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Parenting

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Original poster

Did anyone NOT give their DC a 1st birthday party?

107 replies

Mummy2022FT · 05/07/2023 18:57

Money is tight. He'll only be 1 so he won't understand it's even his birthday.

(I am going to do a small 'get together' of family and close friends at home. But not an actual proper party with bubbles and a bouncy castle and whatever else.... )

Anyone else not hold a 'proper' party for their baby?

OP posts:

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Rtmhwales · 05/07/2023 18:59

Me.

I don't think babies care about the fuss, probably even find it a bit overwhelming. We just went to the park with a balloon. He delighted in the balloon. We have money so it wasn't even that money was tight, we just think they're a waste for babies.

Your baby won't miss out, I promise.

thaegumathteth · 05/07/2023 18:59

Neither of mine had a birthday party until they were 4.

mynameiscalypso · 05/07/2023 19:00

DS will be 4 this summer. He's never had a birthday party (partly because he doesn't really like them).

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inomniaparatis · 05/07/2023 19:00

My baby just turned one. We had a family party, just grandparents and our siblings and their partners, so only 10 guests in total, we had food, did presents, it was lovely. Then did a day trip out to a local attraction just the three of us on her actual birthday. We don't know enough people to do anything bigger but I loved what we did. She had no clue what was happening ofc but we'll remember it!

Teapleasebobb · 05/07/2023 19:02

We took dd to the zoo for her 1st birthday. She had her first party for her 3rd birthday.

BevCallardsMerkin · 05/07/2023 19:03

I didn't bother. We had a cake at the house and invited the MIL round. I really didn't see the point of spending a fortune on something DD would never remember.

devildeepbluesea · 05/07/2023 19:04

Certainly not. She was 1, she had no idea what was going on. It was also 2 days before we moved house. A couple of relatives came over but that was it.

Angliski · 05/07/2023 19:04

Ours will be 4 next year. He will have a nice party then. I was on hospital for his 3rd so he went with a few mates to an aircraft adventure but it wasn’t a formal party.

cariadlet · 05/07/2023 19:04

1 year olds have no idea what a birthday is.
Even a family party isn't really necessary unless there are older siblings who would probably feel that the baby was missing out without a bit of a celebration.

Angliski · 05/07/2023 19:05

Ps no parties for 1 or 2 because lockdown and also he was clueless so why bother? Cake and balloon at home with family x

Rockfordpeach · 05/07/2023 19:06

We didn't, he had a couple of small gifts and we went out for lunch to celebrate us making it through the first year

WeightoftheWorld · 05/07/2023 19:06

We didn't with either of ours.

Our eldest, on the weekend following her birthday there was a free festival in a local park that happens every year. So we told relatives we would be there for a bit on the Saturday and invited them to join us for a bit if they want. The people who did were my DPs, my DB, one of DH's uncles and auntie and their child. It was chill, we just walked around together, sat on picnic blankets together and listened to the live music, when DD wanted to nap I pushed her around in the pram etc.

With DS, he was actually unwell with a cold/viral illness on his birthday. We had planned to go to my DPs and get a nice takeaway lunch there with them, my DB and DSis but had to reschedule it for the week after.

Neither of my kids napped on a consistent schedule at 12 months so that's the main reason we didn't want to throw a party. Imagine throwing a party and your baby wants to nap right then.

ThatSunCreamSmell · 05/07/2023 19:08

Me. As it turned out she had a massive 3 hour nap so thank god. We just made her a cake and took her to the park.

We waited til she was 3 and could actually grasp what was happening.

Assignedtoworryyourmother · 05/07/2023 19:08

1st birthdays are for parents not babies. We chose to drink a lot of champagne and congratulate ourselves on getting through the first year. Noone was invited to do that with us, grandparents lived hours away and noone else really cares about a first birthday.

AntiHop · 05/07/2023 19:09

My second child is 2 and we haven't had birthday parties for her. We just went to visit her grandparents for both birthdays.

FlounderingFruitcake · 05/07/2023 19:09

No party here either, it’s not like they have a clue. Went for an early dinner at a restaurant with family and she had ice cream for the first time!

Original poster

Mummy2022FT · 05/07/2023 19:15

Thanks everyone you're all curing my mum guilt!

OP posts:

thejadefish · 05/07/2023 19:37

No parties here either. Just a cake at home with family, didn't have a party until age 5. DC2 is about to turn 1, will be doing the same just a cake!

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 05/07/2023 19:38

no party, not even relatives for DC1 as they all lived too far away. We still had a lovely time with balloons, cake and presents. Went to the zoo at the weekend.

Olivia199 · 05/07/2023 19:40

We did a little family get together and I baked her a cake... and she was poorly and spent most the day just wanting to cuddle quietly!

Stratocumulus · 05/07/2023 19:40

No party in our house until they started school.
Before then, just an age appropriate nice day out with a treat or two as part of that.
Never ever occurred to me that a child under school age would even miss a party.

AlltheFs · 05/07/2023 19:42

We only had a few “illegal” family in the garden (Covid rules-we were one over the limit allowed).
Cake, party food, just a couple of small gifts (plus money from grandparents that went in to her account).

Hellocatshome · 05/07/2023 19:44

When both my DSs turned 1 we went on a family day out to the petting zoo/farm. Followed by a family tea which was just us and 1 set of grandparents as everyone else lives too far away. Neither is emotionally scarred from lack of bouncy castle etc.

Flippertityfeck · 05/07/2023 19:45

I didn’t for any of my 3! I think with the first our nct group met up to raise a glass to them all (& us!). Family lived too far away so we did a birthday cake the next time we saw them. It’s not a big deal!!

Honeyandwine · 05/07/2023 19:47

Nope. Hate parties and a one year old will know no different. My children Still choose day outs as a family over parties.

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