By Leslie Venokur

Co-Founder, Big City Moms

So, you decided to throw your Big City Kid a homemade birthday party - where do you begin?  Besides working out the basic logistics of the date, time and location, you should consider a theme.  What does your child like?  Sports, a TV show character, a favorite color?  You can create a party around almost any idea.

TIP: Figure out your budget BEFORE you begin your hunt for all the fun stuff. Before you start schlepping from store to store it’s always a good idea to search online for whatever party theme you are considering. We get a ton of great ideas and most of the items one would need for most themes can be found on etsy.com or OrientalTrading.com. Another good source for ideas is www.projectnursery.com.  

Here are some simple ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

Younger kids:

Candy theme

•  Invitations can have images of candy or just bright colors. Use phrases like "join us for a sweet celebration"
• Party favors can be a giant lollipop with a photo of the birthday child in the center or just a simple sticker or tag saying thanks for partying with me..
• For decorations use clear dishes, vases, bowls filled with bright colored candy.  It’s always a good idea to separate the candy by color and keep in mind candy that is age appropriate (i.e. choking hazards.)   Keep in mind temperature of your location. Warmer spots plus little kids can turn chocolate treats into gooey messes.
• Cake: you can go with cupcakes, a cake or cake pops (cake on a stick) you can check out local resources HERE.  If you want to go at it yourself - you can do the obvious - top the cake with candy - but remember - less is more and stick with a color scheme and don't overdo it!

Sports fan:

• Whether you choose a specific team or a specific sport, this is one of the easiest themes you can do.  
• Invitations - use the color scheme of the sports theme in the shape of the ball
•  Decorations,  hang up sports jerseys, hang inflatable balls from the ceiling and print out images from the computer
• Ask your guests to wear their favorite Sports Jersey/tee to tie in the theme.
•  Party favors – give balls with the kids names on it and/or crayons and coloring books with a sports theme.
• Cake: the shape of a ball or cupcakes alternating with bat, ball, racket etc.

Dora, Elmo, Yo Gabba Gabba etc:

• Character parties are by far the easiest party to create - especially if you choose a well-known character.
• Most party goods stores carry everything from plates, cups, napkins, banners, streamers and even party favors featuring popular characters from TV and movies.
• For cupcakes or cakes you can order a basic cake from a supermarket or bake a cake and frost with the characters colors. Then print out images from online and make cake toppers (an image on a stick).  
•  A great party favor idea for preschoolers are books and coloring books featuring the character.  You can find most of these at discount stores like the 99 cent stores, Marshalls, TJ Maxx etc.

Older Kids 

• If you are hosting a party in your home and are thinking about themes you may want to outsource an activity like having a chocolate making party.  Hire an experienced cook/teacher such as tastebuds.com. They will come with all the supplies, have alesson plan in place and best of all will help with the clean up so you can focus on having fun.
• Thinking of having a tie dye party?  Hire a company such as tiedyetown.com - again - they are experienced as they do this all the time and come with all the supplies.
• Disco party - hire a DJ davescast.com - they will bring everything the DJ, dancers, dance floor gifts, facilitate games and more - so instead of you downloading all your favorite dance tunes - you can be dancing with the kids. 
•  For other party planning resources, check out our directory HERE.

Outdoor parties

• The trickiest part of hosting an outdoor soiree is the weather. Always have a back-up plan whether it’s a rain date, renting a tent or moving the party inside.  Although renting a tent can be expensive, if you are the type of person that doesn't want to bother being a slave to the weather channel get a tent no matter what for reassurance.   If it ends up being a hot and sunny day your guests will be thrilled to be in the shade.
• If you are planning a park party be sure to research ahead of time if you need any permits.  Typically permit fees are a small nominal sum depending on how many people you have.
• Also make sure you are clear on any rules as far as food, beverage, tables, noise restrictions if you are having a musician or even just using your iPod and some speakers.
• For outdoor parties - the simpler the food, the better - keep it to snacks and cold sandwiches - bagels and bite size sandwiches are usually a good bet for kids - as they require little to no prep and are not messy.  If you are ordering from a deli - make sure you make them aware of no peanut butter out of a courtesy to other children who may have an allergy.

• Pool parties - ALWAYS hire a life guard or two if the facility doesn’t provide them. Make sure you write on the invite for every child to bring a towel, swim suit and a change of clothes. A great party favor idea is a a towel for each of the kids, it’s a great way to tie in the swimming theme.