I still look at my baby like he is four months old. People are calling ages 1+ a toddler. A TODDLER? I do not have a toddler. No way. I am still working on his scrapbook from two months. From when he stood up for the first time, from his first stroller ride, his first bite of avocado. I do not have a toddler. And if I do, than I should be pregnant again. According to my records, I'm not pregnant and I shouldn't be until late this summer. (Which means by writing this I'll probably be pregnant next month- ha!)
I feel this pressure from people around me that I'm (that we're) suppose to make it this huge deal with decorations and expensive decorated cakes and matching ribbons and balloons and gift baggies and pictures of him hung beautifully and gobbles of toys and all. It is a huge deal, of course, but why do we have to spend so much money on accessories and things to celebrate?
Let's just be honest. 1st birthday parties are mostly for the parents. Children really aren't going to remember this day anyways, right? Of course memories are made and moments are celebrated, but the kids have no clue what's happening.
Let's just be honest. 1st birthday parties are mostly for the parents. Children really aren't going to remember this day anyways, right? Of course memories are made and moments are celebrated, but the kids have no clue what's happening.
I go to friends parties and read blogs and I'm just so impressed with all of you. You throw these awesome parties for your kids. You have goody bags. You have 14 different food options and punch and soda and alcohol and water. You have confetti the color of the table cloth and matching streamers. You have pictures framed perfectly on the welcome table from the last 12 months.
... Now I've got myself thinking that he hasn't been in the same chair every month for his monthly picture so this is totally going to screw things up. So much for that idea. I don't even know if I can remember each picture from each month....
Honestly, I will probably buy plastic plates at the dollar store. Or target if I can find some cute ones. I found some cute ones today that we $1.50 for 8 plates He will thank me later when the extra money went towards his college fund instead of $4 plates.
Really though, it's not about the money.
I was upstairs thinking about all of this and looking at birthday invitations online, which by the way- $1.50 for a card? Plus postage? No thank you very much. (Not about the money...really) Anyways, I was looking online and researching for ideas and trying to figure out what theme I wanted to do (although we don't do themes if you haven't noticed. Until he tells me he wants Batman or Ninga Turtles or whatever boys are into these days) and my husband comes up and ask me what I'm doing.
I need to start planning his party. I don't know what to do. Look how expensive these are. But they're so cute. What decorations should we get? Do you want to have it at 2pm? Should we get him his own cake? Do we want him eating cake? I think I will make him a cake. What colors do you want to go with? Should we do pizza or just dessert? Who should we invite? I think I want to wear a dress at it. That will be cute don't you think? I think I need to send out the invitations in a couple weeks. What do you want to get him? Let's just get him one cool toy. Do you want to do balloons? Yes lets do balloons. We should go to the toy store this weekend. We don't need to streamers. Which invitation is cuter- this one or that one? Do you like this one with his picture there? Should we do football or ....
Sometimes I talk without taking a breath.
And my husband, being the man that I married and adored, looked at me and said something that I think we all need to remember.
He knows how much he is loved. When he sees us together and when we're all hanging out, he knows how much he is loved.
That's why I married him. So he can tell me to stop freaking out about things so unimportant, in the grand schemes of things, such as invitations and colored balloons.
But they are important.
Once I come to grips and convince myself that yes, my son (I have a child!?) is turning one, I will most likely go all out. Because I'm a mom and there's probably something in me that can't be stopped. I'll probably do a theme, I'll probably decorate and buy matching accessories and I might even spend $2 on an invitation because after all, this is his first birthday party!
My baby is turning one!
Questions for you:
1. Did you spend a lot of money for your child's 1st birthday party?
2. Where did you get his or her decorations and invitations?
3. What did you get your child for their first birthday?
61 comments:
You're right, her 1st birthday was for ME! I loved planning it, throwing it, etc.
1. Not a lot. We just invited family, I think one (or two!) is too young for a "friend" bday party.
2. I did a farm animal theme and bought some plates online (birthdayinabox.com, I think?. I send online inviations (evite.com). All our family was close, so I just called or told everyone in person when the party was going to be. I made a cute cow cake and a little mini cake that she could dig in all by herself. I made a snapfish poster with pictures from each month of life and put it on the wall, I did buy a couple ballon boquets, but that was it for decorations. No goodie bags.
