Twins, triplets and more all bring multiple lives and multiple love into your home. They also bring multiple complications to birthday parties. Your party planning skills will be tested as you struggle to keep your kids, their guests and their parents happy. With a little consideration and a little creativity, you can pull off a party that will delight everyone–at the same time.
Ages
The age of your multiples will help you determine how the party should be planned and played out. With a little attention and sugar, your babies will be thrilled. Toddlers and older children start to develop opinions about what they want. Once your children start voicing their concerns about their party, talk with them about what they expect out of it.
Themes
Before your kids have opinions, it’s a great time to use a simple party theme, with balloons and cakes. Let the kids run around with their friends and enjoy the company. Use primary colors to celebrate birthdays for boys and girls. As kids get older, talk with them about a theme they would like. Choose a movie, TV show, activity or hobby that they all enjoy. Let each child choose a particular character or element of the theme for herself, such as Minnie Mouse.
Guests
The most important rule regarding guests is not to invite too many. If your children share friends, invite a handful of the closest. If your children are reaching a time when they have different friends, encourage them to choose one to three each. This keeps the party from getting too overwhelming for you and for them.
Gifts
Parties bring a flood of gifts; parties for multiples bring an absolute deluge. If your kids will each be inviting their own guests, invite guests to bring a gift for just that particular child. In this way, you can discourage your kids from getting gifts from everyone, in particular from the guests they don’t know well. Without sounding crass, you may find it useful to ask friends and family not to give your birthday kids a single gift to share. The meltdown won’t be far behind if kids are asked to share special gifts.
Multiple Kids, Multiple Parties
As children get older, late in their grade school and into their junior high and high school years, you might notice their interests and hobbies to go in opposite directions. Forcing them into birthday party conformity could be frustrating for all involved. Host a small party for each child or one for the boys and one for the girls. In this way, you can focus on each child individually and let him enjoy his moment in the spotlight.
Photo Credit
- Twins image by Serenitie from Fotolia.com
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