In our house, celebrating birthdays is BIG! My son was born two days before my husband’s 30th birthday, and since then I have tried to ensure both birthdays are equally celebrated. So, we enacted a new tradition, Birthday Week! With the current pandemic, I was challenged to still create a meaningful week while also being mindful of the governor’s orders.
The goal of Birthday Week is to create memories and enjoy an extra special treat once a year. During a typical year for my two-year-old son, I would have planned Pinkberry in Garden City, visiting a new playground, donuts from Allies, a sweet treat at Seven Stars, seeing the animals at Roger Williams Park Zoo, bouncing at Kids Kastle, and playing in the water room at the Children’s Museum. Ideally, for my husband I would have organized: beer at Whalers, steaks on the grill, chicken and waffles with Bourbon syrup at Dante’s Kitchen, ice cream at Brickley’s, a date night concert at Mohegan, chocolates from Sweenor’s, and a day at the beach.
Below are some ideas for both the kiddos and adults in your life to ensure this year’s birthdays are still celebrated.
Celebrating birthdays for your Kiddo
- Have a conversation with family about gifts. Ask family members to give gifts that allow your child to engage in independent play. Throughout the week, open a new gift that will allow your child to discover one toy a day. There are a number of stores that offer curbside pick-up or delivery such as Barrington Books and Bellani Maternity.
- Order some party balloons, blow them up after bedtime, and then place in your child’s room for when they wake up. SURPRISE!
- Bake your child’s favorite dessert or pre-order a tasty treat from DeLuise
- Make their favorite breakfast or order online with Amy’s on Wickenden
- Schedule a family zoom
- Chalk a birthday message on your sidewalk. If you are close with your neighbors, encourage them to write a birthday message too and then go for a walk around the block.
- Create a Spotify playlist of all your child’s favorite songs. You might not want to hear Baby Shark twenty times, but your child does!
- Schedule a birthday parade
- Watch one of Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Home Safaris
- Schedule a virtual birthday by ordering art projects through Makers in Warren.
And For Your Partner
- Recreate experiences that you would typically do for a date night. Love going to a brewery? Grab a few beers and make homemade pretzels
- Work with your child to create a birthday “surprise” for your spouse
- Order in fancy drinks from Nicks on Broadway
- Schedule a family game night through Zoom
- Go on a family hike, socially distanced of course
- Get cozy on the couch with a good movie or funny tv show
- Cook a meal together
Do you have any other ideas to add to our list? Let us know how you celebrated your special person in the comments below!
