What to Do THIS FRIDAY for Daughter's Birthday - All Relatives Are Sick!?!

Updated on February 18, 2010
M.O. asks from Barrington, IL
13 answers

We already had a "kids party" for my daughter's 5th birthday. However this Friday is her actual birthday and ALL our relatives are sick and won't be coming over. We have a new baby who was recently hospitalized, so going out isn't going to happen either.

Anyone have a great idea as to what our family can do to celebrate her special day? She wants to order pizza and I already have presents...but this has been a very stressful year for all of us...sick baby, DH lost job so we didn't do vacations or many fun things for quite awhile, I would love to really make her feel special for her birthday. What can I do?

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I think we're going to do the "spa day" thing. We bought some new polish, little fingernail sticker/jewels and get her all FANCIFIED. I really appreciate your input. Thanks for helping us make her feel special.

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Family slumber party! Eat pizza, watch a movie, eat popcorn, have sleeping bags on the floor. If you have a tent, set that up inside as a special place for her to sleep.

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L.B.

answers from Chicago on

a spa-at-home day would be tons of fun, with kid-safe makeup, getting her hair done, getting her nails done, dressing up like a princess and in general being pampered and girled up.

or getting to bake something special and choose her favorite meal would be fun, maybe with a movie of her choice as well.

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K.N.

answers from Houston on

Have a beauty day at home, Pull out you makeup kit and have fun painting your faces and dressing up. Paint her nails and toes. Put on some fun music she likes and dance as if she is cinderella at the ball.

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

What if you dress up like princesses, bake fancy cupcakes or cookies, and have a "grown up" tea party? She might really like that and it would make her feel special.

Also, if she has a best friend, you could invite her over. Even though she already had her kids party, it's ok to have one close friend over again.

I think the most important thing is to do whatever SHE wants all day, as long as the requests are reasonable. Cook her a special breakfast, play games, just focus on her as much as possible. Easier said than done with a sick baby, I know, but as best as you can!
Happy birthday to your little girl. :D

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - want great toys? I've got 'em!

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M.K.

answers from Chicago on

You've had so many great ideas so far! My daughter's birthday is tomorrow too (and we already had her friend party)...and one thing I am doing for her is to sit down next to her and watch her favorite tv/video while her brother naps. We don't let her watch much tv, so it is one of her favorite activities when we do. It seems like such a small, silly thing....but I can see what it means to her when she reaches over and takes my hand and smiles! Find one of the great, simple things that your daughter loves and just join her. Easy and free!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Make a tent in your basement or family room. Use blankets, or whatever you have on hand. Set up sleeping bags, flashlights, carpet picnic. The kids love to play in forts!!

My kids love hanging streamers up. For just a few dollars you can transform your home into a festival!!

Just have fun with her, and she will feel special!

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S.T.

answers from Kansas City on

Decorate her room after she goes to sleep the night before or decorate a little while she's at school. Just make it all about her her favorite meal for dinner or what ever she wants to do!!

K.I.

answers from Spokane on

The fort idea is cool...kids love that stuff! She wants pizza, she gets pizza! Light some candles, make it comfy cozy and maybe throw in some board games(her choice) along with the cake and ice cream, opening presents, maybe watching a family movie(her choice) on the floor or in the fort and your golden! My kids think it is the "biggest thrill" to sleep in the living room...family camp out?!

Best of all...most of its free...because you can make do with what you got...I always pleasantly surprise myself when I throw something together w/the stuff from around the house!~The mellow low-key celebrations are always the best anyway!

Happy Birthday Sissy!

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K.T.

answers from Minneapolis on

Along with the pizza, I would get a princess cake [if she's into that-or whatever she's into] and vanilla ice cream with a variety of different toppings. I used to love that as a kid...get some sprinkles, gummy bears, oreos, different sauces, etc. so everyone can make their own "mix". And being that it's on a Friday, I would play family board games and then let her stay up and watch a movie of her choice and maybe even build a fort and sleep in the living room. That, I think would be a good birthday for a 5 year old

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S.B.

answers from Gainesville on

Well...if you can't go out or have relatives over either and it's just going to be you guys....I would ask her maybe if she has a best friend she would want to see for a few hours? Or maybe do pizza, ice cream and cake, movies, games....maybe do a "spa night" with the two of you for some girlie bonding? You could buy the masks, some nail polish, foot scrub...Of course I don't know how old she is so I'm not sure if you'd want to do that. I'm not sure about what else you could do at home...besides those basic things, you could always ask her what she thinks would be fun ? That alone used to make me feel special, when my mom asked me about how I felt and what I would like to do for fun...

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I love the idea about setting up a surprise the night before... streamers or whatever across her door or something like that. If she has one friend that you would be comfortable having over to spend the night that is always an option. Let the girls stay up a little later than usual, eat pizza (which she asked for), have popcorn and a movie, paint their nails/toes. You could bake a batch of cupcakes and let the girls frost them and apply sprinkles/candies, etc... stick the candles in the cupcakes (arrange them on a plate in a circle and just put one candle in the middle 5 cupcakes) and sing Happy Birthday. (for a "goody bag" to send home with the friend, just make it a mini-manicure set-- with an inexpensive bottle of polish, girly emory board, sampler size lotion; and include a photo of the two girls with their nails done).
When parties just weren't something I was "up for"... we let our son have a friend over to spend the night (summer birthday) and took them to the local water park for a few hours. They had a blast, were all tired out, and our son didn't "miss out" on anything... had a cookie cake and take-out for dinner. Then popcorn and a movie with his best friend.... of course he was 10... but just skip the water park and you could do all the rest.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I would get the stuff together to make a collage. Let her pick pictures out of magazines and draw and color glitter etc. use some snapshots you took at her birthday part with friends. whatever she wants to make a "my birthday" poster. She can hang it in her room when its done. she will love having the time together with you. it won't cost anything except a pc of poster board. afterwards take a photo of her and the poster and put it with her thank you notes that she writes to her friends that came to the kids party.

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E.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

Have a fun Family night. She wants to order pizza so do that. Make her a really special cake(you can find lots of ideas online) or buy one, buy some balloons at the Dollar Store, decorate a little bit with decorations from her friends birthday, play her favorite game or let her pick out a movie, play dress up(daddy too!), If she likes to do crafts maybe you could pick out something she'd love that you could all do together. If money is still tight get creative she is 5 and really will think that anything you do is really cool! I hope that you all have lots of fun and enjoy the night together... don't forget to take pictures!

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