3. We bought her a little people barn with animals. She still loves it!
I think small birthday parties are best for the big ONE. I don't like commercial themes at ALL, but simple, timeless themes are nice for helping your party with some direction. Maddie is getting a "tea party" this year. Pick something he likes (bugs, monkeys, trucks) and just go with it.
Molly that cow cake sounds adorable!
Right now he's into remote controls, paint brushes, kitchen utensils, dog bowls..... what kind of theme would those things make? ;)
My son just turned one, granted he's the 2nd born so I didn't feel the pressure quite as much as the first! But anyway, we just invited family and kept it small. We did an Elmo theme because I already had the cake pan and I like Elmo...it's about the parents right;) Just bought red plates/napkins/utensils at Target. We got him a few trucks...his favorite is Tonka Chuck because it talks. I asked the rest of the family to write a check to his college savings plan because seriously 1 year olds would rather play with pots and pans so I didn't want a ton of toys that would never get looked at. I'm sure whatever you do it will be perfect:)
For little J's first birthday we hosted it at a park with a BBQ lunch. We invited family and a few close friends who were apart of his first year of life. We did not have a specific theme other than kid theme; we got our invitations at the dollar store, along with the plates, napkins, cups, and balloons. Super cheap!!! We bought little J a practical birthday gift, a new car seat. He did not know the difference and it was something he really needed. At that age I like to think of practical gifts and let the grandparents and aunts and uncles buy the toys. Good luck planning, and the first birthday is definitely a big milestone for the parents!!
I hear you on the disbelief of your son turning 1. Little J is 20 months old, almost 2, I can not believe it.
Logan's first birthday we got him a sandbox. I had a bunch of friends who had babies within a month of me, and we got a small room for one hour at the commmunity center. had cupcakes and sub sandwiches and then went to open swim. It was intimate and not overwhelming and the kids had a blast. I got simple Elmo decorations and plates/cups/napkins from the dollar store because Logan liked Elmo, and I actually kept the leftover stuff and have plenty to use the same stuff for Jordan's party.
And we're doing exactly the same party for him. Sandwiches and cupcakes at the community center with open swim following. Just family and a couple close friends.
I have absolutely no regrets for keeping it very simple. Babies generally can't handle long elaborate parties without getting overwhelmed anyway.
Oh, yeah. for Logan's party we did sand pails and shovels with a water squirt toy inside since it was a swim party. For Jordan's, each kid is going home with a book I chose for them.
I DESPISE the mostly useless yet expensive goody bags some parents give out!
I am stressing over this very thing. With my 1st son we did a huge birthday party. I do not want baby #2 to think that his party wasn't a big deal when he looks back at the pictures,but it already is going to be alot more toned down then the 1st one. ugg I also hate doing piontless goodie bags. I try to give something useful instead.
I did not spend a lot of money. We had the grandparents our two brothers, but no other children. It does seem excessive to me to invite other babies and their families to a 1 year old party. I did order a set from party in a box online. It was a farm theme and came with plates, cups, cutlery, streamers, and a tablecloth. I think it was around $20 or so. I was going to order the matching invitations, but instead just drew one myself by copying the picture on the screen and then made copies on a copy machine. I timed the party for lunch time to go after her morning nap and before her afternoon nap. I had out chips and dip and a fruit platter. For lunch my husband grilled hamburgers. I did set out a poster board with one picture from every month. I just ordered prints off of snapfish one for each month. None of them were in similar poses/environments, but it was neat to see her growth visually like that and it was a conversation starter for our families who rarely get together all at once. For a cake, my daughter had a milk allergy so I baked a chocolate "crazy cake" and she did get a piece. She smashed it up everywhere but didn't really eat any of it.
As for presents, all her grandparents bought her a bunch of stuff (too much really, but I didn't have a voice in that). We bought her a wagon to ride in. Six months later she still plays with it and loves to pull it around the yard.
I hear you. I love planning a themed party but babies just don't care. I kept it simple.
I didn't go with a licensed theme. I did 2 color and polka dots. It made things so much easier. I made my invites with Microsoft Publisher(which I already have on my PC).
I made my own cake. I made her a little smash cake. The cake was banana made with bananas and chocolate cake made with apple sauce so I did let her have some.
