Parties

Why is it that we experience countless kids’ birthday parties each year, but when it comes to our own child’s big day, we’re suddenly clueless about what to do?  Never fear, we’re bringing the best of the birthday parties to you!  Here we’ve assembled a list of indoor party spaces perfect for almost every theme and size you’d need, and based on personal recommendations.  We’ll follow this with another guide to birthday party companies that travel to your home, and as we near Spring, another list of great outdoor party places.  Keep an eye out for occasional additional lists as we gather more recommendations, and please, if you’ve had a great kids’ party experience, share it with us!

One of my favorite things is birthday cake, especially from a box and double especially covered in frosting. I'm not a fan of all the fancy buttercream frostings and fancy cakes. I like regular old moist and fluffy chocolate or vanilla birthday cake slathered in rich, sweet frosting. But knowing that your cake is filled with hydrogenated oils and trans fats really takes the fun out of it. Especially as a mom. How can we enjoy stuffing our faces with cake when we know how bad it is for us?

Thankfully, Nora Schultz, a New Jersey mom, has solved this problem with her Naturally Nora cake and frosting mixes, made from 100 percent natural ingredients. There are not even any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. (The confetti cake is colored with things like spinach extract and turmeric!). They are also dairy and soy free. But most importantly, for me, Naturally Nora mixes contain no trans fats or hydrogenated oils.

This Sunday is Father's Day and so it's time to celebrate dads.  All year long Dads take the kids to kid-centric weekend activities. For Father's Day Weekend let there be no kiddie music or bouncie castles. This weekend treat dad to some fun family activities that he will enjoy as much as the kids will. There's a sports carnival, family field day, hip hop family festival, baseball games, great music and much more. And most of it is completely free!

Top events for Father Day Weekend in New York City

Whether it’s good old-fashioned angel food or trendy Southern red velvet, birthday cake is still the highlight of any party for kids. These days, however, the definition of “birthday cake” is expanding to also include cupcakes (amazing what one little episode of Sex and the City can do). Cupcakes are a good party choice because they can be cheaper, easier to serve, and more customizable than regular party cakes—the perfect answer when half your guests want chocolate and the other half crave vanilla. Whichever way you go, consider the following places. They’ll make any birthday party a sweet celebration.

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Every parent wants his or her child's birthday party to be a special and memorable experience. One way to insure that your child's party will be one that he or she will remember for years to come is to invite some animals, and I don't mean those boys in their class. Kids love animals and there are some really cool birthday party ideas that you can have right in New York City with live animals in attendance.

While some of these parties are admittedly exorbitant, you'll be surprised at a few options that are on par with other birthday parties in New York and won't break the bank. Check out these animal parties that kids will be "eternally" grateful for (for at least a couple of days):  

It's one of the most sought out topics on Mommy Poppins, birthday party ideas. Well, now we've got a page dedicated to everything we've ever written on the theme. And what's more, we're going to write about New York City birthday party ideas every day this week. So check out what we've got in our New York City Birthday Party Guide and stay tuned for more great posts about kids parties in New York to come.  

Oh, and while we've got your attention, make sure to check in next week because we're going to be giving away some awesome tickets to the top kid shows in New York City. Don't miss it.

At Mommy Poppins we believe kids birthday parties don't need to be stressful, expensive, or difficult, even in NYC, and we've got dozens of super cool birthday party ideas to prove it. Our NYC Birthday Party Guide doesn't aim to be a comprehensive list of the hundreds of party places in New York City, it's just the ones we've been to ourselves and loved, heard rave reviews about from friends or just sound beyond cool. Also look for do-it-yourself, at home party ideas and tips for great inexpensive parties. We'll be writing more of these posts and adding them as we go, so check back or subscribe.

New York has changed a lot in our lifetimes. When I was a kid we really didn't have that many chains stores and restaurants in Manhattan. I used to see ads for Red Lobster and Beefsteak Charlie's on TV and pine for the suburbs. Now, of course, I know better and pine for the old neighborhood places. Most of them are long gone, but there are a few places left that have miraculously survived.

You can take your kids to any one of these old fashioned soda fountains and it's like stepping into a time travel machine. Each of these kid-friendly restaurants is a great place to stop by for ice cream drinks and desserts and is a window into a long-gone NYC. Experience old New York at an old fashioned soda fountain. Isn't history yummy?

It’s almost Spring and hope is in the air!  Right now there are so many fun birthday parties happening and we’re all emerging from our houses to go to them.  If you’re one of the parents planning them, we’ve found 31 awesome cake designs you may be able to put together (ok, I wouldn’t be able to make them, but I have a friend or two who may).  Also: tips on learning to talk to your child about race, the newest (very extreme) way to loose weight, Chris Brown trying to get the kids behind him and the best idea of the week.  Go!

The bankers and the artists may get all the press, but NYC is a great city for science too. There are many wondrous places in New York where kids can soak up, explore and create scientific knowledge for themselves. From Science Museums, Programs, Shops and more, we've rounded up the best places for kids to get scientific in New York City.