It is that time of year again and you have the task of trying to organize yet another fun toddler party. It really is not that difficult to figure out what makes a fun toddler party the difficult part is in the execution. A fun toddler party really only needs three elements to make it a fun toddler party but also a bearable toddler party. The first thing you need is gifts. For some reason a toddler birthday party is the only time a toddler does not mind giving gifts to other toddlers and they actually enjoy watching the guest of honor opening the gift they gave them. Of course the fun toddler party can really go wrong if the guest of honor systematically rejects all the gifts as being inferior and then the crying and screaming can begin. This is where you hope that the other parents know what to get a toddler to keep them happy. You could also help this along by including a note in the party invitation that outlines what would be a good gift for the toddler of honor.

The next thing you need for a fun toddler party is cake. Lots and lots of birthday cake. Actually birthday cake can make any party a fun party but it seems to have a hypnotizing effect on toddlers. More than likely it is the sugar rush they get from eating a birthday cake but whatever the reason birthday cake always seems to make a toddler party a fun toddler party. Keep in mind that a toddler party is not a good time to experiment with anything new that has to do with birthday cake. All you need to do is supply the toddler of honor’s favorite cake flavor covered in their favorite frosting and maybe add some ice cream on the side when you are serving it. Nothing turns a fun toddler party into a disaster faster than an experimental birthday cake covered in experimental frosting. To be honest there is no room for a birthday cake experiment at a birthday at any level. Birthday cake is one of nature’s most perfect foods and it would be a shame to try and change that on someone’s birthday. If you feel the need to experiment with a birthday cake then try it on an off day on other people but when the spotlight is on and it is birthday cake time nothing goes over better than just a regular birthday cake.

The third element to any successful and fun toddler party is parents. Many parents drop their toddlers off to a toddler party and then leave thinking that they can just come back and pick the toddler up later in the day. It is up to you to remind the parents that you are having a toddler party and that you are not offering to run a temporary daycare center. Dealing with your own toddler is bad enough but having to deal with your toddler plus everyone else’s at a toddler party just isn’t fair. You may want to include in the invitation a little notation that says that toddlers cannot be dropped off and that all parents, or at least one parent, must remain the duration of the party to be responsible for their toddler. At this point it should be pointed out that using the phrase “if I have to suffer then you do too” probably will not get you many positive responses. What you need to do is to point out in a very polite way that you would prefer that people not just drop off their toddlers into your care for an entire afternoon. It may not be your party but it also does not need to be your last stand either.