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Original poster

1st birthday party ideas please?

6 replies

Lavender14 · 13/08/2023 22:52

So I'm going to start this by saying I'm fully aware that a first birthday is more for the parents than the baby!

But ds 1st bday is coming up and I'm torn on what to do. He's a winter baby so nothing outside will suit which is frustrating because ideally I'd just have a wee get together with family at our house and open it into the garden because we've a small terrace. Dhs family is massive and they're all very close so there's no way we can accommodate everyone in our house. It would be really stressful for our pets and there would be no room for all the kids to play.

However because its only a first birthday I also really begrudge paying money to rent a room somewhere, id rather save that for when ds has parties he's old enough to remember. Plus we'll be at the end of my mat leave and just finished 3 months of living on one wage so money will be tight especially in the mouth of Christmas.

Anyone any other ideas of things we could do that won't have upfront costs? I don't mind providing sandwiches/ buns/ juice/ cake I just would ideally like to not have to spend on anything else apart from ds himself.

OP posts:
Normandy144 · 13/08/2023 22:56

I would just do a day out for you three together e.g. trip to a zoo or farm or something. Can you then just invite family around for tea and cake and if necessary split up the groups in to two or three so you can manage it ok space wise. Alternatively are there any family who have a big enough home you could use and host a tea party there (obviously you would host/pay for cakes etc).

OutInOutIn · 13/08/2023 23:04

Can you take him to a grandparent's house and invite the family there, if they're near enough?
Honestly though I think it's more a milestone for you as parents, you will have many many years to stress about village halls etc so maybe just enjoy this one as close family?

Original poster
Lavender14 · 13/08/2023 23:11

Normandy144 · 13/08/2023 22:56

I would just do a day out for you three together e.g. trip to a zoo or farm or something. Can you then just invite family around for tea and cake and if necessary split up the groups in to two or three so you can manage it ok space wise. Alternatively are there any family who have a big enough home you could use and host a tea party there (obviously you would host/pay for cakes etc).

This is actually what I'd like to do- I was wondering is it cheeky to invite family for a wee day out in his honour but they'd need to buy their own tickets if they're going to an open farm etc. The alternative is we go to the city museum which is free in? Or is that a bit cheeky...

For reference, both families would have get togethers like that fairly regularly and each buy their own entrance costs. I'd love to do something just the 3 of us but dh has the expectation of a family day or party in his head and I think they will too.

@OutInOutIn I'd feel a bit guilty asking as I know both my mum and my mil will stress to the max hosting the other (even though they get on great) so I wouldn't want to put them under that amount of pressure. It would also have to be mil because my family live further away so it wouldn't make sense for dhs massive family to travel en masse! (Although the same folks would do it)

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Events & celebrations
UsingChangeofName · 13/08/2023 23:16

I was wondering is it cheeky to invite family for a wee day out in his honour but they'd need to buy their own tickets if they're going to an open farm etc. The alternative is we go to the city museum which is free in? Or is that a bit cheeky...

Well my response to an invitation like that would be "Do we have to go?" . As I wouldn't want to wander round either a museum or an open farm in a big group as if I were on a school trip let alone pay for it.
But you say your family do that sort of thing quite a bit ? So maybe I am the odd one.

I would just have Grandparents round to a birthday tea if you can't fit more than that in - although you can usually fit more than 6 people in every terraced house I've been in.

justanothermanicmonday1 · 13/08/2023 23:31

We had the same issue. We had DC1 party at MIL. Plenty of room for kids to play and run about and we could invite family and close friends. We then had a day just the 3 of us and did something then the next day x

Original poster
Lavender14 · 14/08/2023 12:33

UsingChangeofName · 13/08/2023 23:16

I was wondering is it cheeky to invite family for a wee day out in his honour but they'd need to buy their own tickets if they're going to an open farm etc. The alternative is we go to the city museum which is free in? Or is that a bit cheeky...

Well my response to an invitation like that would be "Do we have to go?" . As I wouldn't want to wander round either a museum or an open farm in a big group as if I were on a school trip let alone pay for it.
But you say your family do that sort of thing quite a bit ? So maybe I am the odd one.

I would just have Grandparents round to a birthday tea if you can't fit more than that in - although you can usually fit more than 6 people in every terraced house I've been in.

There would be 13 people on dhs immediate family side (and everyone goes to everything), plus 5 from mine and then the 3 of us so that's 21 people we would need to accommodate. He's very fortunate to have both sets of his own grandparents and our siblings would expect to be invited with their kids (and to be fair we've made the effort for everything they've had for their kids as well). They would take it as a bit of a snub if they weren't invited and fil would be miffed which I don't want. So it's a lot of people.

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