My son is now 3 years old and officially out of “babyhood!” I can’t believe what a “toddler” he is — he’s talkative, smart, silly, active and full of personality. And he also fully understands this whole “birthday” thing now!
When I decided to throw Jack a party with his little friends, I knew the perfect theme would be one of his very first favorite characters — Daniel Tiger. In fact, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was the first TV show Jack ever really watched. I love the amazingly simple ways the show teaches little kids about everyday experiences and promotes emotional intelligence. Jack still loves Daniel and I thought it would be the perfect theme for his 3rd Birthday before he outgrows that sweet little tiger!
Since his newborn days, Jack and I started spending lots of time in Mommy & Me classes. The classes have evolved from baby yoga to crawlers classes to toddler music. These days our current favorite is The Little Gym. We go to our gym a few days a week and I’m very impressed by the philosophy behind the curriculum. They instill confidence and teach social skills without stress on competition (big points from this social worker mama!) Jack has not only grown physically attending The Little Gym, but he’s also learning a lot about socialization.
So Jack’s 3rd Birthday Party was an easy choice: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood at The Little Gym!
Since we celebrated Jack’s baby birthdays mainly with adult relatives, it was awesome to see him playing with with party guests his own age. We had a ball shopping for and planning the party together. I highly recommend letting little ones help with the plans since it gets them excited and helps them understand how to be a good host or hostess.
Jack really had fun putting together party favors with me. I found these awesome trolley boxes online which folded together easily and were beautiful once assembled. Jack helped me fill them with a handful of toddler-safe treats… PlayDoh (his all-time fave!), crayons, noisemakers, stickers, little kid sunglasses, etc.
I put the favor boxes at each place setting to keep the kids busy at meal time, along with coloring pages I set out at the table. Why should 2 and 3 year olds have to wait for favors till after a party?!
The kids spent 45 minutes in the gym bouncing, running, and climbing like happy little monkeys. The parents were all involved and there were a lot of laughs from kids and grownups alike!
We sang some of Jack’s favorites like “Wheels on the Bus” as we lifted the colorful parachute (my favorite!) above the giggling kids. The air track was a big hit, and it was such fun to see these littles bouncing around. The best moment was when my Birthday Boy got to go for a ride in the middle as the big bouncy inflated!
Of course, birthdays don’t mean a lack of whining when it comes to toddlers! Jack must’ve said, “I want cake!” twenty times before it was time to cut the masterpiece! He bolted happily the moment the teacher announced it was time to leave the gym and “GO HAVE CAKE!”
In the party room, I decorated with “Daniel colors” (red, yellow, and blue) and rainbow polka dots to resemble the streets in the Neighborhood of Make Believe.
What’s a themed party without some clever snack names?! The Daniel Tiger and rainbow paper goods I found at Party City were the perfect vessels for tiny toddler treats like rainbow Grr-ific Goldfish, O The Owl’s Organic Cheese Puffs, and Prince Wednesday’s Pretzels.
Jack couldn’t stop sneaking nibbles from my beautiful table, but I’ll take that as a compliment!
We also served pizza which the kids devoured, and they all had fun playing and “mingling” in the party room. (Ever watch toddlers mingle? It’s a riot!)
The cake was the star of the food table. It was beautifully crafted by a local cake artist who perfectly captured the idea I described to her. I wanted the cake to feature those trademark rainbow dots from the streets of the Neighborhood of Make Believe and the iconic trolley… with my Jack riding on it! She did a fabulous job bringing my trolley idea to fruition. Now my little guy really is edible!
I threw on some Daniel Tiger character toys and get a load of this beauty!
The cake didn’t just look great, it tasted great too! Both flavors of cake were “yum yum yummy in our tum tum tummies”: the white cake filled with strawberries and cream, and the chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse.
I loved watching Jack blow out his candles now that he’s old enough to know what to do, but I also loved that he still needs a little help from me.
I cut and painted a trolley photo prop for Jack and all his friends to take pictures with before the end of the party. It came out really cute and the best part was that Jack helped me with it. Every chance to involve kids in the party planning is such a special learning experience for them… and amazing bonding time for parents too!
I’m so happy I was able to throw this party for my growing baby. A week after his party, we were leaving class at The Little Gym and Jack smiled from ear to ear pointing at the party room and said, “Look Mommy, that’s where my party was!” I felt so good that I was able to give him that special day to remember. It’s moments like that that make it all worth it.
Photos by Jac & Jules Photography
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