We've now gone full circle and had all our families birthday's whilst we have been in some sort of lockdown, including my Dad's 60th and Gary's 40th!
As most of my friends are now celebrating our eldest's birthday's in lockdown, I've rounded up the best lockdown birthday ideas for kids, with many supporting small local businesses from around the Urmston area :-)
1. Make the most of a day at home!
For us it was balloons, balloons and more balloons!
To be fair I always go all out on balloons for birthday’s, but this year I got a few extra to try and make the day that bit more special. Orlaith loved all the balloons and spent the majority of her day playing with them all! Her balloons were from @exquisiteroomsandballoons and the ceiling balloons were from @fabulousroomsandballoons
She also wanted an ‘afternoon tea’ (yes I know she is 4, not 40!) but what a great little day we had! Orlaith and Daddy made homemade scones in the morning then at lunch and we all sat and enjoyed them with sandwiches, cakes and treats, party food and fresh orange in ‘posh glasses’ (maybe some fizz for mum and dad too ☺️). Oh and I got a chocolate fountain which I think was probably more for my benefit but oh gosh it was amazing (we got it for £19.99 in Aldi) Orlaith absolutely loved it and said it was her best day ever!
We also had lots of doorstop visitors throughout the day dropping presents off which was great as there was a constant flow of present opening which meant she really appreciated each gift and knew who it was from.
Or how about a ‘themed’ set up. My friends little boy wanted a ‘jungle birthday’ so this was the set up when he woke up in the morning ☺️
I’ve seen other themes such as LEGO themes, or Disney Princess themes, or even The Tiger who Came to Tea set up.
We’ve had big parties the last few years for birthdays but it was actually really nice to just spend the day at home together completely concentrating on Orlaith. I think at parties you can get a bit lost in the hosting side of things and not actually spend enough time with the VIP - the birthday girl/boy!
2. Soft play at home?
Okay, so if an afternoon tea doesn’t cut it, how about hiring a soft play for your own front room! My friend did just this for her little boys fourth birthday, with her younger son having just turned one, this was a great idea and they literally played allllll day. The company she used were great and it all came the night before when the boys were in bed so you can imagine their faces in the morning. The company she used was Bramhall Soft Play Hire and you find them on Facebook.
Such a good idea - who knew we would ever long for an afternoon at soft play!
3. Zoom parties!
Orlaith has attended a couple of zoom parties and to be fair they have been great! Not a concept I thought would work for four year olds but she has loved every one she has attended. We’ve been to some which have been led by an entertainer (Elsa and another as a clown) but we’ve also been to ones just led by the parents. If that’s your thing, our top tips for the zoom parties are;
Keep them reasonably short and sweet (40 mins max)
Lots of music and dancing, musical bumps is great (obviously no winners just everyone have a dance and a play!)
Try and involve/engage everyone. Let everyone request a song or a game to play.
A scavenger hunt is a great way to keep all the attendees engaged - just household items that children can run around a find will do. One of the mums did a great one;
Find something which is round or a circle
Something that lights up
Something that begins with ‘C’
Something that is yummy to eat
Once all the children found something this led into cake and candles which I thought was great! And then we all sang happy birthday while the birthday boy blew out his candles.
4. Leading on to cake!
Just because it’s a day at home doesn’t mean you can’t go all out on a cake! Cupcakes which you can hand out to doorstop visitors are great, or miniature cakes which you can share as a family! 4 inch party cakes are perfect for this and serve between 8/10 people. Our go to cake maker is @jade_bayliss_cakes, why not get a cake to tie in with your theme above? Below are some examples of her amazing cakes :-)
5. Or how about ordering some kids graze boxes?
Order a graze box to make it extra special or as a perfect door visit birthday treat! As we couldn’t see my friends little boy on his birthday properly, I got him and Orlaith a graze box each from @bee_happy_grazing, we met at a park and they shared theirs together. It was a lovely memory that we’ll have of his ‘lockdown’ birthday, although I think they both expect one every time we go to the park now!
You could also order some for zoom parties either just for the birthday boy or girl, or send one to each of the attendees to enjoy throughout out the party!
6. Teepee tents sleepover!
Make that lockdown birthday extra special with a sibling sleepover or a bubble sleepover! These teepee tents are amazing from @sleepy_little_campers. All set up for you, and come with personalised note books, water bottles, sweets, and a tray. ready to go for an evening of fun. What better way to treat your birthday boy or girl and make it a lockdown birthday to remember. If you don’t have siblings or are unable to bubble up, I can confirm that they are big enough (and definitely comfy enough!) for an adult to sleep in.
Why not add a projector, a pop corn maker and make it a move night to remember ☺️
6. Gazebo/Hot Tub Hire
Finally! If and when the weather picks up, restrictions lift a little and we are allowed garden visitors, why not hire a gazebo for you garden and have a lovely garden party! This company, @partiestoperfectionnwe, also hires hot tubs so you could even have a hot tub party just for your household if we are still in restrictions. We've used this company and they are great, and they set up/dismantle as part of the price!
Or actually finally, why not just go allllll out and do all of the above!!
All the companies mentioned above are tagged on my Instagram post, go check them out and help support small businesses :-)
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