Babies: 9 - 12 Months
tiffanyirene
member
Anyone NOT doing a big 1 year party?
tiffanyirene
member
I'm feeling a little sad that we aren't having a big party for DD. But we live 3,000 miles from family and friends so we just don't really have anyone here to come. I'm so jealous of everyone who is planning a big fun first birthday 
.....anyones on to my question for those of you not having a big party what are you doing?
.....anyones on to my question for those of you not having a big party what are you doing? 
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Re: Anyone NOT doing a big 1 year party?
my hubby and i live w my parents and my in-laws live 5.5hrs way (thank God)! me my hubby and daughter r going to spend that day w my daughter and no one else is allowd. we r gonna take her to the beach. get some one site pics w her first bday cake. (i want there to be pics of the three of us as a family instead of me and my LO or my Hubby and my LO). were also gonna go to either a bpoutique or toys r us and get a few things for her. HTH
We still have about 3 months, but we're doing a party with about 15 people. Just close friendly and family. Honestly (I don't mean to offend anyone) but I think huge 1st birthday parties are kind of odd. Your LO isn't going to know/feel bad if it's small and I think it seems kind of gift-grabby to invite EVERYONE.
I did go to one super huge first birthday once, and that had it because they struggled with infertility for about 10 years. That, I get.
FWIW my cousin just had a HUGE birthday party for her LO and I heard a lot of people in my family commenting that they didn't want to go and didn't want to buy another gift for a baby who has everything. Also, my aunt (the grandmother) was telling everyone she was embarrassed of the party. Maybe my family is just super rude though. haha
We don't have space to do one at home nor do we have an extra thousand to do it out. Our parents and my brother are coming for dinner on gabe's actual birthday, and 3 good friends with their kids are coming for pizza and to play a couple of weeks later to celebrate (the delay is because his birthday is the day. Enforce Passover starts).
I think that is pretty rude. We are having a big party about 70+ people a s I can't wait. Not for the gifts or anything like that but for the get together. And everyone loves LO so much they all want to celebrate his birthday! I have been to tons and tons of huge 1st birthdAys. And I have never once heard someone complain. Also I get that the kids don't really get if at one and whatever and it's more of the parents but so what! That 1st year is really freakin hard sometimes.
But I guess around here its go big or go home.
****not that I thi I having a small gathering is bad in any means if that is what you want of course. But don't judge.
Op I was going to suggest maybe going to a zoo or something? The out to dinner and have the waitress bring out some cake for LO! I bet everyone in the resultant would. Singhappy birthday!!
Sorry in my pho e
Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt any feelings, honestly. I was just offering to the OP that not everyone is having a big party, and there are good sides to small parties too. It's just not my thing.
We aren't. We don't live near family and I really don't see the point of it. We'll throw big parties when she realizes what's going on.
This year we're just having our best friends and the grandparents on separate weekends close to her b-day.
We're choosing not to as well. I have friends and my IL's live near by, but I'm in the camp that a big 1st b-day isn't necessary. As other ppl said, they're turning 1. Is it momentous? Yes! But I'd rather wait and do something truly grand on a birthday she'll semi-remember and understand what's going on (so maybe for b-day number 2 or 3).
I invited my parents to come for the weekend as they live about 7 hrs away and don't get to see her often. The only thing we're doing is making sure she gets a cake/cupcake and pictures. My MIL and FIL prefer to go out to brunch to celebrate these things, so we'll do that with them separately if they wanted to do something. I figure for everyone else that sees her regularly, if they want to celebrate, I'm more than happy to with them, but I'm not planning on anything. It just makes my life easier by taking off the pressure of ensuring the house is picked up, cleaned, and cooking for X amount of guests after working all week and then worrying about all the clean-up after the party.
If you're really bummed about it - think about all the "chores" you don't HAVE to take on because you're doing something low-key
I agree my family is HUGE. We are inviting aunts, uncles, grandparents and our best friends and list is at 50. I want to invite these people bc they are my family, not bc I want gifts for LO. In fact I considered putting no gifts on the invite.
Even though all of our family and friends are local, we decided to for-go the huge party and instead take DD on a trip to Disney
This will be her third trip, so yes, I fully know what to anticipate with a LO. But it's our first trip just the three of us (me, DH, and DD). DD LOVES Tangled, so we were going to throw her this huge Tangled theme party, but decided to just take her to Disney so she can meet Rapunzel and Flynn (it works in my head
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We're doing a small (like my parents and DH's parents) party the weekend before so people can celebrate with us, but decided to save a big party for future years.
We are not. Not because I think they're a bad idea, but because we don't know where to draw the line. We had a big one for DD and it was hectic and overwhelming for me. Our invite list has since grown and I would probably have a nervous breakdown if we included everyone. So for that reason, we're having just our immediate families.
I have tons of friends and family closeby, but still chose not to plan a big party. We really want to celebrate at home and just can't accomodate the number of people that we would really want to invite. H is off that whole week so we're doing some fun things as a family- museum, aquarium, hopefully some playgrounds and parks if the weather permits. His Bday is on a Thursday, so we will do a smash cake and take pictures that day. Then that Saturday, our immediate families will come over for dinner and cake- just our parents and siblings maybe (our) grandparents if they are up for it.
1st Bday parties are really more for the parents than the child- they don't have any expectations at this age and will probably have just as much fun with a smash cake, balloons and wrapping paper as they would with 50 "friends" and 50 gifts. Save the big parties for when they have friends to invite and a favorite theme. Just enjoy reflecting on her first year as a family and take lots of pictures of the Birthday girl so the families and non-local friends can enjoy seeing her, too!
We aren't having one. For my DS, we just had our families over and it was perfect.
Every 1st birthday party I've ever been the baby has had a total meltdown, the parents open all of the gifts and it's just awkward. My son didn't have his first "real" party until this past year when he turned 3. To each their own, but I'm saving it for the fun years!
We aren't doing a big birthday party. We just moved here and don't have any family close by or know any one else with kids in the area. I'll make DS a birthday cake and maybe have a couple of DH's friends/coworkers come over for dinner but that will be about it.
Baby #2 on the way!
All of our family is 1200+ miles away and we're really not into parties anyway (we even eloped), so we're happily skipping it completely.
We did promise both grandmothers that we'd still make a smash cake and take photos, but that's it.
I agree with you. It's just a matter of preference - you're not being rude at all. We'll be out of town and I'm kind of glad that takes some of the pressure off of me to throw a party. I really don't get having a big party. I think I'll enjoy the simplicity while I can - he will be asking for a party soon enough
I'm sure we'll get a cake and maybe do a small cookout when we get back but that's it. It's my husband's b-day too and I still don't think we'll do anything elaborate.