Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

Original poster

If you did a ‘proper’ 1st birthday party..

24 replies

Barnarnar · 05/04/2025 20:33

’Proper’ as in inviting loads of other kids, maybe hiring a hall, etc rather than just having a day out or having family over for a little celebration

What did you actually do for it?
Theres going to be a lot of under twos so I feel like they’ll be too little for a bouncy castle or organised games.
I was thinking maybe just getting a hold of a lot of big toys like soft play cubes, ball pit, slide etc and setting it up a like a big toddler group hall and just letting the kids play but I don’t know if I need more structure??

OP posts:

frozendaisy · 05/04/2025 20:38

God no
our youngster we all had strep throat we took him to Tesco for antibiotics, bought a cake, sat him in front of it with a candle, took a picture, told him he had a great time whilst we were barely able to swallow and all went to bed early with a medicine cabinet

we have obviously told him this he thinks it’s very funny

he has never felt hard done by, unloved, or anything else negative

Original poster

Barnarnar · 05/04/2025 20:50

@frozendaisy Sorry, you were all unwell and I’m glad he enjoyed his day anyway but I really don’t care about people’s opinions of wether or not I should have a party, just want to know what structure people that did do a big(ish) party at this age went for.

OP posts:

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 05/04/2025 20:51

Eh, you cannot be serious. They are way too young for parties. It will be a bunch of tearful overwhelmed babies, no one will have fun.

Keep your powder dry and just do family. Have a few kids at 2 if you must. Parties from 3.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Events & celebrations

SouthLondonMum22 · 05/04/2025 21:02

For DS, we did his 1st birthday party at a play cafe which had a little toddler soft play and also different play areas such as fire station, vets, shop etc.

Twin DD's will be 1 at the end of the month and we're having it at a park. It's a hat party and it will be like a toddler afternoon tea. We'll have a bubble machine, balls and other outdoor toys.

Starryknightcloud · 05/04/2025 21:05

We did a large party, hired some baby soft play, and did drinks and a pizza delivery. No structure except saying a few words and doing the cake. No screaming overtired babies 🙄 a lovely day

SouthLondonMum22 · 05/04/2025 21:06

No screaming overwhelmed/overtired babies here either.

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/04/2025 21:09

Yes we did a party for 1&2

3&4 were planned but as end of March birthday lockdown cancelled both

we had a lot of 1yr and slightly older due to friends but also had older cousins

I did a bouncy castle and also they hired
smaller soft play cubes /slides /ride on toys

no screaming babies. Everyone had fun. Hall easy to clean up

enjoy party @Barnarnar

zippygeorgebungle · 05/04/2025 21:13

For my first DC we had a fab church hall party and hired the baby sensory class leader to come alone and do a session with all her balloons, bubbles, songs. It was lovely. Then some food for the babies and a separate buffet table for the adults. Others I have been to had a soft play party but at somewhere that did baby parties so a separate area from the main older kids' part. For second DC we had a joint first party at a soft play place for eight or nine babies at a place we hired out between us and we had an early years story teller do a session mainly for the toddler siblings. I've been to others that haven't had an entertainer that have been fine too. Summer parties in the garden or park are lovely if the weather is kind.

I think deciding if it's just going to be babies or half babies / half older siblings /cousins who are two or three is important - if lots of toddler guests perhaps might need more structure to fill the time than if all babies and adults.

Had some and been to some lovely first birthday parties - a real celebration of a full year and for me was the marking of a new era of returning to work at that point but a way of socialising with the maternity leave ladies who had been through it all together. I have brilliant memories of DC birthdays as babies even if they don't!

If you're doing a church hall party make sure you have decent help to clear up at the end as that's tricky with a baby in tow if people taking longer than expected to leave.

CrustyOldFrump · 05/04/2025 21:14

We did a big 1st bday but it was essentially an adult party and the sort of thing we would have done if our sons had been christened. A celebration of us getting though the first year pretty much with yummy food and drinks.

Most of our friends didn’t have kids at the time.

Sofiewoo · 05/04/2025 21:15

It was in the summer so we didn’t need a venue, had a paddling pool set up with toys, a soft play tent, garden toys etc.
Aperol and pulled pork burgers for the adults.
Great fun for everyone.

I’ve been to countless first and second birthday parties and they’ve never been full of screaming kids. I don’t see anything wrong with using a baby’s birthday as an excuse to get everyone together to celebrate. I actually feel very weird about people who try to project an image of being better than those who have parties for young kids.

AliBaliBee1234 · 05/04/2025 21:15

My brother hired a party room at a soft play. My nephew had a great time!

I can't stand all this 'they won't remember, don't do it'

You'll remember and the baby will hopefully have fun!

Cheepcheepcheep · 05/04/2025 21:16

1 - family and fizz. got pregnant with DC2 that night 😂
2 - family and fizz again. Remember barely any of it as 3m post partum!
3 - couple of nursery friends at home when we knew the parents so fairly relaxed
4 - church hall and entertainer, went down brilliantly

Honestly OP, at 1 the party is for you so don’t stress it!

