Birthday Party - New York,NY

No you do not have to celebrate every year. Usually first birthday is a
biggie. After that very simple. One child for each year of age. So a
three y.o. would have three friends. Or just stick to a family gathering.
Or just you and husband and child.

I do celebrate birthdays to appreciate that they came into the world that date and they are blessings to me. As children grow up, they want birthdays to be celebrated. I have my boys' b-days at home and invite in laws, my father, some aunts and uncles and few friends of family. Not a big expense. They don't know about that but they love getting presents and they love being recognized on their birthday especially when you sing happy birthday and say their name. It's exciting!!! Young kids don't know what expensive is and what isn't. If you think about it, when you give a child a box with toys, toys get pulled out and they climb into the box!!!! Ha, ha, ha.
Let us know....

Have a small party at home. Set up fun games, a pinana and a cute birthday tutu set from Ruffles & Cream Children's Boutique!

just make it special for your son/daughter decorate his/her room after they fall asleep with balloons and streamers make what every they want to eat all day for breakfast/lunch/dinner just make it about them and you should be fine

I would say to make the day special by acknowledging the birthday-but you don't have to go overboard....what we did for our daughter's 1st bday seems like a lot, but really wasn't...We have a block party every year, so we just incorporated her bday into the block party(our friends didn't seem to mind that it was a month early)-no added expense-just a cake from Wegmans, then on her actual birthday, we used the second day of our Elmo's Passport at Sesame Place and met up with a couple of friends that did the same-no big added expense-just lunch...and the Saturday immediately following her birthday-we had immediate family-grandparents, aunts and uncles over for Pizza and cake.....so we celebrated in a big way, but it didn't break the bank. I love the idea of going to the zoo or even meeting up with friends/family at the park and having some home made cupcakes.....

We take a hike in the woods and bring along a picnic to celebrate the birth of our first daughter every year. She was a preemie who only lived 4 hours so this is an especially personal and meaningful birthday celebration. You can create your own celebration of your children (& yourself!) each year in the way that has the most meaning for you. Money is not required but I do think it is important for everyone to have their own special day of recognition. It helps build self esteem and can strengthen family relationships through a special shared experience.

1. you don't "have" to celebrate. it's your choice.
do what makes you happy inside and remember birthdays come once a year although you in my opinion you do not have to await any 'day' to celebrate anything. everyday is a blessing and if you want to celebrate, celebrate, if you don't don't.
2. if you chose to celebrate: make a card, cook their favorite food, give them something already in your possession that they have shown interest. sing, say happy b-day several times, hugs/kisses galore and just make the time special. you don't have to spend any $$ and if $$ is in the budget, find a $5.00 gift-you know what your child(ren) likes.
enjoy the moment and the child more than anything!!! they remember that more than anything you can buy. (fyi: i still have a stuffed animal my mom&little bro made for me 26yrs ago-it still sits on my bed)

No, you don't have to do a party. Last year, I just met w/ some mommy friends @ the zoo. The kids had a blast. This year I'm just having a small party. Nothing flashy. Just have fun with it. =o)

Yes, you have to celebrate the birthday every year until your child asks you not to. Celebrating birthdays is a way to show your child how special that child is to you, and how very very happy you are that he/she was born.

But no, a celebration does not necessarily mean a lavish party, or any party, for that matter. It just means that you make that day special for your child. It can be as simple as blowing up balloons and putting them in his room at night so that he wakes up to a room filled with balloons, letting him eat chocolate cake for breakfast, wearing pajamas or a halloween costume all day, playing fortress or whatever game(s) he wants to play for as long as he wants, taking him to his favorite playground or store or museum, etc. Whatever makes him happy and is special for that day only.

I think it is important to celebrate at least in some small way. But huge parties for kids under 3 are for the parents mainly. Kids that young won't remember and rarely have many friends of their own. In our house we have 3 out of 4 birthdays in the 14 days following Christmas. Each person usually gets a cake and a moderate present or 2. We invite a few people--grandparents and 1 family friend most times. When I was growing up the birthday person got to choose a favorite dinner. It matters to celebrate with some kind of special attention but that doesn't mean a lot of $.

Do something special for the birthday person every year! It doesn't have to be big. A special dinner and a small cake (or their favorite desert) with the immediate family is fine. We usually have our immediate family, grandparents, hubby brother and spouse and my brother and one set of friends that are "family"! It is still 12 people (we have 3 kids) but it is fun and still a celebration. We also have a local chinese restaurant that is well priced with great food. We often meet there for dinner and bring a candle (and a lighter)! The restaurant is a buffet and has an ice cream machine! Instant party and NO clean up!!!!

I fell that a birthday should be celebrated every year. That doesn't mean that you have to have a party and invite people. You can just have you and your child there. I feel that birthdays are a big deal for children. My daughter gets upset if we don't have a cake for myself or my husbands birthday. A childs birthday is an exciting day for them and should be recognized in someway.

You do NOT have to throw a big party every year. I would do something to acknowledge and celebrate every year. Make their favorite meal, give a little present from you, something to differentiate that day from the rest of the year. You could allow your child to invite a friend to your house for dinner or take them to the movies or bowling, but you don't have to go that far, whatever you are comfortable with. Make sure she knows you think she and her birthday are special, but that doesn't mean you have to throw a lavish celebration for the whole class.

I agree with the other posters, in that how you celebrate should be a personal decision. You don't have to have a big,expensive party every year, or at all for that matter. It really shouldn't be a matter of "have to" but "want to" and it can be as low key, or as extravagant as you decide.

In planning parties for both my daughter and my nephew, one site I really LOVE is www.pepperspollywogs.com. She does nothing but kids parties, and has party ideas for kids that fit really any budget. So say you have a three year old into Fancy Nancy, for example. You can check out her party plan, and she has ideas for do-it-yourself things, low budget ideas, and more extravegant ideas. I would check her out.

I have done a birthday that was just my daughter's favorite meal, a present with the family and a movie night, and I think that meant as much as a big party at the Bouncy House. Don't let parties stress you! :)

Hi R., I'd say if you're talking about a child, then yes! Birthday's are a big deal for kids, and parents! It celebrates the day they came into existence. There are lots of ways to celebrate inexpensively. Make your own cake instead of buying one, take your child to a museum, have family meet you in the park for a picnic. It doesn't have to be big or lavish, just get together with family and have dinner - make dessert the birthday cake.

How old is your child? Yes, you should celebrate their birthday every year. Do you need to make a big, expensive party? No. A lot of people, myself included, made bigger parties (family and close friends) the first couple of years - but you don't have to spend money on catered food and party store papergoods and decorations. Have just the immediate family over, or close friends with kids your child's age - order pizza, have cupcakes that you baked yourself, have the little kids play little kid games. When your child is school age, you don't need to invite the entire class to Build a Bear or the amusement park. Have a small party at home or have your child invite just a couple of close friends for a special outing. I know a lot of people who say they spend less than $100 on their kid's birthday celebration. If the child is still preschool age, you can bake cupcakes and send them and party hats to school and call it their party.