Birthday Parties for Twins

Last week my twins turned four! They are a boy and a girl and are the best of buddies. So far each year we’ve opted to have a shared party.  We plan to do so until our kids start having different friends and different interests – probably in the next couple of years as they move into the school system, are in separate classes and focus more on ‘gendered’ activities (we all know about superheroes & princesses!).  


Having two kids share a party is not just a twin-thing! I have a close friend with daughters who are two years and one day apart. As a result, the girls share their birthday too. It can be challenging to celebrate with a joint party while at the same time making sure each child feels special.


For example, gifts can get tricky with a shared birthday.  One of our twins is very conscious of everything being “fair and equal”. This can make gift shopping a challenge and questions from friends are common. We are lucky that so far there has been a nice balance of a separate gift for each twin or a shared gift that they can use together (games, sports equipment etc). Also, when the twins are invited to a party, I always make sure I let them choose one gift each for their friend. It helps them feel like individuals at the party they are invited to. Loot bags are also a challenge, having everyone share in the choosing helps! 


At our shared parties, we don’t sing the Happy Birthday song twice - after all who would go first? I do however make each child their own cake. I love to decorate cakes (I’ll admit it would be easier if I could make them a week apart!). 


In the beginning, I spent extra time baking from scratch. I quickly realized that you can’t really taste the cake under all the frosting and toppings. Now I use a cake mix which definitely saves time.  I was able to make both cakes for around $25 dollars. They were a huge hit! Don’t think you need to be a professional to do it right – you can’t get caught up in making things “perfect”.  Kids are pretty easy going critics and they’ll love whatever you’ve made for them.


The kids requested an Excavator and an Ariel cake respectively. Read on for how I made them:


ARIEL

For Ariel  I baked the  cake in a glass mixing bowl, making sure the bowl was buttered and floured well so the cake released easily. I inverted the cake, slicing off the top to make it sit flat. Be sure to ice the cake and let it set up before inserting the doll! I used gel food colouring which delivers a brighter colour and does not change the consistency of the icing. When it was time to insert the doll, I removed her legs, and inserted her into the cupcake and cake securing her with wooden skewers. Her tail was piped on with a leaf tip (sounds complicated but I promise it's easy- practise a few times on a kitchen towel or plate)! 


Excavator 

For the Excavator I baked the cake in a loaf pan and used the additional batter for cupcakes. After cooling completely, I trimmed the cake to make it a flat rectangle then cut off 1/3 to stick on the top for the cab of the excavator. Then the fun part: decorating!  I used yellow licorice for the backhoe, Twix to hold on the scoop (2 cupcakes carved & glued with icing), chocolate doughnuts for wheels as well as lots of jujubes and other candies for finishing details. 


Birthdays are important events for kids, they create memories that last a lifetime.  We all can remember our favourite birthday party, either our own or someone else’s we attended. What are your favourite birthday memories? Do you have birthday traditions and tips you’d like to share? Let us know here or on our Facebook Fan Page!