For food I did tortilla chips with 2 kinds of dips. I also made 2 crescent roll ups, ham and spinach. That was it for food. Everyone raved about the food. Its quality not quantity. If there a a few things that you make and make well that are affordable, that will be enough.
I didn't do pizza but it is another good idea, since its simple and you can probably get a discount at your local pizza place for ordering a lot.
Goodie bags are optional. They can be nice if its not filled with junk. I hate when my 7 year old comes home with a bag just full of candy.
Here are some pics from my daughter's 1st BDay Party in November
http://www.heatherthehousewife.com/2009/11/first-birthday-party-fun.html
You're a great Mama for what you do everyday not based on a party you throw for 1 day :)
I am having so much fun planning Brady's 1st birthday party!! It is just going to be mostly family and I am kinda going overboard but I am having lots of fun!!! You can buy invitation templates on etsy for $10-16 dollars and then go to vistaprint and print them pretty cheap. We are having an owl theme! I am really just buying anything and everything that is cute with an owl on it!! Which is not that much!! I made a birthday banner out of scrapbook paper and it turned out super cute!! His birthday is feb 13th. So I will be posting pictures in a couple of weeks!!
Depending on how many people you are inviting you can go to seehere.com and sign up for an account and use the code "newbaby" and make him photo birthday invitations. That's what I did for Madelynn. I think you can make like 29 or 30 of them they have to be 4x6. The shipping is free. Just have him sit down on a sheet hanging from the wall, put him in something cute. Have your husband stand behind you and jump up and down yelling and making funny noises to get his attention and snap some pictures really quick and hope you come out with something good. That's what I did and it worked. As far as food goes just get snacks, cake, and punch. I tried making a whole dinner and I just got angry. People had eaten before they came or had something made at home even though I told them I would provide dinner. And if you make home made snack stuff like chex mix cost you less.
Go with the generic 1st birthday decorations at walmart if you don't have a theme picked out that you absolutely HAVE to have. I decided that Madelynn's party HAD to be ladybugs. Worst idea ever. You can barely find ladybugs on the 1st of January. Also you can buy a few packages of the themed plates and then go to the dollar store and fill in with matching dollar plates. No one will notice. Same for table cloths.
As far as a present went we waited until after her party to see what she still needed. It might be different because her birthday is so close to Christmas. But I think buying a small toy or outfit to give at the party from you guys and then getting him what he needs after is your best bet. I spent way to much money on Madelynn's party and these are the things I learned from it. Hope it helps.
oh yeah, making the cake yourself is the cheapest. And decorating a super cute cake is way easier than it looks.
I started reading your blog recently, not sure how I stumbled upon it but am loving it. We will be celebrating our daugthers first birthday in May. We have a lot of family so "small" isn't much of an option. I think we are planning on doing a backyard BBQ with a Cupcake theme since she is our "lil cupcake". I am designing/making the invites and some of the decorations. I know she will careless on the big day and it's all mainly for me... but I can't help some of the cuteness. Over the winter holidays we saw an ad for a small play kitchen for dirt cheap, we ordered it and she will be getting that from Mommy and Daddy. I'm sure we will get her a few small things- but figure the bulk of her gifts will come from family.
I want to do something with pics from every month, but like you they are not all in one setting- so I plan to have black and white prints made and then maybe a larger, color print of her at 12mo.
I wish you luck as you plan for your little mans #1!!!
these are all great ideas mamas! Thanks!
We just moved to NC from MI before my daughter turned 1. Our family wasn't near and we didn't have any friends yet. Our party was my daughter, my husband and I- and looking back, I loved it that way! I made her a little cake and we got some balloons and party hats (mostly just for pics). I spent very few dollars, she'll never remember it, I have some cute pics and my husband and I were stress free!
We keep things VERY simple. The first birthday is a time for the parents and family to look back and remember the accomplishments and memories of the year. We look at it as a family celebration, not a time for a big hoopla party. So we don't do invitations or fancy decorations. On my youngest son's first birthday, we made pancakes since he loves them and had a simple party with grandparents and gave him two little, fun presents. It wasn't about lots of money or saving money. It was about making happy memories.