Blueroses99 · 05/04/2025 21:54

I hired a big hall and hired soft play blocks and set up a little play area. I also hired a sensory play teacher for some songs and games. This session added a bit of structure. There was a buffet for babies and also food for adults. I got to know quite a lot of babies and parents from various baby classes and activities (none of my friends who lived locally had kids). I also borrowed or bought second-hand tons of high chairs which made lunch much easier!

We had a separate party for family (same venue, same day but later in the day). The family kids enjoyed the soft play area.

LavenderBlue19 · 05/04/2025 21:55

frozendaisy · 05/04/2025 20:38

we have obviously told him this he thinks it’s very funny

he has never felt hard done by, unloved, or anything else negative

We had Covid... or least I assume we did, it was the worst cough I've ever had in early March 2020 😂🤦

dijonketchup · 05/04/2025 21:58

Do you go to a local baby and toddler group? Is there one at a local hall with kitchen facilities?

Hire the hall, and rent their usual baby group toys off the group for a nominal fee or a donation to the playgroup. Always worth asking.

Inflatables come with a pump/generator that can be LOUD in a small space for little ones.

CSR721 · 05/04/2025 21:59

We hired a hall and hired some soft play stuff/ball pit etc. I also brought some toys from home as well like a couple of ride along toys, his little indoor slide, and set up a little baby area too as we had some younger ones coming - a couple of play mats and some sensory toys etc. There was also space for dancing and then the rest of the hall was tables and chairs and the tables for the buffet.

ThisCatCanHop · 05/04/2025 22:00

We mostly did at-home parties in my circle at 1 - toys, smaller numbers, and baby proofed homes. But still celebrations with cakes and, in some cases, themes and so on.

My older DC had his in the park - basically, a picnic with balloons and a cake. If we’d had a bigger social circle with more older children to accommodate, I’d have looked for a village hall type place and hired out some soft play blocks and so on. DC2 turned 1 during Covid so no party there. The baby sensory one up thread sounds lovely!

We went to a naming ceremony-first birthday party when DC1 was small but it was more aimed at the adults than the babies, from what I remember! Plenty of outside space for toddling around, though.

NotMeekNotObedient · 05/04/2025 22:17

We had DD's baby friends over to our house for a Bbq. About 10. We also invited family. The kids played with toys and all the mums and Dads chatted.

It was lovely but we did a small quiet one for 2nd birthday with just family.

Ahwig · 05/04/2025 22:39

My son’s first bday was quite memorable. We had just a family tea , he got some lovely gifts and enjoyed playing with the boxes. That night he started being sick, we then stared being sick, the following day everyone of the family who’d come started being sick. Turns out the norovirus outbreak had stared at nursery on the day before his bday, we didn’t know that so rather generously and unwittingly shared it with our nearest and dearest. Unsurprisingly some of them swerved the following years do

NameChange30 · 05/04/2025 22:48

I did hall parties for both my children's first birthdays. The parties were for us adults, really, to celebrate the baby's first year. We're not religious so we didn't do christenings, I thought of it as a sort of equivalent celebration.

For DC1's party there were a few babies and toddlers, but mostly adults. We hired a hall with some soft play equipment, there were some toys as well and we got a few out. No other entertainment needed.

DC2's party was similar except there were obviously a few more children, DC1 and other siblings and cousins. We did the same though, hired a small set of soft play equipment, brought a few ride-ones for the older kids. I remember the kids (and a few adults ) having lots of fun throwing ball pit balls at each other... luckily we have a couple of primary school teachers in the family and they managed to get the kids to tidy up the balls at the end.

Dont sweat it too much as usually with balloons and a few toys, and safe space to crawl and toddle around, the babies and toddlers will be happy.

Pigeon123456 · 05/04/2025 22:48

We hired a baby soft play package and also hired someone to come and do a baby rhymetime/music session. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Overhaul54 · 05/04/2025 22:52

I did a big one with my other four friends from NCT. It was brilliant .
We had loads of games set up and music. Not particularly centred around 1 year olds as we had friends, families, friends from the village other NCT mates..loads of people all ages.

HundredPercentUnsure · 05/04/2025 23:00

Hired out the local village social club as a venue (bar for the adults!) and also hired a soft play package which included loose soft play, 2 inflatable ball pits and some ride on toys. I made up named lunch boxes for the kid guests with ham/jam/cream cheese sandwich, juice carton, pack of raisins, apple/orange and pom bears. Party bags - a £1 book from the works. No structure or party games, just a 'come in and play' party.

Original poster

Barnarnar · 05/04/2025 23:09

Loads of good ideas and things to think about, thank!
I’ve found a local place that does a really good deal on a bouncy castle, ball pit and soft play so I think I’m going to hire that, if it all fits in the hall I’m planning on hiring 🤞

I do like the idea of just doing a big teddy bears picnic in the park but I don’t trust the scottish weather and I was thinking it might be more stressful to supervise so many babies and toddlers outdoors compared when they’re all safely contained inside

OP posts:

Flip