To not bake a birthday cake for my dd who will be 2 on Saturday?

[Kitsilano]

I feel like a bad mummy but I hate making cakes so I've ordered one from Tesco. And we aren't having a proper party either - my excuse being that she's too young to appreciate it and will just get upset at having to share her toys. I am also 6 weeks pg and have been feeling bleurgh and shattered.

We are having her cousins round for lunch but as I only work 2 days a week I now think I should have organised something more special.

Feeling guilty...

Absolutely fine to have a pre-made cake! DD's birthday cakes have always been preordered and I have never felt guilty about it.

And you are having a party - you are having her cousins round for lunch and to play. For a two year old this will be more than special enough for her I bet.

Hope she, and you, have a lovely day!

Don't feel guilty! We are now into third birthday territory and I can confidently say that I have never been to a single party/birthday tea where there was a home-made cake!

Lord no! We got a slice of carrot cake from a local top notch eaterie and stuck a candle in it. We ate most of said cake too

A 2 year old has no expectations around birthday cakes - plenty of time for all that. And at 6 weeks preg (congratulations btw) you are on special measures anyway.
Hope your dd has a good day.

stop feeling guilty, stop it, stop!
she will have fun, they will all eat cake, you won't be stressed - whats to feel guilty about?

Thanks so much! My mum and sister are big cooks and bakers so I was feeling really inadequate.

I will keep repeating my mantra "I Never Claimed to be a Domestic Goddess..."

i've just been to a 2yr old's party which was 6 kids including siblings playing and a slice of cake - no lunch - and that was fine - she had a cake [shop] and candles, we sang happy birthday and she got a couple of little presents to unwrap - and she did cry over sharing her toys. i did a big party for my twins because i love giving parties - not for them really - and they chose their cake off the computer!

Don't guilt yourself, I was patting myself on the back for having a low maintenance 1st birthday party for DS - two close friends and kiddies only, M&S pizza and a friend making cake (from cake mix packet).

Then I got a birthday card from my lovely aunt with a picture of a cake on the front saying -Come on Mum, get baking, you used to make nice cakes ( i.e. before I got pregnant had baby went back to work 4 days a week and am paddling furiously just to stay upright)

Arrghh, I don't suppose you get a lot of time to bake cakes either looking after an active toddler and being pregnant. I'm sure your daughter will love her Tesco cake, its cake, whats not too love.

Phew! And I'm hoping this means I dont have to do party bags either...[sudden panic icon}!

for what its worth for ds1's 2nd (didn't do anything for his 1st or 3rd) we had 2 of his friends round - they made fairy cakes (well ds did cos my mum had done loads of baking with him, friends looked confused lol), played, then ate fairy cakes. end of party

Rookiemum - argh at the card! Just what you dont need.

Yes you are right - it's cake, what's not to like? And it's even an Angelina Ballerina cake no less!

party bags - nooooooo - I am NEVER doing them!

Last year I gave my dd the choice of a homemade cake or shop bought & she opted for one from ASDA (Disney Princess) and was so happy. As for a party, at that age they don't care!

Fantastic - these replies are cheering me up so much! Some of my friends have had full on parties for their 2 and 3 year olds with proper invites, 25 people, loads of food, musical games, home made cakes, party bags etc etc

I dont particularly like entertaining at the best of times (lazy more than antisocial) and I just figured I could surely postpone it for at least another year. I have had one shocked reaction though - a friend who, when I told her I wasn't planning a party said "are you at least getting her a present?". Even I'm not THAT mean a mummy!!

definately not unreasonable
my dd4 is 2 soon and will have a little cake and candles from the shop and her granma granpa and a couple of my friends may pop in but no party bags lol not this year not yet
have a lovely day --happy birthday to your little one !!

If your mum & sister are the bakers in the family, let them play to their strengths and ask them to do the cake as their 'present' to your DD

DS1 had a bought cake for his 2nd b/day. He had all his friends round to play in the garden, and at the end we sang happy birthday and had a bit of cake. We kept the presents bit very low key. We all had a fantastic time.

we didn't do anything for his 3rd cos I purposefully booked a holiday so that we were away, he did start planning his 4th himself about 6mo before though - so I had to give in to that one (5 friends, at our house, party games in the garden, party food and homemade cake - cos I don't actually like the shop ones and no party bags).
We didn't get him a present for his 1st or 2nd either - he was (and I knew he would be) inundated from otehr people.

Surely a 2 year old doesn't care if Mummy made the cake or not. Better to spend the time playing with Mummy rather than having Mummy stuck in a kitchen trying to bake cakes grumpily.

I had a party for DD at home last year with about 12 children - it was my choice with some pushing from her big brother. I did it how I wanted to do it, like you have. I made a cake, because knowing DD she will end up like DS and start insisting on bought cakes before long. Actually this year I made DS's but for the previous 2 years I had bought them.

I vowed never to buy a shop bought cake again when I read the ingredients of a Thomas the Tank Engine cake I got for ds 2nd birthday. 58% sugar cannot be right .

Liliput, that's why shopbought cakes are for adults only! You don't think those slices in the partybag ever make it home, do you? [wipes hands on car seat) [sugar-crazed frenzy emoticon]

I known that guilt and Ive nearly sih walked away from it , drove myself half crazy making dd1's 1st b'day cake and I have a thread to prove it from 3yrs ago !!! I went nutty mainly due to the fact of being friend with some very competitive, trying to be alpha mums !

The 2nd yr (also was preggy by now) I thought fug that weres me ASDA scanned photo iced block sponge , food-in-the-kitchen-party, thank you!!!

The 3rd yr , Asda scanned photo iced block cake comes out again , new design new piccy , nice cake , food in the kitchen party , thank you !!.

4th yr hmmm , Id like to say sod what other mums, parents, grannys think, ill make it if theres something easy , on the other hand may be NOOOOOOOOOO, cue ASDA . As for venue , garden may be?. I went to a nice relaxed little one at my friends last week and it was lovely, much nicer actually than a soft play mad one! (Athough we were very lucky with warm sunny weather, I may not be in Sept).

first proper party any of mine had was 4th birthday (before that just family and shop bought cake), and just thinking about it DD3 missed out last year becasue we were away, so her first party will be her 5th. And I do minimalist party bags - clear plastic food bags, handful of sparkly sequins, couple of mini chololate bars/small packets of smarties and a piece of cake. Tie the top up with thin curled ribbon and there you are!
Cant imagine anything worse than having to entertain 25 two year olds (unless it was 25 three year olds - they've got stroppier by then ).
Unless you have a brill social life and said 2 year old is especially confident, then I wouldn't bother - mine get hugely stressed out with their parties and usually cry several times before it's over. Gets easier when they're older and you can go out (bowling/skating/cinema).

58% sugar! Is that even POSSIBLE?! Oh no. I ordered it online and didn't check ingredients.

Oh well, Looks like I will just have to eat most of the cake myself then and give dd an oatcake (biscuits to her - shhh)

not sure were sih came from !!