Planning birthday parties for twins can be a real challenge. I have identical twin boys, who have always shared a lot of interests, so that makes it easier. I have friends though with boy/girl twins and with twins who have completely different interests. Most parents don’t want the hassle and expensive of two birthday parties. And yet, you do want to treat each child as an individual. So what to do?
I’ve talked to a lot of adult twins, and asked them what they liked and didn’t like about being a twin. I couldn’t believe how many adults complained about having to share a birthday cake for all those years. So we’ve always made two cakes. It’s not that hard to cut a sheet cake in half! It’s also not hard, or expensive, to let each child pick out theme plates and cups.
But what about those kids with different interests? If one wants Chuckie Cheese, and one’s afraid of the animated rat then you can’t make them both happy. You have to find a compromise, or something that they will both like. It may not be their favorite thing, but with presents and cake they will have fun. Some of our twin friends have thrown very fun swimming, ice-skating, and gymnastic parties. And if you have to throw a Little Mermaid/Cowboy party, you can. Make one side of the table mermaid and the other cowboy. Have a mermaid game, and then a cowboy game. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than having back-to-back parties. Just thinking about back-to-back parties makes me tired.
My boys were born early, after a difficult pregnancy and four months of bed rest. They spent the first eight weeks of their lives in the NICU. Our friends jumped in and helped with meals, driving our then preschooler to school, taking him out for ice-cream, folding laundry, running errands, and most important of all – bringing me brownies. So for the twins first birthday, we threw a thank you party for all of those people who had helped us make it through the year.
Other favorite parties were renting out the Gymboree center with a group of twins, and a children’s museum party. I don’t like the standard, loud, too busy birthday places. We did that one year and I had a headache for days. I also don’t think kids have to have a big party every year. Last year, one of the twins had just had surgery and was not up for a party. In lieu of a party, we took a trip to Denver and their wonderful zoo. We let the boys each pick out a stuffed animal, and a sweatshirt. They even got to have fries and soda with lunch. And we came home to birthday cakes. Two cakes, of course.
Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas