My daughter is going to be three this fall and the first two years I had big parties, not expensive just big all of our friends and family, and cake and lots of presents for her. I stuck to a budget of $20.00 on party favors for her cousins and the few other kids we knew. I made and decorated the cake for her 1st birthday and her dad decorated the cake for her second birthday. This year I want to try something new but not sure what. We are having two parties for her, one is going to be combined with her Dads so that her Grandma from New York can be here with her. The next will be two weeks later so that my parents can come out. How ever I think I am going to keep it small. My sis can't come she is having baby #5 about that same time. So there won't be very many kiddos this year. I am just not sure what to do for her 3rd birthday. we have done teddy bears and monkeys this year maybe a turtle, she isn't a girly girl, so dolls and princesses won't work. any ideas?

I do agree spending that kind of money is insane no matter how much you have. The small children could care less and you are looking for trouble the older they get if you spend that kind of money on them all the time. By the time they are old enough to understand what is going on they are going to want the world, and none the less on a silver platter! Not here, she may be an only child but she is going to respect how hard her Dad works to get her the things that she needs and sometimes wants.

I recommend theme parties....SMALL NOT HUGE (guest amount or monetary).

Like I said in my earlier post, Savannah's 4th bday we did a Princess Tea Party with a few friends. very inexpensive, but VERY fun. The girls got to dress up and be their favorite princess.

Maybe having a party where the theme is Halloween where they can wear a costume? Kids really don't care--at least mine don't--how much money is spent, they just like having their friends there and having fun.

Maybe do a switch on seasons...if it's a summer bday, make it a winter theme and play holiday movies on the TV, like Rudolph or something; Fall, have a Spring theme....etc...

I think the problem with the bday parties is that the kids have been taken out of the occasion and it has been made an occasion for the parents to one up another.

You have no one to impress...save your money for when they are older and don't even want to be seen with us, let alone have a bday party at home!

One there is something unbalanced about the Dugger family....... (leaving it at that)

Even if you have the money, spending 10K on a kids birthday party is irresponsible. What kind of message are you sending the child? In a world that is undergoing a food crises and so many are struggling to get by, to encourage needless consumerism and waste is a horrible lesson.

When it comes to my kids birthdays we keep it very simple. We always do a a family activity. My sons BDay is in a few weeks. We are taking him out of school for the day and taking him to the planetarium in a large city (we live in small town) He loves outer space and can hardly sleep with anticipation. There are many things that can be done that will be memorable that do not involve bankrupting you or teaching children bad messages.

Why does everything have to come down to being socially responsible? I don't think that it sends the kids a bad message at all. A party is a party, it doesn't need to be turned into a lesson for a toddler that some people can't afford food or whatever. Let the kids be kids and not have adult worries.

Because some people can't afford the same things that my family can that doesn't mean that we have to go without. They can do something to change their situation. I think that spending $10k on a party is plain dumb, but not irresponsible because they can spend how they want....

blimey the most i spent was 90 quid for a party on my little girls 4th birthday , food and everything was included and little toys for all the kids to bring home too. but i cant see why anyone would spend that much?? kids dont care about how much you spend, its the love and attention they crave for on there birthday not the price of toys etc. my litle boy on his 2nd birthday was more happy with a big cardboard box than he was with his toy!!! lol

This might take the thread in a different direction, but I had to do a bit of research on the Duggars to look for their unbalancedness and I found this article. It will probably offend some, but I do know that my new goal is to work on getting my hair to do that!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/10/19/notes101905.DTL

I still don't quite understand what "unbalanced" refers to....maybe it's my dimwittedness coming out

I guess unbalanced refers to them being a bit nuts.