birthday party for 1 year old

[mrsound]

Hey guys. I just need ideas for the birthday party for my 1 year old son. Any themes in mind? I'm thinking of a costume party? Pool party? 

[kizudo]

I think that I recall another thread on this same topic and the general consensus was KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Grandparents, aunties & uncles (OR two or three friends) - that's it.  And - keep it short: 1 or 2 hours.  Be sure to plan around nap time.  Morning is best.

I can tell you from my experience that things can get crazy for your child.  I found this to be even more true for his 2nd birthday.  So, this year (his third) we're having separate events on three separate days - dinner with my husband's parents, two friends and their families for a Saturday morning snack, and my parents for dinner.  I think that next year we can have a larger event. 

Do a search for that thread - you might get some more concrete ideas.

[TeachingMyToddlers]

Since we do not live geographically close to family, it just worked out that we have not had birthday parties. We tried once, almost all of DD's friends got sick and one had a family emergency (we only invited 3-4 other kids plus their parents). We spent a lot of money getting everything ready I decorated the house for hours. After that experience, I said forget it until they're older. We do something special at home like make a favorite dinner of choice and them them help make a birthday treat. We'll probably take them out for dinner at a restaurant when they're older. We also take them somewhere special like the inflatable jumpy place. Maybe that makes us "scrooge" parents but they don't know the difference yet! From what we have seen other parents do (spend huuuuge amounts of money renting out these kid zones like the private gyms or entire jumpy places, and then "make" an uninterested child go through all the motions at one or two because they are overwhelmed, not in the mood, cranky, etc), I don't know. I'm sure some kids love it, but It just didn't seem like the right choice for our family/kids. I would rather spend that money on school supplies with a much longer lasting impact!  I also might be sour on them because DD's birthday is on or within 2-3 days of thanksgiving (depending on the year) and DS was born 4 days after Christmas. It's a BAD time of year to have birthday parties. We decided when they're older we might let them have 1/2 birthday parties in the summer, when they're old enough to understand and appreciate it.

If we lived near family, it would be different and we would have small family parties with the grandparents/aunts/uncles. Familiar people in familiar settings along with a little birthday cake. Yes, commemorate the occasion in some way but definitely keep it simple like it was suggested! Your baby will thank you.


In regards to your question- what is your child interested in? I would build the theme and party around that.

[mrsound]

I think that I recall another thread on this same topic and the general consensus was KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Grandparents, aunties & uncles (OR two or three friends) - that's it.  And - keep it short: 1 or 2 hours.  Be sure to plan around nap time.  Morning is best.

I can tell you from my experience that things can get crazy for your child.  I found this to be even more true for his 2nd birthday.  So, this year (his third) we're having separate events on three separate days - dinner with my husband's parents, two friends and their families for a Saturday morning snack, and my parents for dinner.  I think that next year we can have a larger event. 

Do a search for that thread - you might get some more concrete ideas.

Thanks for the info. I'll just search the thread for more ideas. Yeah I really wanted to keep it simple with just close family and friends.  Thanks again. 

[mrsound]

Since we do not live geographically close to family, it just worked out that we have not had birthday parties. We tried once, almost all of DD's friends got sick and one had a family emergency (we only invited 3-4 other kids plus their parents). We spent a lot of money getting everything ready I decorated the house for hours. After that experience, I said forget it until they're older. We do something special at home like make a favorite dinner of choice and them them help make a birthday treat. We'll probably take them out for dinner at a restaurant when they're older. We also take them somewhere special like the inflatable jumpy place. Maybe that makes us "scrooge" parents but they don't know the difference yet! From what we have seen other parents do (spend huuuuge amounts of money renting out these kid zones like the private gyms or entire jumpy places, and then "make" an uninterested child go through all the motions at one or two because they are overwhelmed, not in the mood, cranky, etc), I don't know. I'm sure some kids love it, but It just didn't seem like the right choice for our family/kids. I would rather spend that money on school supplies with a much longer lasting impact!  I also might be sour on them because DD's birthday is on or within 2-3 days of thanksgiving (depending on the year) and DS was born 4 days after Christmas. It's a BAD time of year to have birthday parties. We decided when they're older we might let them have 1/2 birthday parties in the summer, when they're old enough to understand and appreciate it.

If we lived near family, it would be different and we would have small family parties with the grandparents/aunts/uncles. Familiar people in familiar settings along with a little birthday cake. Yes, commemorate the occasion in some way but definitely keep it simple like it was suggested! Your baby will thank you.


In regards to your question- what is your child interested in? I would build the theme and party around that.

The birthdays of your children comes very close to occasions eh. 
As of now he likes watching cartoons, especially Disney. That's why I'm thinking of a costume party.

[kizudo]

Not to be a downer, but more as a caution...or atleast something to think about...

Has your child ever SEEN people in costumes?  If you run with people who really get into stuff like this, you might have some very elaborate costumes.  Is there a chance that your child will be afraid of their guests?  I've heard that aversions to clowns usually start at a young age.

[mrsound]

Not to be a downer, but more as a caution...or atleast something to think about...

Has your child ever SEEN people in costumes?  If you run with people who really get into stuff like this, you might have some very elaborate costumes.  Is there a chance that your child will be afraid of their guests?  I've heard that aversions to clowns usually start at a young age.

hmmm...now that got me thinking. Thank you for this insight. I never thought of the possible effect of this. Well, my son has been into Halloween costume last November but I think he was too young to remember it.I think he was only 5-6months at that time. !

Anyways, thanks for the advice.   

[mom2bee]

I'm thinking of a costume party?

I'd say keep it simple. Customes could terrorize the child, not to be mean or anything but its true. You know how tons of people fear clowns? I have a friend who cried, peed her pants and/or fainted when she encountered costumed people when she was a child because of some bad experiences between ages 1-4 with costumed people.

A pool party, For 1 year olds? This could be lot of fun, or it could be a deadly disaster depending on the ages and aquatic skills of the children attending...I know ideally each parent would watch their child, but still all that is needed for a baby to drown is 45 seconds and 1/2 an inch of water...

Is the party for a going on 2 or a going on 1 year old? You'll probably find a simpler party more fun for small children until around the age of 4 or so, when they can really enjoy and participate in it...

[Joha]

We only had family and close friends and ended up being a big party. We did a ladybug theme, but my dd didn't really care about it. We did it to have the memory of her first birthday party but honestly they don't care about anything and you spend a lot of money even on something not to big. I'll say to pick a character you son likes for decorations and don't worry about any activities. Since all the kids were little they were with their parents most of the time anyways. They kind of got together when we started opening the gifts and they were toys, but you know how it goes the attention spam of that was 5 minutes at the most. We did go to a costume party for a year old and half of the kids had their costumes on and the other half had taken them off, but none of them seemed to be scare by any of them since the only ones in costumes were the kids and most of the times their costumes are cute. Now, these were all girls, so maybe that will make a difference on the type of costumes people will put on their kids.

Make sure you have a cupcake for your son. I didn't do it and I wish I had done it   My dd was overwhelmed with the big cake.

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