I know some people don’t even worry about throwing an elaborate toddler birthday party. Most want to keep it small and intimate with family. The way I was raised, though, birthdays are a big deal and we love celebrating big at every age starting at 1!
Venue
For Leonix’s 2nd birthday we celebrated at our beloved Bubbles Academy. It has literally become a second home to Leo. We spend 2-5 days a week there and I can’t say enough wonderful things about the amazing impact Bubbles has made on Leonix and his smooth transition to pre school before he turned 2! Not to mention they have the kindest and most helpful staff and a beautiful new space that we love! So for me, the decision to celebrate at Bubbles was easy. And guys, let me tell you, it was the best decision ever! Bubbles made it so easy! You and your kiddos are in for a serious birthday treat.
Food
Instead ordering plain and simple pizza, we treated our little guests to smiley ham & cheese sandwhiches. They were about an hour long project, but it was worth every minute! We also made our own fruits skewers instead of your regular fruit bowl. Kids are very visual, so if it looks new and fun they tend to think it tastes better. 🙂 For our baby guests, we had miniature yogurts and cheese sandwhiches for any vegetarian parents.
Dessert
I tried something new this year and went with a dessert table instead of one big cake. For kids this age it’s easier to eat little cupcakes and cake pops, not to mention all the kids loved them so much. What was truly special, though, were the handmade macarons with Leonix’s name stenciled on them. Guys, these gourmet treats were the BEST I have ever had. I probably ate 10 of them! I got them from an Israeli baker named Sharo who founded Lepetit Sucre.
Party Favors
Personalized gifts are the best! For Katya’s birthday, my dear friend Yana Cohen, suggested books from Costco and Katya signed each book. For Leonix, I bought bubbles! I removed the original wrapper and added a custom sticker and handwritten each kid’s name. What toddler doesn’t like bubbles at Bubbles? You know it won’t go to waste.
If you want to spend a little more, picture magnets are an awesome idea! We had them at Katya’s party and everybody loved taking them home. I worked with Barak founder of On The Spot Photo Magnets and it was a delightful experience.
Presents
If you want people to bring gifts, I would suggest adding a note to the invitation suggesting what your toddler’s interests. I didn’t mention anything, but some of my friends asked ahead of time and brought super thoughtful presents.
Another tip — on birthday card, make a note what gift you brought. My kids messed up all the gifts in 20 seconds so I had to ask my friends who brought what. If you want to avoid this — add a note to the cards.
Decorations
I feel like there wasn’t a ton of need for lots of decor at Bubbles. The only thing we did was spell Leonix’s name with balloons to make the party officially for him. I also spent some time making the dessert table look nice, so that became part of the decor as well.
Planning
Some of you are so good at planning birthdays months in advance, but I’m kind of a last minute person, which is not awesome for parties. Thankfully with the help of my nanny and my husband, we were able to pull everything together in just one day!
Balloons, candy, dessert plates and bubbles are from Party City
Macaroons Lepetit Sucre.
Cupcakes and cake pops are from Sugar Bliss (my favorite for cupcakes)
Photographer Jonathan Cohon
What To Wear
For kids, if you want to stay under budget and still have trendy outfits, check out Lola and the Boys and get 15% off with code TALI15. If you want to spend a little more and are into designer clothing, I recently discovered Little Rags & Riches online. Both of my kids’ outfits are on sale from here!
As for mama — I love wearing white because I think it always looks festive and photographs really well. I didn’t want to invest too much, though so I found my dress for only $40! I’ve cited additional options under $100 below!
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Thank you
I don’t send thank you notes, but I do want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this day so special for us, including our beloved Bubbles and our lovely Miss Brittny, Sharon Shay for the yummiest macaroons, Jonathan Cohon for making these memories for us, to our dearest friends that came to celebrate with us, for gifts for smiles for love and for being in our life! Thank you SO much!!!!!