For invitations, I have one word for you: VISTAPRINT
Go to their website and thank me later. For Isaiah's first birthday party, I made postcards from Vistaprint by uploading a super cute photo of him in the background and the printed the party info right on the front. The flipside had the RSVP info, directions, and our return address.
Easy peasy and SUPER CHEAP!! I think it was like mabye $9.00 total and I had a ton more postcards then I needed.
1. We ended up having 3 mini celebrations in 3 different towns. I spent $2 on cupcakes at one, $3 on cake at another, and then a total of $6 for cake, decorations, and invites for the big one at our house with friends.
2. Where did you get his or her decorations and invitations?I am a big fan of dollar Giant, and got almost everything there.
3. What did you get your child for their first birthday? a few new books, a new outfit, and new bedding for her toddler bed she moved into that night.
1. Did you spend a lot of money for your child's 1st birthday party?
Ave's first birthday is in March too! I haven't spent a lot so far. Most of the money will go towards paying for food/beverages at the party.
2. Where did you get his or her decorations and invitations?
I will be making them myself using scrapbooking supplies and cardstock. In all honesty I'm sure this is more expensive than buying invitations.
3. What did you get your child for their first birthday?
I don't know yet. She doesn't really play with toys. Maybe we'll start a savings account for her. She can't play with it but whatever.
We are doing a cupcake theme because I like cupcakes. The party is mostly for hubby and me and our friends and family. It will also be our housewarming party so it will be bigger and more elaborate than a normal birthday party.
I have to organize my son's 1st birthday party in March too. I would love to get a year's membership to the zoo or the local children's museum. That's something that we don't have to find a place for or trip over during the year.
Lauren, thats a great idea to combine a birthday party with a housewarming party! I like that!
1. I don't remember how much I spent - maybe $100-150 or so total? Not including gifts. I also put together very small goodie bages with stuff form the dollar store. Bubbles, squeezie splash balls for the water, squirt guns for the older kids. Each bag was less than a dollar total. A friend of mine is an amateur cake decorator. I paid her $30 to make the cake with a hula girl and then she made my daughter a separate smash cake. It took the stress off me and was still homemade! For food, we made shish-kabobs ahead of time and then grilled them during the party. Everything else was snacky like goldfish, hawaiian fruit dip, cheese/cracker tray etc.
2.I already had almost all the decorations. We did a Luau theme because of that. I had everything from past luau's I had thrown and my mom had a ton of it too. I bought some additional fake tropical flowers and some other things to complete it but everything I got came from the dollar store or Big Lots.
3. I got her a water table and a kiddie pool. Both we used during the party for the babies to play in and she used all summer long in the backyard.
1. Heck no.
2. We emailed people an invitation using 'Smilebox', it's completely free, and they have plenty of non-theme ideas that are pretty neutral. I personally think it is stupid to go overboard on any of it.
3. We got her a wagon we can pull her in and some needed clothing items. We got the wagon on a special discount and it will be used for many years, perhaps for other kids, as well. It is a 'thing' with us, we have given our friends wagons for their kids as shower gifts, we compensated for this by basically buying needed clothes and 3 very small toy items for Christmas: a puzzle, some stacking/nesting blocks, and a tub of those duplo blocks. total cost was under $25. A suggestion I would make would be buying him his next size up carseat for his birthday, if you haven't had to do it yet. Practical. Be practical while you can.
Bake him a cake, or cupcakes and invite 'special' people and let it be that. The only thing people were really interested in at our was watching her smash into her individual cupcake. For a 'theme', we lined the cupcakes up into a #1 shape and frosted them and took a picture of it. That was it. I had to open her presents because she wasn't able to. It was a small family thing, and we were cool with that.
Parents/moms are putting way too much pressure on themselves/each other and there is no point. I saw recently on facebook that a guy I went to high school with Rented a HALL and made goodie bags for his baby's first birthday. What the heck for? Another friend rented a friggin pony. The baby slept through the ENTIRE party and SHE got on the pony. She's 5'10 and not a lightweight. Poor pony. All you really need is that 'money' shot of cake on his face, honestly, that is what everyone will remember and think of, not a big toy, not the invitations. Save yourself a huge amount of worry and buy a $2 cake mix, if you want to make it special, make your own frosting, usually it's about 3 ingredients, or just buy a tub and then give yourself a pat on the back for not buying into the psycho-competitiveness. Also, I am just saying my 'baby' is now a toddler at 15 months because she no longer crawls to get to where she is going 99% of the time.
