How I Make My Kids Birthday Dreams Come True – Without Spending a Fortune
Hi! I’m Stefanie, you might know me from Tiktok as the Eadie family mom, or from Instagram as a fashion and family blogger. I am a SAHM balancing life with 4 kids. I share fashion, family and healthy lifestyle and help you manage it all and be your best self!
One thing I’m known for is my birthday room decorating. I share some home decor here and there on social media, but I always share this very special birthday tradition with my kids- and it’s always a hit! The night before each kid’s birthday, I stay up after they go to sleep decorating a surprise birthday room just for them.
I shared Bryson’s BORN 2 BE WILD birthday room and all the details, but today it’s all about Brooklyn’s ROYAL PRINCESS birthday theme and a little more on how I do these elaborate decorations without spending a ton of money or time. Don’t get me wrong, it does take time planning and searching for things, but the overall execution time isn’t too bad. The outcome of seeing your kids light up when they see their special room you stayed up creating for them is worth it all.
I typically start planning about 4-6 weeks in advance, just because I’ve learned the hard way it’s much harder to get a cake within a weeks notice and sometimes shipping times can be delayed. You can pull this off in a few days, just not ideal.
One big question I get is – do I pick out the theme for them or do they? And the answer is, a little bit of both! I have a general idea of what they’ll want, and if they have requests I definitely listen to what they are asking for and try to make it as unique and fun as possible. Brooklyn hadn’t really talked about anything and honestly likes so many different shows and toys that nothing really stuck out to me. We did go to Disney this spring which she was mesmerized by, and since she was turning 5 I figured this may be one of the last times she’d be into princesses. I saw some cute invitations, and kind of just went from there!
Before I get into where I purchased everything, these birthday rooms are typically just for the day of their birthday, and I usually purchase decorations / settings for the family. Brooklyn had a birthday party with her class, that we did at a trampoline park. This is all for the actual birthday!
As I was saying I am usually browsing online for 4-6 weeks before hand to get inspiration or find things that stick out to me. I usually rely on Amazon, Target, sometimes Oriental Trading and Party City. Once you know your theme, I highly recommend you get your cake coordinated because those orders usually need a longer turnaround. But- if you live near a Publix you can put in a cake order 24 hrs in advance. Brooklyn’s cake is from Cake Couture – Nicole was featured on Food Network and is a very talented cake artist here in south florida!!
I create a vision in my head of what I want and need and then scour the internet to find them at affordable prices. I don’t spend a lot but I could probably spend even less but going to the dollar store or target dollar spot for certain things. But with 4 kids I’m willing to spend money on convenience.
I make sure everything I want is ordered and delivered before the night before, just in case I have to run out last minute. I put everything in a special place so I don’t forget about it. If they’re at school I’ll prep a few things then, otherwise I try to get them to bed early to start decorating!
For this birthday room I ordered balloons from a local girl who set everything up for me. The problem with this is it is much more expensive, and you may not be able to coordinate them coming late at night. She came the morning of her birthday after Brooklyn had seen everything. The good part is it was way less work for me! I did a balloon garland myself for Bryson’s birthday, and I thought it turned out really good especially for the price. It was a bit time consuming though, probably 2 hrs blowing up balloons and getting them hung just right. If you’re local to south Florida or in the Palm Beach area, I used Jazz Up My Events.
Don’t underestimate streamers. The room always comes together when we line the doorways with colorful streamers and it adds such a fun element of surprise for the child too! Streamers are cheap and easy so go nuts!
One last tip is think about it any gifts you have and if / how you can incorporate them into the decor. I got Brooklyn this tea set, and figured it would be perfect to use as decor, and keep as a toy! I know the kids get antsy waiting until they can open gifts so I usually leave something unboxed that they can play with or that I know will entertain them until it’s time to open gifts. Oh, and gift bags vs wrapping paper are going to save you a ton of time as well.
Linking everything I can for you! What questions do you have? Do you do anything like this for your kids or have any traditions they enjoy? Let me know in the comments below!!
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