Another way to use the buddy system: have a “twofer” party. My daughter and my cousin’s daughter were born three weeks apart. When the girls turned one, it seemed silly for my cousin and I to each plan (and pay for) a huge first birthday party that 1. We’d be inviting EXACTLY the same people to and 2. Our kids would never remember anyway. So we pooled our resources and threw one heck of a shindig for those girls. I think our relatives were grateful to be able to celebrate both birthdays at once, too!
