When two or more of your crew share the same birth date, managing birthday parties might mean double duty — all while trying to make each child feel special. Get some words of wisdom from local moms who know just how to make a party work for twins, triplets or more!
Make It a DIY Party
Tabatha Steinhaus, mother to 4-and-a-half-year-old twin girls, has planned plenty of birthday parties. While she currently throws one party for both girls, she budgets for two, allowing for plenty of friends and fun. The twins’ first year featured a ladybug theme, followed by Thing 1 and Thing 2 for their second birthday. Their third birthday was all about princesses, including a special visit from Cinderella, and their fourth birthday party included an appearance by Tinkerbell. Tabitha keeps costs down by doing much of the handiwork herself, with a little help from her mother-in-law. “I make most everything!” she says. She’s taken cake decorating classes and sewing classes for the girls’ party outfits, but what will she do come the time the twins want different things? “I’d be down for whatever they want,” Steinhaus laughs. “We’re flexible — and we like to throw parties!”
Boys and Girls
A little extra planning may be necessary when throwing birthday parties for a boy and a girl, especially when they’re older. Beth Giglio, mother to 5-year-old twins — a boy and girl — says, “As they get older, I think it is really important to ask them what they want to do — and find things that they like to do. We have always done two cakes because they have different preferences. And fortunately, they are still young so their friends overlap, but at the time they do not, I am sure I will do separate parties in some way to ensure they know they are individuals versus the same person.”
Says Kim Porter, “I have 2-year-old boy/girl twins so it’s a bit harder to decide on a theme that suits the both of them. For their first birthday we went with a Dr. Seuss’ Thing 1 and Thing 2 party. It was perfect and we had so many cute decorations and ideas! We had all of the guests write a personal message inside of a Cat in the Hat book for the twins to read when they get older. For their second birthday, we went with a Dora and Diego theme. They absolutely loved it. Our chalk wall was decorated with drawings of the characters. And they loved the pull string Dora and Diego piñatas.”
Spreading Things Out
Having two separate birthday parties can be a lot to handle, but local mom Laurie Kramer found a way: “I always chose one theme for the party (Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas the Train, John Deere, etc.) as both boys always enjoyed the same things, but for their fifth birthday, I decided to throw two birthday parties at once so both of them felt individual and special.” One of Kramer’s boys, Bryson, had a construction worker party with a cake topped with bulldozers, while Brody had a Nascar party with a cake topper of a Nascar. Both cakes were primary colors so Kramer was able to decorate with red, blue, green and orange decorations.
Kramer admits that this year is a little more difficult, now that the boys are in different classes. “I don’t want to invite 40 kids and also don’t want parents to feel like they have to bring gifts to two different parties. At this point I’m thinking about different options. I’m tossing around the idea of just having a small family party this year.”
Make Everyone Feel Special
Even when throwing one party, there are ways to make each child feel special. Jessica Weisenberger says, “I have 3-and-a-half-year-old triplets. I make sure each girl gets her own personalized cake. We sing to each girl individually and we coordinate the theme to what they want. Luckily they have all wanted the same theme, but this year they keep saying they each want something different! So we’ll see where that takes us. I’m all about fair. I also celebrate their half birthdays and each has a special day each year close to NICU homecoming day where it’s ‘their day.’”
Rebecca Klingenberg says, “I have a 6-year-old and then 3-year-old twins — all girls. Since my twins were born in December, we did a Winter ‘ONE’derland party. We’ve done the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and then I had a party in which all three girls were combined and it was a Ballerina themed party. In order to make them feel special on their birthday, we put crepe paper covering each of their bedroom doors so they can ‘bust’ out of their room in the morning. They loved this when they turned 3 when we did it for the first time.”
But it’s the little things that make a child feel special. Klingenberg says, “We do separate birthday cakes and make sure to sing the birthday song twice when we have their party. It’s your birthday so you deserve to be sung to individually.”
