Planning a birthday party for a toddler can be stressful. From choosing the right venue, to picking entertainers and food – it’s not the easiest of events to pull together. Make your day look seamless with our top tips for planning a birthday party for toddlers.

1. Plan ahead and write it everything down.

Decide on dates, times and guest numbers as far ahead in advance as you can. Whether you’re planning an informal get together in a park, or something more formal in a venue, although it sounds obvious, knowing your time of year, guest numbers and party start time (make sure you’re timing it around their naps) are all critical to helping you maximise your time to make the event as special as possible. E.G It’s unlikely you’ll want an outdoor party in the park in melbourne in Mid-July!

2. Finalise a budget.

Once you have guest numbers, and knowing whether it’s an indoor or outdoor, party you’ll be able to start planning with a specific budget. Some things can inflate costs – whether that’s catering, entertainment or décor – so factor everything in.

3. Decide on your theme

Depending on the age of your toddler, we love to include them in the decision making when it comes to planning out their party – are they dinosaur crazy, love cars or animals? When the party includes some of their most loved elements, it will make them feel extra special.

If you’re stuck for inspiration, get yourself onto sites like Pinterest for party and decoration themes and ideas. Supermarkets and larger department stores have great party sections if you’re stuck for inspiration too.

4. Get your venue and entertainer booked

If you’re not hosting at home or in a public place, we recommend booking a venue as early as you can, especially if the party is taking place over a weekend. If you’re bringing in outside entertainment like a face painter, mascot or character, we recommend booking these even earlier, with some popular dress-up characters booking out months in advance.

5. Sort out the invites

Whether digital or printed, once you’ve finalised your venue, we recommend getting a save the date  or invite out to your intended guests a good 4-6 weeks in advance – people (especially parents) can often have multiple commitments planned out, so it’s worth getting it out there, so you’re not disappointed. Don’t forget to include dietary requitements on RSVPs so you can cater to those guests who might have food allergies and intolerances.

6. Decide on the food

If you’re catering the event yourself, work out what food you’d like to offer based around guest numbers. Its often a good idea to offer both sweet and savoury meat and vegetarian offerings as well as things like fruit platters for the kids, who are likely dashing around the party and need some nice grab and go options. If you’re left with excess food after the party ends, you can either enjoy the leftovers or opt to donate to a local charity who can make use.

7. Finalise the birthday cake

If you’re opting for something more elaborate, then we recommend pre-ordering  from your bakery or chosen cake maker well in advance to make sure that you can collect on the day, stress free. If you’re going the DIY route, make sure you have all the ingredients to hand on the morning of, so you can bake your little one’s birthday cake without any stressful last-minute supermarket runs.

Remember to consider your theme into the design of the cakes. We love using animal or cartoon character figures on top of a pre-made cake to add a bit of a cute DIY flare.

Don’t forget the birthday candles! If you’re worried about germs spreading when it’s time to blow them out, then our tip is just to sing happy birthday around the cake without lighting the candles.

8. Choose an outfit (and shoes) for the birthday kid!

Picking a cute outfit for their special day, is all part of the exciting party planning, whether you’re buying a sparkly dress, or some ultra cute dress pants. Make sure their shoes are on point too - don’t forget to check out our range of the most adorable toddler party shoes.

Just be mindful that toddlers grow fast, so don’t forget to factor that in if you’re buying your birthday clothing and shoes in advance.

9. Things might not always go to plan – have a plan B.

Don’t forget to have a small backup plan in case something doesn’t go to plan on the day, whether that’s a squished cake or an entertainer no-show. Whether it’s another party game or a spare cake in the fridge!

10. Have a great time!

Relax and enjoy the party, no matter what happens on the day, your toddler will have a brilliant time.