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Honestly - at 2 I think less is more. Depending on your space (indoor or outdoor) I think pizza and cake with one or 2 families that your child and you all like to be with fits the bill. Think of it this way - you will have MANY more years when your child will have increasing b-day party desires that you have to fulfill - why not take it easy, inexpensive and super casual for now? At 3 you might still be able to get away with a smaller casual fiesta as well (we did - BBQ and outdoor games) at my "borrowed" MIL's space....I figure lay low while we can!

Wow--professional puppet show for 2-year-olds???! That sounds more like competitive parenting than celebrating a birthday!

Anyone who has spent time with toddlers, let alone the parents of one, should have a pretty good idea of what entertains them! Add a couple more kids, some music, a couple of games, and some party food and decorations, and bingo, you've got yourself a party!

I agree with oteach. Small is a great way to celebrate the big 2. We are having my family and my husband's immediate family and that's it.

We had a huge party for the 1st birthday...and I still remember how much work it was. I'll wait until my son is older to have the big parties again.

By the way his 2nd birthday is tomorrow! So this topic was extremely timely! Thanks!

I agree with the other commenters - nothing really huge is needed for 2, because they won't remember it and you have years of big parties ahead of you.

Having said that, if there are a bunch of similar-aged kids that you definitely want involved, you could go the same route that I did for my son's recent 3rd birthday. We had a private party at The Little Gym. Altogether we had 10 boys, from just under one year old up to 6. The babies weren't able to do a whole lot, but they did get to crawl around together and explore the brightly colored mats. The toddlers and bigger kids had a great time running around being crazy boys on all of the gym equipment. They got to spend one hour in the gym, then we moved to the party room where the staff had already set everything up. They provided juice boxes and all of the paper goods, and they cleaned up afterward. Just remember that, especially with toddlers, the parents will probably be running around just as much as the kids. Plus it's not all that interactive if you want to invite grandparents or other family members who don't have kids, but they do have a big glass wall and an area with chairs for people to watch. (I'm assuming they're all set up pretty similarly.)

For my oldest son's 2nd birthday, he was really into cows so we had a farm theme. I actually made a simple sheet cake and decorated it with a sky and grass and pond and used his Little People farm set to add on top. (I washed them first in the dishwasher!)

I agree that free play is the best, but we played a few simple games like "Find the egg". I hid plastic Easter eggs with stickers inside in a big basket of hay and the kids dug for them. They also played "pin the tail on the pig" using a pig my husband drew on our white/magnet board and piggy tails out of pink pipe cleaners wrapped in spirals and stapled to a square of magnetic backing.

I gave goody bags made of farm-theme items (stencils, stamps, stickers, etc) inside red farmer's handkerchiefs (bought in bulk on ebay) and tied up with raffia twine. He loved it and everyone had fun, and it was a simple, not over-the-top party.

A cheap bubble machine from Target and they'll go wild. Let them all help open the gifts and that will be further entertainment.

To keep cake mess to a minimum, I always bake cupcakes in flat-bottomed ice cream cones. (My daughter calls them "cake with a handle.") Frost with white frosting and add a few sprinkles. Hand one to each kid and have them sit on the stoop to eat them. Hose down stoop after the party.

An hour party is really sufficient for a two-year-old.

I agree that simpler would be much better (and less stress!). Kids don't need a lot to have fun. I would consider having one or two friends over for a couple of hours at the pool. They're the right age to love the kiddie pool and a cake and other treats afterwards.

I can't imagine my daughter, at 2, would have sat through a puppet show. Even at 4, we find the best thing is just to give the kids some place to run around and tire themselves out.

The other parents will appreciate it, as well.

I'm completely in agreement. My kid is turning 2 on Sunday and we're joining forces with one of his best buddies to have a little party for the two of them since they share most of the same friends. We're doing it in the park and it's just snacks, cake and playing. We'll have a bubble machine, give out little favor bags with water balloons and a fruit leather and that is that.

It borders on the possible that my kid would sit through a puppet show, but the thought of laying out money on the hint of that kind of possibility just seems silly.

We are big on birthday parties in my house, not out of competition but because I love to celebrate my kids. For one of my daughters 2nd birthday party we did an art party with everything set up outside. I had a able that we just sprayed shaving cream on and they got to play in, a table that they made necklaces out of cereal and dry dyed pasta, and a table with canvases and paint that they painted and took home as their favors. It was great fun. I also had little bags with cheap watercolor paint sets and some other cheap art supplies as favors. I also second the cupcakes, most bakeries can make a cake out of pull-apart cupcakes.

Our little one will be 2 in a couple of months, also. I don't think 2 is really the ideal age for a birthday party, so I plan to keep things simple. A morning at the zoo, picnic lunch and cupcakes with the grandparents. Then naptime. For a party I would limit additional 2-year olds to just a few--less than 5. Parents of toddlers this age should stay, and you'll have to feed them as well. Individual pizza rounds, grapes, a game for the kids that is loosely structured, some free play, cupcakes and that's it! Maybe a small party favor like a toy car or bouncy ball wrapped in a lucite bag with a fun bow. I don't imagine our 2 year old will want to sit and open gifts from all the guests while they watch. I would save the gifts for after the guests leave.

Aw, if they want to have a puppet show or paid entertainer, then let them! There are lots of party entertainers who are struggling to get gigs in this economy. Toddlers like balloon makers. Just don't expect them to sit there for 15 minutes or pay attention that long.

One of the best places to have a party for tots and young kids is a bounce place like Sky High Sports in Santa Clara, CA. It's a place where big-ass trampolines are connected in large rooms, and you just JUMP off the walls and floors.

You don't need much for toddlers. An enclosed playground with room to run around is all you need. Throw in some balls, bubbles, etc.

I had our party at an indoor place so that the kids 0-5 could bounce off the walls pretty much.

My son's 2nd birthday was bubbles and balloons. I had the spill proof bubble containers (forgot the brand) and gave each kid mylar balloons. We were at the park and everyone ran around. It was great.

I agree with the "keep it small, short, and simple" principle. Two hours is about the maximum amount of time a toddler can have other kids in his space sharing his toys. Give the kids a carefully edited selection of toys to play with, and that's about all you need to do.

I totally agree with everyone who suggested cupcakes in lieu of a big cake. And as far as loot bags go, I'm not such a big fan of them; however, giving each guest one small, well-made toy as a takeaway at the end of the party is a really nice gesture.

Parties were the theme of the Summer 2007 issue of Good Things for Kids (Martha Stewart). One memorable suggestion: balls. Lots and lots of balls. Big balls. Small balls. Medium sized balls. Clear out the furniture and bring in the balls.

One child guest for every year of age: 2 years old---means invite two more children. 4 years old---invite four kid.

I agree with simpler is better. If you want a theme, we did a Humane Society charity party and asked for donations for the animals and then did a dog/cat/rabbit theme around it. I made dogs, cats, and rabbits from the Sock & Glove book and gave those as favors (our local Humane Society also gave us some temporary tattoos and wristbands for favors too) and cut out paw prints out of construction paper and tacked them on the wall and did simple cupcakes with white icing and rolled flat Tootsie Rolls cut into paw prints. Then, I made some light snacks and just let the toddlers play all afternoon. No structure and the parents felt good about donating rather than adding to a toy collection. I think everyone enjoyed it and the pressure was off because we were just all happy to be doing something less commercial.

What exactly is a birthday party "for boys?" Do male children and female children need different birthday parties?

We just had the most fun 2 year old birthday party for our son. After the stress of the first, we decided to go old school. We invited everyone over for an "old fashioned sprinkler party" and just set out pools, a water table, turned on a zone of the sprinkler system, and had ride on's in the driveway. Low stress on the big people, big fun for the little people! (And nobody came inside-yeah!!)