1 year?

[dancerjodi]

I cannot believe that our girl is 8 and a half months old!

What did you do for your kid's first birthday? On the one hand I think it is an important milestone. I know whatever we do, it will involve cake on our kid's face. But she is also 1 year's old, and her memory of this will be just what comes from the photographic evidence. And Brian and I don't make a big deal about birthdays. We do something special, but something small with just the two of us or some close friends most often.

I also have 2 nephews with birthdays around that time (one being my brother's son, who will also be celebrating his first birthday). It is Arisia weekend (the Martin Luther King weekend). It is right after the holiday bustle.

Hrm.

Comments

[tigira.livejournal.com]

Wow - this is a loaded question. Many people I know threw (throw) huge parties inviting everyone they know for kid's birthdays. It becomes an event that takes weeks of planning, hours of cake decorating, and includes lunch/dinner, cake, games, activities, goody bags, and a zillion things.

For a 1st birthday.

That a kid will not remember.

I had people tell me to my face that I was a thoughtless mother for not doing that.

On the other hand, by his third birthday, we started actually having parties.

I'd have done one for 2, but had no idea who to invite, since we have no family in the area, and none of our friends had any kids at that time.

[spitcurl.livejournal.com]

yeeesh! :/

But yeah, AFAIK, 1st birthdays are all about the photo opp of baby covered in a mess of cake. Anything else is just entertainment for the grownups and older kids (grownups who want to spoil the baby with presents, or kids who could get bored).

One grandmother's idea (after mom informed her baby can't have dairy, frosting, or too much sugar) was to make a carrot cake, which is a family favorite, but serve it unfrosted, so baby can have a piece, and guests can add frosting on their own, served separately. (I'm trying to sort out making a GFCF/possibly also vegan cake for an adult birthday...)

For party ideas, I took a lot of research/inspiration for Gabe's Welcome Baby party from 1st birthday ideas & themes.

[nepenthedreams]

The first birthday party, I think, is more for the mom and dad for surviving the first year!

So don't let anyone say you're thoughtless.

I agree that three years old is the year to start having a real party.

[rantarn.livejournal.com]

We didn't do much for the 1-year since as you said, they're really don't remember it anyway. Just sat them in their high chair with a piece of cake and let them have at it. Now, that makes for good blackmail photographic moments later. When they were two we started doing more elaborate things since they were more active had friends from daycare and around the neighborhood.

[nepenthedreams]

For the first birthday, we planned to have a small celebration with friends, with cake for the adults and a separate "smash-cake". We had invited my parents and a couple of other close friends (no other kids, really). But then Kai got sick that day, so we ended up giving him the smash-cake the next day and celebrating by ourselves - and then two days later, a few friends came over and shared the bigger cake with us.

Big birthdays before three often don't make a lot of sense. It's around 3 and 4 where I see lots of other kids invited, themes, having the event somewhere.

We went to another lovely 1st birthday that was simply a picnic at a playground/park.

[dee-cee.livejournal.com]

We decided to have the kids' Dedication (our equivalent of a christening) coincide with their 1st birthday. That way my family from OR could make it out and visit.

I think it is TOTALLY a YMMV situation. In my family kids' birthdays are a way to get together. And we all know how much I loooove to plan parties! :)

So I think whatever you and Brian do for her is PERFECT. :)

[tigira.livejournal.com]

I thought the way you did it was perfect! Having the dedication at the same time made sense.

[dionysia.livejournal.com]

As you may remember, we had a few (adult) friends over for munchies and cake. (This was before his cousins moved locally.)

Leo opened his presents and got cake all over the place. It was fun. :)

We did a smaller thing at my parents' place with mom's family.