theme isn’t necessary for a toddler party, it might make things more fun and easier to plan if you have a vision in mind. If your child has a favorite animal, toy, or character, you can choose a theme around that and plan food, decor, and maybe even some activities around it. We did a car theme for my son’s second birthday.

When you think kids’ party, cheesy store-bought decor might be the first thing that comes to mind.  But if you are good at crafting then you definitely try some DIY ideas. The joy of doing everything yourself is just awesome.

We did all the decoration at home. Balloon garland, Name train, photo frame everything. You will get some ideas from these pictures.

Eats and Treats: For me, the food is the main focal point of the party. I absolutely love planning a party menu. It always gets a little tricky when you are feeding a crowd.

When I got married, I started cooking and baking a lot more. I prepared an Indian lunch for guest. It includes Chapati, kadai paneer, Veg Kurma, Veg Pulav, Dal fry and Plain Rice for kids. And I loved that everyone enjoyed it.

But as everyone knows, the very best part of a birthday party is the cake!  After becoming mom, I started the tradition of baking an cake on my son’s birthday.

Who knew that I would one day make my son feel proud of me by baking a birthday cake. He was so happy after seeing his favorite cars on the cake. His smile and giggles made my day.

 Here is a cake that I made for Parth’s birthday. If you need any tips for cake decoration, do let me know.

Photos: Even if you are opting to celebrate with immediate family only instead of throwing an all-out bash, I would highly recommend planning a little photo shoot with everyone . Having beautiful photos to commemorate the milestone that is your little one’s birthday will be the best gift you all will get.

 Based on the enjoyment on my son’s face, I’d say it was a successful party. I received many compliments from guests about the decorations, as well as, food and cake.  After all the hard work Pundlik & I put in, it was all worth.

Do you have any tips for throwing an epic kids party of your own?

Please share them with me below! I’m already starting to plan Parth’s 3rd birthday in my head. :)

SIDS Prevention Tips

SIDS is something that every parent fears, but there are ways to reduce the risk of SIDS for your new baby. While these SIDS prevention tips are not a guarantee, they are precautions worth taking to keep your baby safe.

How to Reduce the Risk of SIDS
Babies between the ages of two to four months are most vulnerable to SIDS, but you should take steps to protect your baby at least for the first year of life. Let’s take a look at different ways that you can reduce the risk for your little ones.

Make sure that your baby’s mattress and sheet fit the crib snugly.

It’s important that your baby’s crib fit tightly into the crib without leaving gaps or holes in the corners. The sheet should fit tight so that there is no risk of the corners popping off and preventing the risk of suffocation for your baby. While these measures aren’t necessarily connected to SIDS, they are critical to a safe sleep environment for your baby.

Avoid Soft Sleeping Surfaces
Soft or loose bedding can increase the risk of suffocation and SIDS. Newborns should not be placed on top of pillows, quilts, comforters or thick-blankets.
It’s best to use a safety-approved, firm crib mattress that’s waterproof on the outside with a fitted sheet to increase safety. Never sleep with your infant in an armchair or sofa.

No Soft Objects or Loose Bedding in the Crib
To help prevent SIDS, all soft objects such as pillows, soft toys, quilts, blankets, and comforters shouldn’t be in a sleeping baby’s crib. In quite a few SIDS cases, infants are found with soft coverings over there head. They are also found in the prone position on top of a pillow or soft toy.

 Best alternative many parents prefer is a baby sleep sack. These are designed to keep a newborn warm without the risks associated with covering their head

Don’t let your Baby get Too Hot or Too Cold
Too much bedding or clothing, or a room that is too hot can be dangerous for a newborn. They don’t need a really hot room, try to keep the temperature at about 65 F.
Don’t worry if an infant’s hands or feet are cool to the touch. This is normal but if they’re sweating or their tummy is hot, remove some clothing or bedding. In summer, your newborn might not need any bedding other than a sheet.
Remember, babies lose excess heat through their heads so don’t let a baby’s head be covered when they’re sleeping. A fan in a warm room has also been shown to help reduce the risk of SIDS.

Keep Infants in Same Room but Different Bed
Although you may be tempted to sleep in the same bed for convenience sake, it’s best to avoid it. Baby can get trapped in bedding or may accidentally be rolled on when sleeping at night. If you sleep in the same bed as your baby, it increases your chances of SIDS.
If you want to be close to your baby, put the crib right next to your bed so you’re within arms reach. There are many products on the market intending to make co-sleeping safer, but unfortunately, no studies have been done to prove the safety of these products.