Clicky! Open gifts during party or afterwards?

Rachel5782

For 1st bday parties...are you planning or did you have Lo open his or her gifts during the party? Usually I would but since we're doing a big old BBQ with like 50 people and  LO won't be old enough to really "get" the whole gift thing should I just wait til after the party is over?  I've been to parties where they've gone both ways.  What do you think?[Poll]

Telly21182

I have no idea what we're going to do.  We invited 90 people, and I'm thinking about 50 will be there.  That's a lot of gifts and too much stimulation for Ty.  Maybe I'll ask some of the older cousins (4, 6, 7) to "help"?

nfrtny

DH's aunt suggested I just set them within his reach and let him mess with them on his own time. There are 80 guests, so I doubt he'll open them all, but maybe a couple. 

maddiemoon43

We're doing an open house/BBQ for birthday AND Canada Day, and I don't really want our kidless friends having to bring gifts, etc. (though I know some and family likely will).  I want the emphasis to just be on a group thing not just the baby (err... "Big Boy"), so I don't want people to have to sit around and watch us open gifts, especially if they didn't bring one.  We are tentatively going to open any as they arrive (bring DS over to say hi as guests come and go, open then, etc.)

waterfall11

I have been to 5 first birthday parties in the last few months and gifts were only opened at one party.  We invited 120 people (crazy, but we have big families, I think only half will attend since most are out of town) and I cannot imagine how long and boring it would be to have her open all the gifts. 

mesr

we won't have many guests, so i do expect that we'll open gifts at the party.  i expect that dd1 will do most of the opening.

MammaBear81

First birthday we always open presents during the party.  It's more for the guests than anything else.  The rest of the parties we always do after, I'm always weary of getting the "but I don't like that present" in front of other people.  At one they love the wrapping paper so you can't go wrong!

ETA- if we had 110+ people I wouldn't be opening presents, we have around 30 people, and mostly couples and families, so we are looking at around 15 presents.

Andie_83

We're only having around 20 people (including kids) at Z's bday party, so she'll open the presents during.

JuneBugsMommy

DS will be opening gifts at his party (25ish people, only our immediate families and my two best friends and their sons). I always like to see the gifts being opened at the parties I go to.

jen&jay07

We'll end up having about 50 people at DS's party so maybe about 25 gifts. I would rather not open all the gifts at the party. On Christmas and Easter (yes Easter, the grandparents are nuts!) he started having a meltdown while having to open gifts. So I would rather let him be at his happy self at his party and open them later or the next day when it's quiet. I do have a feeling that MIL will push that he open presents though so we'll see.