First Birthday - Party or not?

[EmilyLou]

Hello, our friends have had or are planning parties for thier 1 year olds birthdays. Our DD will be 1 next month but we don't see the point in spending the day preparing for an expensive party with party games etc for lots of friends and their babies when the babies don't even know what's going on. Our friends will no doubt think we are mean as we are going to invite close relatives only to celebrate with us and are not having pass the parcel or hiring out a ball pit etc.. What does everyone else think?

I didn't for ds. HAd some family round to see him but that was it.

Its his 2nd birthday tomorrow and we're seeing grandparents, but thats it. TBH I don't see the point. I'd get stressed out organising it. Ds would get overtired and play up.

Plenty of time in future for that kinda thing. At moment he wouldn't really realise what was going on.

I'm with you on this one - a lot of effort for something dc won't even realise.

I wouldn't/didn't

we just had a tea party for dd at home withaunts uncles grandparents and a couple of her friends around. Even though they are only 1 it is nice to make a fuss of them from the start it is their special ay after all. Doesn't need to be a big stress - can buy a lot of finger food ready made.

Go with your instincts

You will have plenty of opportunity for all that stuff soon enough!

all 5 children in my immediate family have done afternoon tea and birthday cake with close family and maybe one or two friends. Nothing elaborate but a little bit of a fuss to commemorate the event.

one or two grown up friends that is - lets be honest THEY don't really have friends at 1yr old, do they?

I think that's fine. A 1yo baby doesn't know what day it is. For ds1 we had a few friends (of mine) and their LOs plus a gran or two.
In fact by the time we got to ds2 we just had a famiyl day out with a walk and a trip to the movies.

We have no family near us (4000 miles away) so we invited some good friends & their LOs for a morning playdate. It was meant to be at the park but the weather wasn't great so we did it at home. We just put out some fruit, bagels, doughnuts & coffee and let the kids play for a while. It was just like our normal playgroup, so none of the kids were freaked out. Of course, none of the kids knew it was DS birthday but the adults did and it was nice for me to have them there. I certainly wouldn't have had a huge party but I'm glad we did something...

I think you are quite right and far from thinking you are mean I bet your friends will be secretly jealous you have maintained a common sense view. Plenty of time for party giving when children get older, and the older they get the more competitive it seems to become. Personally ds had a chocolate fairy cake with a candle on it for his first. I did give in and do an elaborate 3rd but it was too hectic to enjoy and he doesn't remember any of them so far. His 2nd was the best, we had a picnic with friends and family

We didn't have a party but loads of people dropped in and it turned out to be a lovely afternoon ,ds in bed and everyone enjoying a drink in the garden
No point in a proper children's party imo.

If you like a big party then do that, but it will make no difference to your dd and may be a bit much for her if she's not used to it.

We just did a family tea for ds's 1st birthday and will be doing the same this year when he's 2.

I've not read the thread - but we didn't have a party last month for ds.

I had a 'tea party' a bit like all my bumps and babies friends having a coffee morning (but obviously in the afternoon!) birthday cake instead of biscuits and strawbs and grapes for the little ones...

Had a natter - LOs had a forage amongst the lovely new toys - absolutely NO STRESS