I love a theme and this year Tommy picked a Captain America birthday party for his 5th birthday. I guess we are no longer toddlers over here! We do birthdays with friends every other year and try to keep it simple and affordable. You can see past parties here (Construction and A Big Dawg Party). Here is how we keep our parties simple and affordable, plus everything you need to execute a Captain America birthday party on a budget:

Happy Birthday Banner | Red + Blue Balloons | Patriotic Plates, Napkins and Silverware | Red + Blue Snack Packs | Red + Blue Chip Packs | Patriotic Pull-Apart Cupcakes | Number Candle | Paperless Post Captain America Birthday Invite (editable)

Here are the general rules of the kid birthday party road that work well for our family:

• Pick a general theme (Patriotic vs Captain America) or go to the dollar store and allow the kids to pick any of the available themes (dinosaurs, princess, and gaming are almost always available)

• Friend Parties every OTHER year

• Parties are at home (this keeps costs low and planning minimal)

• Invite the same number of kids as age of the child (Tommy is 5 so we invited 5 friends plus grandparents). I stole this from Busy Toddler and love it so much!

• I time my monthly house cleaning with the party to make it easy on myself

• No party favors

• Cater one thing at a low cost (either the cake or the food/snacks) - This year I’m picking up a patriotic pull-apart cupcake-cake at Publix.

Party Decor + Food Formula

I love the idea of a Pinterest perfect party but I also know it will leave me exhausted and the reality of setting up for a party with two littles running around is laughable. So these few thing have helped me keep it simple while still festive and fun:

• Amazon or Dollar Storage plates, napkins, candles and balloons in the colors of the party. I try to focus more on the general colors rather than the specifics of a theme (see little mermaid versus coastal example). For example for this Captain America Party, we picked out red, white, blue and anything flag for decor.

• Order a balloon pack in theme color, birthday banner, and cupcake toppers from Amazon.

• Food:

  • Snacks in red and blue, Fruit salad

  • Patriotic Cupcakes

  • Juice boxes

• Invite: I find an instant download on Etsy and use Paperless post blank invite to upload and send via text to our friends and family

Party Itinerary:

This is by means the exact schedule we followed but I always think its helpful to know what other people plan for and do at kids parties. I always have a moment before the party where I’m wondering “what are we going to do for two hours?” but the truth is that it goes by super fast.

• 2-2:30: Guests arrive/kids play (we rented a bounce house for $210)

• 2:30-2:45: Eat snacks/food

• 245-3:00: Sing Happy Birthday + Eat Cake

• 3:00-3:15: Open Gifts

• 3:15-3:45: Kids Play

• 3:45-4:00: People start to leave

Price breakdown for Tommy’s Captain America Party:

• Invitation: $10

• Sending invite: $3

• Amazon decor + snack packs: $73

• Cupcakes: $36

• Fruit + Juice Boxes

• Bounce House: $210 (optional)

  TOTAL: $137

I hope this will help you plan your next kids birthday party with less stress.

Happy Birthday Banner

Red + Blue Balloons

Patriotic Plates, Napkins and Silverware

Red + Blue Snack Packs

Red + Blue Chip Packs

Patriotic Pull-Apart Cupcakes

Number Candle

Paperless Post Captain America Birthday Invite (editable)