Elia’s Baby Shark 2nd Birthday

You’ve heard it. I’m not sure anyone has escaped the baby shark song. It’s a fun, easy song with cute hand motions. PinkFong added adorable shark characters to the catchy song, and Elia LOVES it! For months she has been baby shark obsessed. She makes all the hand motions now, which is adorable. Last fall, when I was thinking about a theme for party number TWO, I knew she would love a shark-themed party. Not just any sharks though, we needed the bright, colorful, cute, PinkFong sharks. So my search began, and I can’t wait to share with you all the party deets! We had a blast.

Here are links to help you navigate this post. Skip to invitations, outfit, cupcakes, decor, FREE DOWNLOAD, favors, gifts, or food.

For her first birthday, I went all out. I was so excited about celebrating our little girl! We dealt with infertility for years, and finally, after almost seven years of waiting, we had our little girl. So, when it comes to celebrating her birthdays, I am so thankful for another year with her. That first birthday was for me, and I reveled in it! I chose the theme based on what I wanted to do creatively, and her whimsical garden tea party was beautiful.

However, when birthday number two, I cannot believe she’s TWO!, rolled around, I wanted to choose a theme she would enjoy. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she became absolutely obsessed with the baby shark song. I knew she would flip out over a shark party for sure.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Baby Shark Party Invitations

The first thing I looked for were invitations, so I went straight to Etsy. I was specifically looking for a downloadable invitation so I could edit and print it myself. There were lots of options for the theme, but this one was my favorite. It’s designed by Party Treatment (more information about ordering your invitation download below). After editing, I uploaded the design to VistaPrint and added a full picture of Elia on the backside.

For her first birthday, I also added a full photo on one side, and this is something I plan to continue. It was an easy way to share an updated photo for the family to keep and display without invitation information printed all over it. You can see her adorable first birthday garden party here. I can’t wait to start planning her third birthday!

From VistaPrint, I ordered the 4″ x 6″ postcards – standard glossy front. The photo is printed on the glossy side. I got 50 postcards for $17.37 shipped and mailed them out inside envelopes. If you order from VistaPrint, check for a coupon code before you finish your order. I usually find an additional discount to use on every purchase.

If you are interested in purchasing the invitation, below are links to purchase and links to view the demo. Victoria with Party Treatment on Etsy has created a discounted listing for my blog readers. You can get this editable invitation download for only $5.

BLUE VERSION: www.corjl.com/d/16J0JO
PURCHASE BLUE VERSION
PINK VERSION: www.corjl.com/d/1OF4M7
PURCHASE PINK VERSION

Baby Shark Party Outfit

Next on my list was her outfit. I love the custom, handmade outfits I get her from Heaven Scent Boutique for special occasions (you can use code HSBLOVE for 10% off at checkout). Since everything is handmade, their turn around time is several weeks, so I ordered her custom dress in December to make sure I got it in time for her party in February.

Need a dress option with a quick turn around time? This dress is adorable, and you can get it in two days.

I wanted the colors to match the party, bright and vibrant, but also be an outfit she could wear later. They did great with my request, and the colors and patterns went perfectly with spring and with our decor. There are lots of fun baby shark-themed tees available too. Here is an Amazon shopping list that includes clothing options for the party that will get to you quickly.

Baby Shark Cupcake Toppers

Cake, cupcakes, or cookies? Hmmmm. For her first birthday, I did cookies and a smash cake, you can see those here. Cupcakes seemed appropriate for this party, but of course, I had to make sure they were super cute.

I had the idea to make royal icing baby shark toppers. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but they came together the night before the party and were so much fun to make! Here’s a quick overview of how I did it.

• Printed outline of baby shark
• Layered parchment paper over the top of outline
• Traced design with royal icing (let the icing dry overnight)
• Added pupils, lashes, and nose with edible markers

For more information about making your own royal icing frosting and transfers, here’s a helpful post.

The cupcakes were white cake with blue tinted buttercream frosting. They turned out so cute, and Elia LOVED them.

Here’s an Amazon shopping list with cupcake toppers that you don’t have to make and baby shark cookie cutters for you DIYers!

Baby Shark Party Decor

I wasn’t as prepared for the decor as I usually am, but a quick trip to Dollar Tree helped me get almost everything I needed for the setup. One of my biggest tips for DIY parties and parties on a budget is to focus on one main area for the decor like a backdrop or table setting. The decorations for this party were concentrated in one area and created a backdrop for the cupcake and gift table. The party was at our home, so this was plenty of decorations.

Going from top to bottom in the photograph here’s what I used and how I did it.

Behind the banner is a plastic pink table cloth I cut into strips. Laying the table cloth flat, I cut about one-inch strips without cutting through the top. I had my husband, he’s a lot taller than me haha, fluff the strips after we hung them.

