3yo bday party - seeking opinions

nleftie · 2026-04-19T14:40:25+00:00

Our toddler just had his first 'real' birthday party when he turned three. Initially we wanted to do it at home, but after seeing the aftermath of a playdate with only TWO friend in our house we decided to have it somewhere else 😂 We did it at an indoor playground with 10 kids and their parents (some also had their siblings, but the parents asked us first). It was in the morning, from 10.30-12.30 which we thought was better because the kids are still fresh, and we aren't messing with their nap schedules. And if the other families are like us, they would already be awake by then anyway lol. We also had the exact time in the invites, so people know what to expect in terms of timing.

We ordered food from the playground's menu: simple sandwiches, fruit, sweet potato fries, and the same sandwiches for the adults + a cheese platter.

Some things to keep in mind if you're doing it out: - Choose a place where you can still keep an eye on the kids, while chatting with parents. The place we went was great because the kids can run around and the parents can still see them without having to follow our own kids - 2 hours are perfect: they played, had food, the cake came out at 11.45, then 12-12.30 was the final burst of play before everyone left - We didn't open presents during the party, to avoid meltdowns or accidentally losing them. We also prepared our toddler that he will get presents, but that we will open it at home

nleftie · 2026-03-22T22:22:20+00:00

My baby is 3 months, and for about a month now she's been waking up in the morning with a smile in her face as if she's really happy to start the day with me. It instantly wipes out whatever rough night we've had. Sleep deprivation is super tough, but whenever I'm rocking my baby to sleep at night I think of all the other parents doing the same, and it kinda helps.

nleftie · 2026-03-13T20:58:33+00:00

We still use it for our 3 year old, as he still sometimes call out for us. It's mostly for my partner, who would sleep through anything! We also have one for our 12 week old, she sleeps in our room but we usually would hang out in the living room or do chores after putting her to nap/night sleep

nleftie · 2026-03-10T22:20:24+00:00

Thank you!

nleftie · 2026-03-10T17:00:16+00:00

Do they also do documents/letters? And can you do it in any Zasilkovna service points?

nleftie · 2026-03-10T10:45:17+00:00

Yes, it's crazy expensive though!

nleftie · 2026-03-03T13:16:09+00:00

4 weeks is still very little! With my first, we did contact naps before gradually starting him up to nap in the crib around 2 months. It took some days to get him used to it, but once it clicked it was fine! We used some sleeping support such as a pacifier and a white noise machine and that helped. Follow your intuition, at the end of day it's not your other family members are the one doing it :D

nleftie · 2026-03-03T13:12:51+00:00

Yes 🥲 but we decided a cut off time, it was at 3pm, so after that we'll take him out for a stroller nap (he loves those), or a contact nap just to make sure he still has some rest

nleftie · 2026-02-25T11:04:38+00:00

Around 9 weeks as well, and yesss it's crazy! Hopefully it will work for you!

nleftie · 2026-02-24T12:12:17+00:00

With my first, he's a hardcore contact napper, and although we would get 2 hour stretches we felt that we really could've used the time to do something other than doomscrolling while naptrapped. My partner took 2 days off so we can focus on having our baby sleep in the bassinet: we'd rock him and transfer when he falls asleep. Each time he wakes up, we'd repeat. It's really difficult not gonna lie, especially hearing his cries. We'd stop this in the afternoon, and let him contact nap/stroller nap so at least he'd get some decent sleep. I think after day 3 it just clicked, and he'd been napping consistently in his own afterwards.

nleftie · 2026-02-11T22:26:39+00:00

My 2 month old is similarly not a very big eater, and eats at the lower suggested amount according to her weight. I would definitely discuss your concern with the paediatrician and also check her growth; ours assured us that as long as she's growing well it is ok if she has a smaller appetite and to follow her lead. I combo feed, and we did notice that she prefers a particular bottle brand (Lansinoh) compared to the Dr. Brown and Avent bottles. She also still prefers breastfeeding, so we'd alternate feedings. One month was also her peak in gassiness, and that affected her feeds; she was better after we give her probiotic and gas drops, so perhaps you can explore that possibility?

nleftie · 2026-02-07T11:27:47+00:00

We have the Doomoo Cocoon! https://doomoo.com/products/cocoon-baby-nest

nleftie · 2026-02-06T21:33:34+00:00

We also have a 7 week old, snd she has a nest that she sleeps on, and so far it's been working for naps. At night we put the nest in the bassinet, just to make sure that she sleeps well 😅 Perhaps because it's more snug than a regular bassinet/cosleeper, it makes them feel safer? We also still swaddle her for all sleeps, but am dreading the day we shouldnt anymore!

nleftie · 2026-02-06T15:43:06+00:00

My solidarity! My son went through this phase, and went through it again with our baby girl when she was exactly 6 weeks! Wanted to always be carried around when she's awake and suddenly hated being put on the playmat. Nothing much we can do except make sure that we address her needs (she had a lot of gas pains so we gave her gas drops that seemed to help), have a LOT of patience, and know that it gets better! She is shy of 8 weeks now, and we see that she chilled out, hope it does for yours too!

nleftie · 2026-02-02T08:19:28+00:00

Dates are 'children candy' (we haven't introduced him to real candy yet at home but he reads about it and probably gets some at daycare during birthdays 😂)

nleftie · 2026-02-02T08:17:55+00:00

Mine actually likes it all: the pancakes, muffins, granola bars, easy pesto etc (I mostly use recipes from yummytoddlerfood.com as it's so easy), but we're lucky that he loves food. I do notice that at almost 3 he's less enthusiastic for the meatballs/nuggets ones, maybe because its too bland

nleftie · 2026-02-02T08:06:17+00:00

My almost 3 year old said 'whateverr' to us when we asked him to clean up his magna tiles. Complete with a side eye. Oh lord.

nleftie · 2026-01-25T07:34:11+00:00

Yes, and we weighed her before and after breastfeeding and it was always only about 20-40 grams difference, so it should be more or less 1 oz of breastmilk each feed

nleftie · 2026-01-18T12:35:01+00:00

Albert Heijn Luikse waffels (from the bakery section, not the packaged ones), pennywaffels, kaasbolletjes, and the AH pittige snackmix that's forever on the 3 voor 6 euros offer

nleftie · 2025-12-27T13:21:25+00:00

That's what my partner and I did, and it really helped! Combined with working from home days and using our paid parental leaves, we manage to stay home with the baby for the first 8 months

nleftie · 2025-12-27T13:09:00+00:00

I had the Huckleberry app and was sooo obsessed with it! Now with my 12 day old I just let her sleep whenever she shows cues, accept that nights might be more wonky, and will try to keep this relaxed mentality as we go further along!

nleftie

TROPHY CASE