Having a Sesame Street birthday party? Remember your audience

I've been reading a lot of blogs/stories/posts related to throwing a birthday party lately. Gotta stay on top of all of this for you, my fabulous reader, right? And wow, I'm amazed at what some people put themselves through to throw a party for a young child.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if your child is turning one, then a DJ, clown and facepainting is going overboard. Just a bit. When you start using words like caterer and survived in referencing a party for a first birthday, it's time to slow down a bit.

It's so easy for parents to get caught up in throwing the perfect birthday party for their child. It's their first birthday, it's their first party with guests, it's the first party they'll remember. (Maybe.) There's always some reason to take what could be a simple Sesame Street birthday party and turning into an overdone, stressful affair.

But keep in mind over everything else who this party is supposed to be for. Your toddler is likely still at the stage where they'd rather play with the box than the fabulous gift that came in the box. Particularly with a first birthday, the child has nothing to gauge against, no way of knowing you've thrown the best party ever. So how to keep things under control, on budget and exceed expectations?

Here are a few ideas I've found as I've been out wandering the web:

1. Have an old-fashioned birthday bash at home - classic games like pin the tail on the donkey, simple decorations and separate cake and ice cream times make this a breeze to pull off. Keep it short and sweet and at a time that doesn't interfere with nap!
2. Think appropriate - Everything from decorations to venue to food should be geared to the age of the child as well as your budget. What can you use that you already have? How can you plan to avoid excess food planning? How can you get the other parents involved?
3. And always remember that the point of the party is to have fun and you don't have to spend a lot of money to do that. (One mom mentioned in the comments here about spending $1000 on a party for a three-year-old!) In fact, here's yet one more post I found for you with some great ways to keep things simple and (bonus!) save on your party planning.

So enjoy yourself, create some great memories with your child (and Elmo or Abby) and remember to keep things in perspective in planning a great Sesame Street birthday party. Save the DJ for the wedding.