Don't rush another baby, or anything, just chill! Do what you want! Be a responsible parent and do the balloons when he'll appreciate it and wont' try and eat them, when he's 4!
note: I hope my previous answer didn't sound snotty, Heck no, really means, heck no we didn't spend a lot :-) You might incorporate some of the things you enjoy into your gifts, or into your day. For example, plan a fun walk for you and little one and husband the morning before the party, do something JUST for the 3 of you, and enjoy the feeling of being a mom, because it's a special thing, and in a few months, you won't feel like you have a baby anymore, not really, but you'll know it when you get there, so don't sweat it. Mostly with my post I'm hoping you get the theme 'chill', because a happy mama is much more important that streamers, confetti or cake plates! As for my sister in law the best gift she gave me was telling me she would personally throttle anyone who commented if my house was a mess at my 1 year olds' birthday party, because I was stressing about cleaning (I had just been released after having hernia surgery to do housework), so.. yeah, I guess my point is chill out and have fun, people will be there to celebrate with you, not to worry about the details!
My baby girl will be one in April. However we no longer celebrate birthdays. It is for religious reasons but not because our church has the belief but because we feel it teaches the wrong things. I would just like to make the point that what you start out with is usually just the beginning. It gets bigger each year and eventually your child will not be pleased with anything you give them, and will grow to expect more and more each year. Not to mention that by about age 3 they already know they can get away with murder on their birthday, so they push it to the limit every time.
Although it will be a milestone in my daughter's life that I intend to mark with a trip to the portrait studio that will likely cost me as much as a party would, I will be able to look back and see the that I taught her to be giving and grateful, two things that are WAY more important than any gift I could buy.
Thanks LilMouse. I am chill. :)
Trish,
don't believe that children will expect more and more each year and never be satisfied. I think it's all on how you raise and teach your children.
getting a portrait studio is a great idea! I think that's what we're going to do for his birthday this year, and every year!
opps meant to say *I* don't believe... sorry :)
I am sorry but i have to say i dont really agree with the comment that "children will expect more and never be satisfied" my child will be 3 in Feb and he knows he cant get away with murder anyday, his birthday is no different. Its really all in how you raise and teach your child. I believe we should celebrate the day they were born. It was the BEST & most AMAZING day in our lives and theirs.
Our first party was huge and his 2nd was just us so they dont always get bigger and bigger.
While i respect the reasons why your family doesnt celebrate i dont think the reasons you stated are fair to the rest of us that do celebrate... I do love the idea of a picture to remember the idea!
I agonized over my first kids birthday party but didn't stress about the seconds at all! :)
1. No, I think I probably spent a total of $50. We bought a helium tank, balloons and string, a cake and snack foods/drinks. I did do goodie bags because we had a lot of older kids coming, but they were inexpensive vellum bags with just some candy and balloons in them.
2. I shopped for a lot of the decorations at Target or Walmart. I bought things on sale. I bought his cake at Costco for $15.
3. We took my son to Build-a-Bear for his first birthday and he made a dinosaur. He loved it and still does! We continued this tradition by taking my daughter there and she made a ballerina teddy bear. I think that they maybe cost $20 each. It was a fun time and a great interaction with them.
Don't stress about it and good luck!
Can't wait to see photos and hear about his birthday! So cute! I love the photos of babes eating their first cake, it's hilariously cute :)
Off topic...who do you like on the bachelor? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :) I think I like Tenley? But not sure, you just never know what will unfold! :) This is one of my fav. seasons so far too :)
Oh and Play-dough. We put that in the goodie bags. And by candy, I mean fruit snacks. We just call those candy in my house. :)
1. Nope- probably about $75 for everything.
2-Decorations from a garage sale and the dollar store
3-A play kitchen and a balloon
We live far from family, are on a tight budget and try not to focus on 'stuff' too much. It was my husband, myself, my mother in-law (who was living with us at the time) and the birthday boy. We decorated with lots of streamers and bought him a helium balloon. We had one of his favourite foods- homemade pizza for dinner. I went all out on his cake though and made a cool 4 car train. That's the tradition for us- special cakes. His second birthday was similar except I made him a Tigger cake.