The light blue background is wrapping paper as well as the orange. The dollar tree has lots of fun wrapping paper. You can get solids as I did or use patterns for different themes. There are so many different ways to use wrapping paper in your decor, and it was a cheap way for me to add more color to this backdrop.

The large shark was made with white foam board, construction paper, and pink poster board all from Dollar Tree. I drew the shark on the foam board first and cut it out. Then, I traced the shark onto the pink poster board and cut out the detail pieces I needed. I hot glued the pink to the white foam board then added more details. The eyes and mouth are construction paper that I cut out from a rough sketch. The little party hat completed the jumbo shark and was made from left-over white foam board and construction paper. I wanted a big shark for the centerpiece, and she turned out so cute!

I wanted to add some dimension to the backdrop, so I made the sea wood twist and look 3D. I cut out the shapes from green poster board. Some of them I taped flat and others I twisted and pinned down to stick out from the wall.

Then, I framed the background with blue plastic table cloths meant to look like waves or water. Cut up strips of plastic tablecloths then added horizontal cuts to look fuller. The setup was so colorful and fun, and Elia gasped when she saw it. I had to make most of the decor because I couldn’t find any easy access items. Since the party, the theme has gained popularity, and now there are more options easily available. I’ve gathered a list of Amazon Prime Baby Shark party decor available for you.

To complete the remaining decorations, I used another Etsy download. The banner, sharks on background, and sharks on party favors are all downloads that I printed and cut out. The great thing is they came in a package for less than $10. Super easy to download and print. The shop I ordered from has closed, unfortunately, but I did find you a banner option here.

The big pink balls I saved from a previous party. The table is covered with plastic table cloths, a string of lights, a gold foil 2 from Dollar Tree, and two mesh tubing seaweed sprouts. (I’ve also gathered a list for you of different decorations you can purchase now.)

Subscribe to My Blog and Receive Baby Shark Printable Download

Click here to subscribe. Download is emailed to you immediately. I used these cute sharks throughout the party. I cannot wait to see what you do with them!

Baby Shark Party Favors

For the party favors, I would have loved to give the kids a plush PinkFong baby shark, they are pricey. So, we settled on some more budget-friendly items. My mom found some small keychain sharks on clearance at Walmart for $1. They were 90% off the regular price. The shark even makes noise, which is fun. You could also do plastic sharks from Walmart for $1, or here are some adorable Baby Shark sticker sets.

Elia’s birthday is after a major holiday, Valentine’s day, which helps get better deals on fillers for party favors. I got bubbles, chocolate kisses, and the plastic shred for 50% off. The yellow bags were 3 for $1 at Dollar Tree, and I used a glue stick to add the sharks on the front of the bags, which tied it all in with the theme.

Baby Shark Gifts

We don’t buy any big gifts for Elia’s birthday because we pay for the party. Ha! However, I did want to find her something fun to have with the familiar baby shark characters. It was hard to find something that wasn’t overpriced or being resold on eBay, but I happened to find this puzzle at Walmart. The puzzle sings the song when each character is added, and she loves it. Update, it’s been five months since her party, and she still loves this puzzle.

I also found a Scholastic book at TJMaxx that goes through the song with beautiful pictures. I love all things sentimental, so I thought it would be sweet to have guests sign the book for us to read over and over again.

(Since sharing this blog post, Baby Shark has become increasingly popular, which means there are a lot more items to use for decorations and gifts! YAY! Amazon has lots available with Prime shipping. Here’s a list I created for you.)

Baby Shark Party Food

Most of the party guests were adults, so I wanted food that adults would enjoy. We decided to have a taco bar. It was delish! I love tacos, and I have the best recipe for crockpot salsa chicken. It makes the best tacos ever. We make this chicken recipe all the time, and it’s easy to double the recipe for a crowd. Here’s a recipe for it. I promise you’ll love it.

With our chicken taco meat we also had the option of beef. For toppings I made, homemade guacamole and pico-de-gallo. Then, there were storebought toppings like sour cream, cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, and diced tomatoes. Everyone loved it, and by the end of the party, all the food was gone! Haha. I got nervous about running out, but it seems we had just enough.

There are lots of fun ideas for themed snack items on Pinterest if you are feeding kiddos. For example, fish eggs (grapes), shark teeth (bugles), and shark bait (goldfish).

The party was so much fun. A relaxed enjoyable time with family, and of course Elia was spoiled with lots of gifts. I love celebrating my little beauty.

I hope this helps you plan your baby shark party and inspires you to come up with some creative decorating ideas. Parties are so much fun to host! Don’t stress over perfection and have fun with it. Your little one will be so excited.

Make sure you pin this, so that you can find all these fun ideas later.