We have had just that drama in the last fortnight... three kids, one party each day for 3 days over a weekend!!!!! It was exhausting and there is always a squabble for dates! LOL
Happy to read some suggestions - or I won't be buying into it all next year!
I baked buns and took them in - didn't do a party. DS got presents from friends who also went to the group but not everyone which was good as he has too much stuff.
DS gets a "it's February" party for family - usually nowhere near his birthday though. But he gets gifts then.
We do a joint one where the kids all get a secret santa type present (we draw names out of the hat a couple of weeks before and have a $20 limit). We take a plate of food to share and do it on a weekend when the Dads can come usually a couple of weeks before the birthdays start.
People who want to have parties do and the condition is that if we go we don't have to buy a present because the kids already got a present each on behalf of our MG.
We have done it for 2 years now and it has worked out really well. It makes going to parties a lot cheaper and we all get to enjoy going out somewhere together a bit more often than usual.
We have had up to 3 parties over the one weekend (long weekend), but most of them have just been afternoon tea in the park so it is not stressful, the kids play happily, have some afternoon tea and go home. If it is too much we just go for an hour or so.
We really do have party season at MG though. We are a little worn out when it is all over but well worth it.
Now we all have second (and in my case third) children to think about we will have to talk about how it is going to work next year. Thankfully their birthdays are a little more spread out but it is a lot of presents if they are all going to get separate presents.
Yep, we do a joint party and do a Kris Kringle type gift. We don't even draw names out of a hat any more, we all just buy a unisex present and sort it out on the day.
This year we're going to a playcentre so all catered for.
And you know what, DD is so young that I don't feel obliged to throw her a 'proper' 2nd birthday party. Maybe when she's older and has got the concept but now it would all be over her head. Having a joint birthday, though, makes me feel that I haven't ignored her birthday completely - obviously she'll get presents and made a bit of a fuss of on her actual birthday but I don't honestly think that a party would be for her so I won't have one.
in my mothers group there are about 7 original kids, but nearly everyone has had a second, and two have had a third, and they are all born around Jan/Feb.... there is literally a birthday every week for over 2 months.... its expensive and ridiculous... this year most seemed to have parties with family and friends, and invited us mothers group friends along too and those that wanted to come, came.... sometimes two people had parties on the same day, its just one of those things... you have to do things to suit yourself and your family and whoever can come can come, and those that can't can't.... to be honest i choose the date of my child's party to suit me and my family and i wouldn't really give it a thought if there was a party the day before, i'd probably only worry if it was on the same day..... plus people with small babies can just come for an hour or so if they want....
another idea is to celebrate the childs birthday at your mothers group, so bring a cake etc and sing happy birthday, and just invite family and friends to the actual party, and that also helps keep it smaller...
try to just plan the day for yourself and your child and enjoy it, don't worry about who can come and who can't, as long as your family are there thats the main thing.... to be honest i'd be glad if we all just had parties every 5 years or something, they become such a drag when there are so many people/kids to include...
just wanted to add that people with small babies have an easier time than those with crazed toddlers high on sugar!!!!!!!!! they will have their feet up relaxing!!
I only invited about 4 of the playgroup kids/mothers to Jack's 1st birthday...they are the ones I am close to outside of playgroup. Oh, and one is my SIL, LOL.
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