For my family, birthday parties can be difficult as we have a son with special needs. The difference is stark and hard: Often, no one comes to my son’s birthday parties but all of my daughter’s friends come to her birthday parties. For years, I’ve struggled with how to handle this difficult situation and thankfully last year, I hit on the perfect solution to this problem: Have ‘Birthday Experiences’ rather than ‘Birthday Parties’!
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The goodie bag. The little memento, take-home gift, gesture of thanks or aid to the party’s frivolity, the goodie bag has become commonplace. Kids of all ages love them, even adults, but what type of items work for certain age groups? It really depends on the theme you are creating for the birthday party. Your theme is really the driving force on how to design your goodie bag because often items that you would assume are only for the young set might work for older kids, too. For example, if you are doing a nostalgia party for teens, items like a yo-yo, army men, or a wind-up toy work great as these toys stick with your theme and there is a novelty aspect to these toys for teens. (Now, if you are doing a Mario Cart theme and you gave out these goodie bags, you may need to relocate!)
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Every new parent wants to celebrate their new baby in a big way, and the announcement is just the beginning. Moments after you announce your pregnancy, the next question is, “Are you having a boy or a girl?” Step outside of the cake cutting and box of balloons to find a new way to reveal your baby’s gender with these unique ideas.
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First-time parents ooh and aah over everything for their baby: stuffed animals, cute onesies, diaper pails, baby socks, receiving blankets, and, yes, even a wipes warmer. It takes a certain amount of creativity to find the perfect gift for second- (or third- or fourth-) time parents who already have all of the baby’s essentials. If you think your friend with kids already has everything they need for baby, try giving them one of these thoughtful gifts they are sure to appreciate:
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