Our second son turns 1 in May and we'll probably do something similar. We're thinking of asking people to give towards his new car seat instead of gifts. If we lived close to family we would probably have a small party and ask people to bring some food to share instead of a gift. We have enough 'stuff' we really don't need much more!
1. I dont think i spent more than $75 dollars for everything.
2. I went online to get the invatations and party supplies, we did a monkey theme. I also got him a little shirt that said he was 1. I cant remember the place i went though. Instead of Goodie Bags i did a magnet picture of him, since it was mostly adults there. I did cupcakes for the guests and a little cake for him. We just did little snack stuff and a punch. We also had a slide show going on the tv of pictures from his 1st year.
3. Honestly i dont think we got him anything because he got so many things from grandparents, famly and friends.
One fun thing we did was i got a picture frame and mat, than we had everyone at the party sign it with a little note. This way he can look back when he is older and see who was there. I put a picture of him eating his little smash cake in it. It was just a smaller gathering of all the people who had been around for his 1st year! I have to say i am though looking forward to when he is older and can help plan his special day!
Anonymous- agree with you.
Meg - I love Tenly and Ali the best right now. :) Probably Tenly the best!
1. Did you spend a lot of money for your child's 1st birthday party?
I suppose it was a lot for our budget, but compared to a lot of the parties I see online it didn't seem like that much. I didn't keep track super well, but I think it was probably somewhere around $100 {decorations, food, all of it}. And we budgeted ahead of time for it.
2. Where did you get his or her decorations and invitations?
I made the invites myself with a free illustration program. I got most of the decor at Michael's but a few things at the dollar store.
3. What did you get your child for their first birthday?
Ummmm...I don't even remember right now. It wasn't big whatever it was. I knew she wasn't going to care. Oh! I remember! We got her a book that matched the theme of her party. It was about arctic animals and the animals are fuzzy.
First birthday parties are for the parents. If you just want to have some cupcakes with the three of you, then go for it. If you want something bigger, go for it. Do whatever works for your family.
Oh, I TOTALLY understand all of what you just wrote! My little baby will be one a few days before your little one, and we're working on the plans now.
I found the perfect invitation for a $1.67 a card. And as much as I wanted to, I could not make myself spend $40 on invitations.
So I'm making my own for about 10 dollars and they are super cute. We're going with primary colors and I will be making my own alphabet block cake. But really, that's to satisfy my creative baking juices more than anything.
We're inviting friends (no family in the area) and doing our best to keep it small. But seriously, I don't know if I'll be able to keep it to that or not. I'm a mommy and my baby is turning one!
I went to etsy & typed in 'photo invitations' there are tons of people who will design an invite for your for $10. Then I did the site-to-store at Walmart for .50 cents for a 5x7. You have buy envelopes, but I think all together it was around $30 bucks for invites. Paty City & the Dollar store have CUTE decorations. I bought mine from party city before I went to the dollar store & now i wish i had done the other one, but oh well! :) Brayden's 1st Birthday is actually NEXT weekend, sooo I am all about planning. I also got bubbles from the dollar store & printed labels that say "thank you for coming to my party' those will be the party favors.
Annnd we are waiting until AFTER the party to buy him anything. We will wait to see what he gets & then decide what we will get him then!
Yes! I like Ali too, I actually really like the girls this season! Ali, Tenley and Corrie seems really sweet and cute too! For once I actually like the final girls and the main man :)
Oh girl I was going thru this same thing back in June and didn't know WHAT to do!
I wanted something small w/family at our house but my husband insisted on inviting friends.
I got the invites from Shutterfly...just printed cute pics of Cami w/the details of the party.
We had it at a local park/playground so that supplied the kids entertainment.
I stressed over the theme for a long time cause she wasn't really "into" anything yet, ya know? So we kinda did a cupcake theme and spelled her name in mini cupcakes across one of the park picnic tables. All the decor and plates and stuff came from the dollar store (after I priced everywhhere else and couldn't justify spending so much on something kids were gonna grab and throw in the trash.)
The one big special thing I did was MAKE her birthday banner...with felt and cut out letters and fringe and pompoms and ribbon. It took like 5 hours but was so worth it. We hung it between trees in the park and I got so many comments/compliments on it.
