I wanted twins my whole life. When I was little girl playing house, I always pretended to be a mommy of twins. Apparently I had some eerie sixth sense because years later, here I am, proud mother of identical twin girls. (If you ask me, “Do they run in your family?” my answer is “They do now!”)
You’ve heard it before: twin parents get twice the joy and twice the love, but we pay for it with twice the work and twice the expenses. It’s totally worth it. Sometimes, however, it gets tricky.
How do I divide my time between these two sweet girls? How do I make sure I attend to their needs as individuals?
Things get especially hard on that one special day of the year—a day that is supposed to be their own day—but that as twins, they have to share with each other: Their birthday.
When your twins are babies, you barely bat an eye at this. Once they enter school and start making friends, it’s a whole other story.
We had my daughters’ birthday party yesterday and it was a hit! While I’m crying over the fact that they turn six tomorrow, the least I can do is share how my expert tips at planning a birthday party for twins made them both feel like the birthday star!
(If you aren’t a twin parent, but your child is a guest at a twin birthday party, you’ll want to check out section on present-giving, below.)
The Place
Make sure you chose a birthday party setting that both twins are excited about. After researching local birthday spots, I made a list of the ones that were in my budget and let the girls know their options. I told them we would pick a place in which they both wanted to have their birthday. There were two they both agreed on, so I was the tie-breaker. We settled on the Air Bounce play place in Northgate Mall, which is smaller and therefore less hectic than the local jump parks, and also includes pizza and game tokens. I highly recommend it!
*Note: If your twins can’t decide between Chuck E. Cheese’s and the jump park, have their party at home or outdoors. If they each are interested in a different theme — maybe one is more Shopkins and the other more Darth Vader — consider decorating half and half! Sure, it may look crazy in pictures, but all that matters is that your kiddos are having fun!
The Friends
Once your kids are old enough, let them choose the guest list for their party. While my girls have several mutual friends, they also have a few special friends that they alone are close with. I knew how many children we could invite and after adding in the friends that they both wanted to invite, I told each child they could pick two more friends. They were both thrilled that for the first time ever, mom wasn’t completely in charge of the guest list.
The Cake
Or…cakes. This is a big one that can make your twins really feel special: having their own birthday cake. While it may be more economical to get a big sheet cake and put both of their names on it, as a twin parent you are already used to spending double. Sigh. Trust me, your twins will feel really special if they each have their own cake. This year one of my girls chose a cookie cake, while the other chose a vanilla cake. The smiles on their faces when it was cake time were bigger than ever before!
The Presents
If your child has been invited to a twin birthday party, you may be wondering: should I bring two presents? Should I get them the same thing? As a twin mom, I can tell you we will really appreciate it if you ask us! I always say that your presence is a gift at my kids’ birthdays, and I mean that. However, if you would like to bring a gift, it usually is best to bring one for each twin. The exception to this is if the invitation appears as though your child has been specifically invited by just one twin. This is more common for boy/girl twins who are having a joint party. When in doubt, reach out to the parents. We appreciate it!
I hope these tips will help you navigate the new waters of your school-aged twins’ birthday parties. I’d love to hear suggestions from other twin parents!
