2nd Birthday Party Ideas?

[Anonymous]

For whatever reason, I'm having a tough time deciding what to do for my daughter's 2nd birthday. Last year we had 15-20 friends/family over for a mid-morning "Open House" with a platter, followed by cake. It was fun, and felt like such a big deal, of course being birthday #1. This year, I can't decide what to do - Our daughter has a few "friends," from her daycare and music class, we have family in teh area and a few close friends we could include, but then it becomes a bit of a disconnected group. For whatever reason I feel like i'm imposing on people, too, but I guess that's another issue!
I'll be 7 1/2 months pregnant when her birthday rolls around... do I really want to do host something in our house? Flip side, definitley don't want to spend a lot of $ paying to rent out a room in a restaurant. Not enough kids (or money or inclination) to do a My Gym/MusiKids thing until she's older and really gets it.
Her birthday is in early March, so weary of planning something at a park when the weather could be perfect... or dreadful!
Clearly I'm overthinking... but any creative ideas I'm blanking on?!!
Many, many thanks!

[Anonymous]

At this age, I think simple is best. Invite a few of her closest "friends" and treat it as a playgroup with cake. The friends' parents will provide the adult contingent. Give them sandwiches or bagels and coffee, and they'll be happy. After the first, which is special, I suspect that most adult friends are not that gung-ho about attending a birthday party for a child unless that child is a friend of their own children.

[Anonymous]

I second the "playgroup with cake" idea. One thing to keep in mind is that 2-year-olds (birthday kid or not) can get overwhelmed by big groups, entertainers, etc. Keep things familiar with a few additions (cake! balloons!) for the excitement. Fewer kids (up to 5, maybe?) is best, in my opinion.

[Meconbear]

I just read "Animal Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver and she had a fun idea for her kids: the number of guests = how old they are, the thinking being is that's how many people they can handle. So in addition to grandparents, etc, a 2 y.o.'s party would only have two other kids, a 3 y.o. could have 3 guests, etc. I think it's really clever (but hard when you feel obligated to invite the whole preschool class) and makes a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Okay, that makes sense. Only "issue" of course is all the family in the area - 4 grandparents + one aunt. Maybe we do a dinner out with them, and a separate playdate party for the randoms... ? (and include our close friends w/out kids at this?)
Thanks for thoughts/ideas?
Hate that I"m obsessing on this one...

[Anonymous]

I'd do the playdate with 3-4 kids and the dinner for family and forget about the close friends without kids.

[Anonymous]

09:51 here. A pp said: "I'd do the playdate with 3-4 kids and the dinner for family and forget about the close friends without kids." Ditto!

Unless you think your friends without kids would feel really left out, I think you don't need to invite them. Will your child be invited to their birthday parties? If they love spending time with you and your child, get together with them specifically at a time when you can all relax, like brunch. In my experience, parents hosting birthday parties for toddlers are not their best selves because they're too stressed out. Focus on providing your child with a small, fun, low-key party with a few friends. Celebrate separately with your family (cake twice? no problem!). And then hang out with your friends in a setting you'll all enjoy.