My daughters both had birthdays in January, within a week of one another.

My eldest, at 4, was desperate for a birthday party but it was the beginning of lockdown #2.  I’m not usually especially sentimental, however, having already cancelled all our Christmas plans, I couldn’t bear for her to be disappointed again.  There are only so many times you can say “when the germs are gone…” 

So we set out some rules and worked out what on earth we could do:

1. No other people allowed in the house / garden

2. No plastic tat

3. No longer than one evening to plan (who the hell has time to arrange smiley faces out of food or fully theme the house?)

And though it was hardly the social affair of the century the two of them had a wonderful time - which is everything. Since then, lots of her little friends have had parties too so here are my 6 top tips for how to throw a sustainable children’s birthday party during lockdown.

Party games aren’t just for kids

Little kids don’t really care who’s playing with them, as long as they’re playing! Pass the parcel with mum and dad is actually a bit of a novelty and it’s amazing how much fun musical chairs can be with just a few of you.  Put your phone away and be prepared to get stuck in...channel your inner 4 year old and you may just have a wonderful time too!

A cake is everything

Find a way to involve friends and family

Have a change of scene

Probably the biggest reason for holding a kids party in the front garden in the middle of a freezing January was to make it feel a bit special. The house comes with the distraction of toys, telly, etc. Plus they spend 80% of their lives in those four walls at the moment. So we layered up with thermals, popped an Elsa dress over the top, and were transported, temporarily to a whole new world.

Decorate like there were 100 guests

Hire an entertainer

Party Bags

My biggest pet hate is buying stuff for the sake of it.  So party bags make my skin crawl.  BUT they’re such a big part of the magic of a birthday party so I’ve spent the past 3 years perfecting how to minimise the crap.

Firstly steer clear, at all costs, of buying those cheap and nasty party bag toys.  They rarely work, are always plastic, and will be played with for all of about 1 minute.  #straighttolandfill

Secondly, think outside the box...last year we bought kiddy-mugs from Flying Tiger, with the guests’ initials on the side and filled them with sweets and a piece of cake wrapped in a napkin. The mugs were only about £3 each, but they’re gorgeous, and we still use ours all the time.  If you can’t find a mug equivalent, try paper party bags like these instead.

Finally, edible treats, particularly home-baked biscuits, are far lower in impact than toys. Alternatively get something useful like hair clips, colouring pencils, or a pencil with the child’s name on and a rubber. 

Remember...it’s the experience of receiving one, not the contents, which kids get so excited about.

Hope this has been helpful.  Happy Birthday everyone!