Siblings and Joint Birthday Parties

Ryan 11 years old, Ryder 2 years old

My husband got the boys the biggest bouncer anyone has ever seen LOL!

Ryan - 12 years old

Ryder - 3 years old

We've had successful joint birthday parties for two years in a row now. Ryan and Ryder are 8 years and 11 months apart, one born in May and the other in June. I thought the age difference would be an issue but today I'll be sharing some advice on how to pull off a joint party even if your kids are not close in age. I'll be honest and also give you some pros and cons.

Before I decided to have a joint birthday party last year I asked Ryan how he felt about it. Ryan is really mature for his age and I knew he would be honest with me. He thought about it for about .5 seconds and then started suggesting party themes. I would definitely run it by your kids first and see how they feel about it. I was more selfish than Ryan growing up and the little diva in me would not have appreciated sharing a birthday party with my annoying little brother (sorry Ricky). Just being honest here. Ryan will be a teen next year so I might have pulled off my last successful joint party this year.

Picking A Party Theme - Let's face it, children's parties are all about themes. Having to come up with a theme for a joint party can put your creativity on a whole new level. If you're having a party for two different genders you can't just have a princess OR superhero party, you have to think of something a little more creative. This is the fun part for me. Our carnival party last year was both appropriate for different genders and ages. The possibilities for games and decor became endless. Ryder is obsessed with The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so this year we went with that theme but since Ryan might be a little too old for such a theme we had to balance it out with a giant bouncer that kids of all ages could play in. My husband found the biggest bouncer ever made and good times were had by all.

Cons - I'll give you the cons first. I don't think joint parties are a good idea if one or both kids are celebrating a big birthday. First birthday parties for example. I think such birthdays should be celebrated separately but that's just my opinion. I like looking back and remembering how special each one of my kid's first birthday parties were.
Your party size will always be larger with a joint birthday party. The kids will have different sets of friends and so on

Pros - Who are we kidding, one party is so much easier than two parties back to back. So, that's always an upside. I love that my kids look forward to a party together and that when we sing happy birthday to them it's always a big laugh when everyone is screaming Dear Ryan and Ryder. Their names get all jumbled up with one another and it just always makes them laugh. I really try to keep my boys united and I hope that one day even when I am long gone that they continue to celebrate together and are as united as they were growing up.

I have a long list of joint party theme ideas that I can share with you if you are interested. Feel free to send me a message and I would be happy to send that to you. Here's to hoping I get the chance to host joint parties for years to come.