To NOT throw a 1st birthday party

[likeacrow]

It's our 1st child's 1st birthday soon and we'll be taking her for days out, plus she'll be seeing family members around her birthday, but we're not having a party or any kind of get together to celebrate. It just seems pointless & unnecessary to us for what she'd actually get out of it.
All my friends and my nct mum friends have or will be throwing 1st birthday parties for their children, so are we very unusual...?
(No problem with others throwing parties if that's what they want to do obviously, and it's always lovely to be invited. )

I always see 1st birthdays as a chance to celebrate he parents more than anything! If you don’t have a party, make sure you go out to dinner with your other half (friend if not applicable) and drink some bubbly and toast your first year of motherhood!

We had one, but as PP have said, it wasn't really for DS's benefit. It was a nice excuse for a get together of my friends who have little ones, and a chance to see his cousins. I booked an hour in a school swimming pool, then we congregated afterwards for sandwiches and cakes. It was lovely day, it wasn't expensive and I'm glad we did it.
. I certainly don't think it's miserly or anything else negative not to have one at that age. Most of his friends the children of my friends are around their 2nd birthday now; none of them had a party or anything of the like last year, one of them is paying a few people into soft play this year. It's DS's party on Saturday, I expect most people will exchange any cards and gifts for the children then as they did last year at his party.

I think it’s nice to have a party but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to chose to celebrate some other way. I’m sure your DD will love her day out and seeing family.

For DD we had her great grandparents, grandparents, aunties uncles and cousins over. Planning something similar for our son. We're doing it as expected of us, and we know the guests will enjoy it. Won't bother with party for second birthday.