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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?

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sashh · 06/07/2023 07:44

First birthday gatherings are for family and friends to see how much baby has grown and take photos.

WaltzingWaters · 06/07/2023 07:46

No we didn’t. I made a cake and the in laws came round to sing happy birthday, but no party.
instead me and his dad took him to the aquarium for the day which I’m sure was much more exciting for him.

IncomingTraffic · 06/07/2023 07:49

I’m doing DS3 a party for his 3rd birthday. But only because he’s started getting invited to other children’s parties so he knows what one is.

Last year and the year before… he didn’t have a clue what was going on.

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MustBeThursday · 06/07/2023 07:51

DC1 we did a buffet at ours for family and had all the garden toys and little ball pit out. DC2 got a picnic in the park with grandparents and a couple of our friends. We didn't do "proper" parties til they were at school.

xTinkerbell · 06/07/2023 09:01

DS is 3 and has never had a birthday party just get together with family.

He’ll be 4 in December and that’ll be his first party. He’s aware of what a party is now, has friends from nursery etc. Okay he turned 1 during covid but even if it wasn’t covid I wouldn’t have had a party anyway because he hadn’t a clue!

DD is 18 months, she didn’t have a party for her first birthday either

MrsElsa · 06/07/2023 09:04

They don't remember it so no point. Age 3 and 4 is a good age to start and invite nursery/sch mates.

starlight36 · 06/07/2023 09:06

1st birthday is definitely more for friends and family to mark the milestone. We didn't have a big event - just invited some NCT friends around but more to reciprocate their invitations than anything else.

TrueScrumptious · 06/07/2023 09:07

We didn’t do anything. No get-together with family. Just dh and I at home. We got DD a present and we had a cupcake with a candle on.

AlwaysRequiresImprovement · 06/07/2023 09:08

I don't know anyone who had did a 1st bday party for their children. It's literally just for the parents to ponce about and be on social media.

lalaloopyhead · 06/07/2023 09:12

We just did family afternoon gathering for all of ours, that I can remember. A few nibbles and cake and that was it.

Come to think of it I don't think I have ever been to a 'proper' party for a one year old either.

Soverymuchfruit · 06/07/2023 11:10

Didn't occur to me to have a big party with bouncy castle! Invited some family and friends with babies over, DS was sick, uninvited the friends with babies. Never mind, seeing family was nice for us. Would have been a bit gloomy for us to be home alone with sick baby on what should have been a bit of an occasion. DS didn't care either way, he was sick!

Cattenberg · 06/07/2023 11:33

On DD’s first birthday, we just met up with a few family members and went out for a pub meal followed by soft play.

With hindsight, I would have chosen a quieter pub. DD had to wait half an hour for her meal, which she was NOT happy about. She enjoyed it once it arrived though.

At soft play, DD didn’t really like the bouncy castle and found the ball pool a bit much, but she was perfectly happy toddling around with a ball pool ball in each hand. She didn’t need a party, bless her.

Merrow · 06/07/2023 11:36

No party here. We invited some family to the local pub for lunch and I made a cake, so we did celebrate it, but certainly no massive fuss. His first party was when he was 4, as by then he was very clued into the fact that they existed!

anthonybourdainsfurrowedbrow · 06/07/2023 12:07

I honestly think a full-blown party for a 1 year old is bonkers. Your going to have YEARS of organising and attending parties.

DD is the only child in our immediate family and none of my friends had kids yet, so there were no children to invite anyway. DD was oblivious. I had immediate family over for a bbq and she still had cake and balloons etc.

Only do it if YOU want to, and can afford to.

LadyDarkness · 06/07/2023 14:09

I didn't and made excuses not to go if anyone invited me. 2nd birthday, did it at playgroup. 3rd did it at home for 4 of us and 4th one will be the same. Will do the 5th one properly when my LO is in reception- this is when first loge term memories begin to form. I suspect that not many people want to attend those baby birthday parties but do it because they feel obliged or lie that they would love to but cannot. I'd save money for a nice gift and get some rest, if I was you.

Natsku · 06/07/2023 14:16

No big parties, with DD just family from ex's side, and with DS just coffee and cake with both grandmothers, and on a different day BIL did a cake smash photoshoot for us.

Neither child had a proper birthday party until they were 5, as that's when they start having proper friends.

RedRosette2023 · 06/07/2023 14:18

Neither of mine had a first or a second. We might have shared tea and cake with close family but nothing out of the ordinary.

HauntedPencil · 06/07/2023 14:20

Did for PFB and not for the rest!

Growlybear83 · 06/07/2023 14:26

I didn't - what is the point of having a party for a one year old? We didn't organise a party for my daughter until she started Reception and just had a special day out with Grandma on birthdays before she was five.

ohbaby22 · 06/07/2023 14:35

We did for my eldest, a soft play party. Mainly because he was a lockdown baby and a lot of friends/relatives had also had babies and it felt like a nice opportunity to get everyone together. Now my second is almost 1 and I can't decide whether to have one for him. The guilt of having one for my eldest is making me feel like I need to have one for him too 🙈

skyeisthelimit · 06/07/2023 14:36

For DD's 1st, 2nd and 3rd birthdays, we had parties at home . and by party, I mean invited family, and friends with kids , around for some party food. That was it. No games, no party. The kids just played in the garden.

Her first proper birthday party was when she was 4yo and we had a bouncy castle in the village hall and invited all her preschool friends as well as toddler group friends etc.

After that , for 2 years, I think she had class parties (one joint), and then the year after that did soft play with just 8 kids, then after that it was trampolining or similar with 3-4 friends every year.

At the end of the day, just do what you want to do and what you can afford to do. Not everyone throws entire class parties, not everyone invites friends round etc. One friend was very glad that her kids birthdays fell in the school holidays and never had a party ever.

doozledog · 06/07/2023 14:37

Nope my boy is 7 and hasnt had a birthday party. We just go tea and cake and ask the family.

deliwoman1 · 06/07/2023 14:39

Our DD just turned one. I felt terrible on the day because we didn't buy her a birthday present. 😬We plan to get her something she can keep but we STILL haven't bought it because money is tight.

We had a picnic with cake, balloons, and our friends. Any excuse for a summer laze about in the park! It was super easy and cheap. Then we had a big bbq at Granny & Grandpa's because both our families live close to each other and very far from us, and it was also grandpa's bday! We're having a picnic with our antenatal group too, but that's also super low key.

It's ALL for the adults at this age so I wouldn't worry at all!

gogomoto · 06/07/2023 14:40

Never had a bouncy castle or bubbles ever, my kids are adults now!

riotlady · 06/07/2023 14:44

No, we just did dinner out with my parents. Didn’t do a proper big party until DD was 5, before that it was usually a day out and a nice party tea at home.