We didn't spend a lot of $$ at all and everyone had fun. We put on the invites "no gifts necessary" cause we didnt want ppl to feel obligated and didn't want her overwhelmed w/a bunch of plastic toys.
We got her a little kitchen set from a yard sale.
Had the family over later for cake and special presents.
Put her in a plastic baby pool at the park to tear into her cake.
I wish you could see the scrapbook!
It will be fine..don't stress!!
I am going throught 2nd birthday plans right now for a party also in March. I go WAY overboard, but it is what I love to do. If I lived another life it would be as a party planner.
1. We spent a rediculous amount of money for both of their 1st birthdays. Fancy cakes, decorations, I always make the invitations by hand, etc. I am a little nutso.
2. I do a hodge podge of decorations. I am not a fan of all the theme sets. I always do fresh flowers for center pieces. But then again, I have girls so things can be a little frilly!
3. Is it terrible that I can't remember? That's bad... will have to go back to the scrapbooks for that one!
Whatever you decide to, the day will be perfect! Lucas will not know the difference - they are happy with a sheet of tissue paper :-)
Need some ideas for b-day invitations - email me!
I sent out e-vite's and almost everything came from target. Just make it fun and easy for you too.
My son will be 1 in March too! We just moved to a new state far from friends and family so it will be small. Probably just the three of us :) If my husband goes on a business trip it will be just the two of us :(
We are thinking of trying to fly out to visit family and have a late Bday party.
I'm planning to keep it simple.
Gluten allergies in the family so I'll be making the cake. I've tried the Betty Crocker mixes and the chocolate cake is good (I add about 4 more heaping teaspoons of cocoa - 'cause I like it dark!)I'm thinking cupcakes and icecream...maybe some finger foods.
As for presents:
I want to get him a set of play silks from Etsy ~$45 for 6, 36"x36" squares -different colors. Great for imaginative play!
I'd like to get him a wooden boat for the tub :)
A fill n dump toy - haven't seen one I LOVE yet - thinking of making one.
And
A set of stacking/nesting bowls or squares.
If Lucas doesn't have a Plan Toy sorting cone, I highly recommend one. We just received ours today and it is a HUGE hit!
Have Fun!
Hippie4ever,
I want to hear more about these play silks! Do you have a link to them?
He doesn't have that toy (he doesn't have many toys right now) I will look into that one too! Thanks for the ideas. :)
Oh and we just moved too so not much family here either! :(
First birthdays are special and I guess my outlook on birthdays has changed over the years, but we don't "go all out" for birthdays. My children have more than they need and no matter how you look at it throwing a party is asking for presents. Many of our friends don't have a lot of extra so I always feel badly doing that.
Mostly we keep it to just grandparents, aunts and uncles, and one sweet couple that has no grandchildren that have adopted mine. The kids still feel special as I decorate a special cake in whatever they ask (within reason) as long as it will be edible. I have even rented a shaped cake pan from a local store for $2 to make the day even more special.
For me, having a small party allows me to enjoy my child on that special day and not "miss" it because of the stress of hosting a large party.
We spent way too much. Probably more than I did on Christmas. We invited around 60 people. I made the invitations but, I did scrolls, and ended up having to ship them in tubes. Each invitation ended up being over $3 each. It was ridiculous.
We did goody bags because we have a lot of small children in our family. I got the goodies out of a discount rack at Micheal's.
I got silly string for the older kids, and those blow up punching balls. It was a great idea because the kids stayed outside most of the time instead of running through my house. We also had a pinata which was great fun for them.
The decorations came from a couple different places, and I got most of them on discount, except for the stuff I had to order from 1st Wishes, which was way over-priced.
I had the whole nine yards. It took me 2 days to decorate my house, and 2 days to take everything down and clean up.
I had her cake made, but got a GREAT deal from a local mom and daughter team, who made a wonderful castle cake. We had compliments on the taste and the look. I think getting the cake made was a really great idea because making a cake on top of everything else would have been too stressful. My daughter had her own cake, but I shared it with her because it was HUGE.
