How to hold a toddler's birthday at home
Despite lockdown, birthdays still need celebrating, particularly those of the little ones in your life who likely have no idea what is going on and whose parties may have had to be cancelled. Here are some tips for making sure your toddler has a birthday to remember.
Home party decorations
If you are fed up of staring at the same four walls, then a child's birthday party is a great excuse to brighten up your home for the day by decking it out in some colourful decorations. You can make your own paper chains using spare magazines or newspapers. If you'd like to buy some party decorations, along with bunting and personalised banners, balloons are good fun – our store has a wide variety of arches and clouds for that extra special touch. If your child would like a themed party, we also have plenty of options to inspire you, with party set designs ranging from pirates to Peppa Pig. Bespoke bundles are also available so you can pick and choose exactly what you need for your bash.
Party games
A DIY birthday party for a two- or three-year-old would not be complete without party games to play. Pass the Parcel and Grandma’s Footsteps are always winners, even with just two or three players. Pin the Tail on the Donkey is another classic, and one that provides a chance for a pre-party craft session – get your toddler to help you colour in their donkey and tail to add that homemade touch to your stay at home party. If you're feeling creative, you could create a treasure hunt around your house and/or garden, with a treasure 'map', picture clues or puzzles. Our piñatas are always good fun too!
Take the celebrations online
While we are having to live under lockdown, many of us are turning to apps such as Zoom to help us stay connected with our friends and families, and if you are going to play games, why not get your child’s nursery friends involved via video conferencing? You could send invites via emails (and your child may get some virtual birthday cards in return!) Chaos will undoubtedly ensue if you try to play Musical Bumps or Grandma’s Footsteps online, but it will all be good fun. Story times and sing-a-longs may be a bit easier to manage and you can use the Netflix Party extension for kids to watch their favourite shows or films together. You could even send identical decorations by using our easy multi-ship function at checkout. Send to the ‘attendees’ to make everyone feel like they are in the same room, and send round an image for your guests to set as a funny Zoom background to fit with your theme (eg. a jungle or dinosaur scene). You could also share a Spotify playlist of children’s party tunes for everyone to play simultaneously, which will make for a kitchen disco like no other. If you would prefer to give the job of running the show to someone else, then there are companies, including JoJo Fun and Captain Fantastic, which are hosting online parties.
Party bags
Holding your child’s party online doesn’t mean you have to forgo party bags, even if they are just for your household or to send to a small number of your child’s friends. We sell a broad selection of party bags and fun items with which to fill them. Bubbles are always a popular gift for little ones. We’d also highly recommend finger puppets and sneaky snakes for party bags for pre-schooler children.
Bake a cake
Baking has become exceedingly popular during lockdown, and if you somehow manage to find some flour in the shops, have a go at baking a birthday cake from scratch. Kids can help with a bit of mixing and icing, and there are some great recipes to follow on the BBC Good Food website (The Hey Duggee cake looks particularly cool). If people are joining you online, then you can show them your child blowing out their candles and then everyone can join in with a hearty rendition of Happy Birthday. You could ask them each to pull a party popper to make the occasion go with a bang! For your guests who really want to get involved they could bake their own version of your chosen cake recipe and eat it at the same time as you. For people who don’t fancy channelling their inner Mary Berry, order one of our delicious personalised cakes to which you can add your child’s name and picture.