DIY Donut Cart

Plus 10 Ways to Celebrate a Birthday

Deciding what to do for your child’s Birthday can be difficult and planning can be expensive! We have 10 Ways to Celebrate a Birthday today with ideas of all budgets for various ages, including a DIY Donut Cart to help out with those plans.

April is full of birthday parties for us, including my daughters who just turned three! Every week is full of Birthday activities from in-home parties to a gymnastics center but we wanted to keep my daughters party low key this year with a DIY Donut Cart. There doesn’t have to be 100 people around for a fun time. Get the kids up in the morning while still in pajamas, gorge on donuts (hey, it is okay once a year), and open a few gifts for a fun way to start the morning!

What you need for the Donut Cart:

• A bar or storage cart. I bought this cart awhile back from IKEA with 3 tiers.
• Donuts for the family. You can pick out fun colors and sprinkles.
• Cake stands to place the donuts on.
• A glass for each child with a sprinkle rim and milk inside.
• Plates.
• Napkins.
• Flowers to freshen up the area and give color.
• A fun banner tied onto the cart or in the background.
• Balloons.
• Presents.

Presents, treats, balloons. All checked off the Birthday wish list and honestly, what more does a person need? Not much. We decided to also take the kids to Build-A-Bear where my daughter made a unicorn and it was an all-around successful third Birthday. You could get ready after donuts and hang out at the park, walk around the zoo or even just stay in pajamas all day and watch movies. Okay, maybe the staying in pajamas all day is on my own personal Birthday wish list but your child really does not need anything extravagant to be happy.

9 More Ways to Celebrate a Birthday

The Donut Cart is just the beginning! Here are 9 more ways to celebrate a Birthday.

Birthday Party in Your Home

Pick a theme and invite everyone you know! You can keep it simple and affordable with grilling hot dogs and a cake from Costco or all go out with tons of decorations, a photo booth, games, prizes and custom desserts.

Birthday Party on Location

Skating rinks, parks, gymnastic centers, Build-A-Bear, city pools, Chuck E. Cheese’s, rock climbing, indoor bounce house…. the list goes on. Think about what your child’s interests are at the moment and call around to see if party packages are offered or if large groups can be accommodated.

Lunch and Activity

Go to your kids favorite restaurant or make a nice lunch at home, followed by an activity. Invite the family and maybe a couple of friends to join. The activity could be anything from hanging out at the lake, a mini shopping spree at their favorite store, a visit to the aquarium or mini golf.

Movie Theatre

You can host Birthday parties at most movie theatres to invite all your friends for cake, ice cream and a movie by contacting your local theatre and renting the party room. But you don’t need the party room, just have some friends and family meet you at the theatre (daytime hours better than night) and let your kid pick a movie and maybe grab some ice cream after- that is if you all didn’t fill up on popcorn and candy.

Amusement Park

We have celebrated my sons Birthday in the past by spending the day at King’s Island. He was able to bring one friend with us. We ate lunch there and ran around the park until everyone was worn out. Amusement Parks can get expensive but it is worth the price for a really great day with the whole family. Plus, I don’t know a single kid who doesn’t love roller coasters.

Dinner

Have a family and closest friends meet at your kids favorite restaurant for a nice dinner and dessert. Make sure to call ahead and reserve a table if possible and ask how they celebrate Birthdays. Some places will sing or bring out a dessert. Any restaurant will work! From McDonalds to Olive Garden to your favorite spot for Mexican food to a hibachi grill.

Spa Day

Most salons have pedicure chairs for kids and some spas are even specially designed just for kids. You can take just the family for some mani/pedis or invite all your kids friends. Contact your salon for details on large parties and to schedule a time.

Slumber Party

The slumber party is a right of passage through childhood. Every child needs to attend a few and host at least one huge slumber party! I think 11-13 is a good age for this… they aren’t too mischievous yet but all the kids are old enough to entertain themselves.  Decide if you are feeding the kids dinner or breakfast and what type of snacks will be offered. Pizza for dinner and morning donuts? Gather some games, cards, movies and music. We had slumber parties in tents set up in the backyard or with sleeping bags spread out on the trampoline when I was younger. Each kids needs pajamas, change of clothes, pillow, and blanket. Make sure to let parents know what the plans are for the night and pick up/drop off times. Also, get all the parents cell numbers in case of an emergency.

Concert

Take your child and one of their closest friends to their first concert! The appropriate age for this ranges for the type of music they like and the venue. Some concerts or venues have age restrictions so make sure to double check and make the choice as the parent for what is appropriate for your own child. My first real concert was at 13 or so for Blink 182. A concert is something your child will remember for years and a great way to bond.

Do you have any other great party ideas? Let me know about them in the comments below.