I had a buffet style meal with 100 pieces of fried chicken we got catered, but I (mostly) made the rest. We had green beans, baked beans, potatoes, macaroni salad, and yeast rolls. I had a little help with the food. I made most of the food ahead of time so I just had to heat it up on the day of the party. We also had snacks. Chips, dip, crackers, and pretzels.
We went overboard on presents. I got a princess chair off of eBay and her Daddy got a baby doll (especially from him). We also gave her shoes, a few outfits, and a puzzle.
The 1st Birthday is for the parents, but I know when my daughter looks back on the pictures she's going to know what we did for her. She really had no idea why we were all there, but she knew we were there for her, and it was her party. She had a GREAT time.
If you are interested, you can read my blog about the 1st birthday party and see pictures: http://www.diapersanddimples.com/2009/11/birthday-post.html
We aren't going to do a 1st birthday for a number of reasons...
#1 - like you said, they won't remember it or care about it.
#2 - we don't have ANY family even close to us so, it would only be a few people who came.
#3 - DH and I have never been party people, so that is just a lot of unnecessary stress.
We will probably just have a little celebration with the 3 of us.
wow Nancy, that is a lot of work! You really went all out!
oh my gosh your blog is exactly what has been on my mind constantly lately! weird. i saw a onsie at Gymboree yesterday that said "my first birthday" and i was like. oh my gosh, do i need to get that? what is the protocall here? am i a bad mother if he doesnt have one!? oh gosh the things we put ourselves through...
I did a big 1st birthday party for my oldest and plan to do the same for DD#2!! One thing that I did do at the party was have a professional photographer (I found her advertising on craigslist - $125 for the whole thing with a disk of the images) come and document the event. I got some great photos that I will cherish for a lifetime!!
Thank you for posting this question! Naomi turns one in March and this has been weighing on my mind as well - and when do we plan it (spare time?? WHAT??) I am loving people's suggestions and ideas!
I was the same way when my son turned one. I got so excited about throwing him a party, until I realized he's still a baby. He had fun crawling around playing with the boxes and wrapping paper. And when that was all done, he had his grandma's carrot cake. Yum! We did decorate a little, and I'm glad we did because we took a ton of pictures for his scrapbook. Hunter got clothes, and a ride on truck. Best toy ever too...he plays with it every day:) GOod luck with your sons first birthday!
LOL, my son turns 1 next month...
I am having a REALLY SMALL get together... Just my parents and grandparents...
Now, I wonder if I should do more...
Bigger?
we've done small family gatherings .... but since our family is large (My husband and I both are from families of 5), it's not a small party!
I'd pick some colors, and head to the Dollar Tree and find your tableware/plates there CHEAP!
I love potlucks as well.
We did NOT do goody bags, and honestly, I don't think we got our children a gift for their first birthday! Aack! Bad momma!
Girl, you need to relax. Don't put pressure on yourself or let others do it to you.... Just do what YOU want to do and what is best for your family.
If I sound rude in my previous comment, I did not intend to ... I just thought about it and feel like I sounded snippy, but I only meant well and don't want you to worry. That being said, I am the same way and worry about all of these little things as well.
I know that little boy will have the loveliest of birthday parties because no matter what it is - it will come from his mama's BIG heart!
aww Sarah, thanks. I didn't think you were being rude at all. :)
Hi Samantha!
Here are 2 links. The first one is the set I initially saw and bookmarked...they are unfortunately sold out right now, the 2nd is another I found on google, they are also unfortunately sold out, but they were sending proceeds to Doctors without Borders for Haitian relief. I am going to contact one of these shops and see if and when they will have more in. Would you like an update when I find out?
http://tinyurl.com/ya3pvud
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39264067
silenttributary(at)yahoo(dot)com
OK sorry I think the second link was a charity auction for Haiti on Etsy. Should really read everything before I post...
Anyway the second link is The Farmhouse Boutique, they have a FB link: www.facebook.com/thefarmhouseboutique
The owner is a Mom of 6!!! Whom she homeschools!
She does have some sets available in her shop and I think would probably customize a set as well.
Become a facebook fan for special offers and discounts! I'm about too!
:-)
Hi Samantha
If you are planning to buy the Plan Toy stacker for Lucas it's on sale at the Land of Nod right now. Every time I make a purchase it goes on sale within the month!
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=8095&f=6325
limited quantites
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