Daughter's First Birthday Location Ideas

Your daughter isn't going to understand one thing about this day, so forget the zoo and places where people need to pay an entrance fee. That's still expensive - you're just passing the costs on to your guests, which isn't so polite an idea. 30 people will be way too stimulating for her so plan on her being cranky and absolutely not enjoying everyone cooing over her. The only thing you can do is what others have suggested - a church, YMCA where someone is a member, a condo with a community room, etc. You'll have to plan on bringing in toys for your daughter and other children - otherwise, what will they do? If family members don't mind a pot luck, that's fine. Otherwise do what you can afford - coffee & cake and some other desserts, or a simple buffet. Restaurants get busy in December and they can charge whatever they want because there's greater demand.

I think it's a good idea to scale back birthday extravaganzas for small children - they don't get it! And as they get older, do you really want to be throwing birthday parties for 25 kids and then getting 25 invitations throughout the year which will tie up every weekend and have you constantly buying gifts? It's great to celebrate our kids' birthdays but it has to be reasonable and based on their age.

Good luck.

Do any of your extended family members live in a condo complex or an apartment complex? Often such complexes have a community room that is available for this kind of event. If you make the party pot luck,
the only expense would be rental of the room, which should be relatively modest. About your daughter . . . she really won't understand that it's her special day. You should anticipate that the grown-ups will be more excited than your DD will be.
Remember to enjoy yourself!!

Do any local churches or community centers have rooms that can be rented for a small fee?
And like the previous poster mentioned - some franchises have rooms that can be reserved for parties if you order their food - we've been to kids b-day parties at Round Table Pizza and a McDonalds with a playplace.

agrees with mary l and diane b. you're planning a party for yourself and your family, not your one year old. look into a banquet room at a hotel, restaurant, or a church. don't ask people to put out any more money than bringing a present.

Your lovely daughter will not remember this party - although you can show her the pictures - and she may be a grouchy hostess from the stress of the day (it happens a lot!). So this party is really for everybody else. Can you book a church room?

When she's five, a summer un-birthday party at the zoo could be a great idea.

Find someplace she'll be comfortable while she sleeps and then you can enjoy the get together. Celebrating her birth is a fun way for family members to meet up and have fun. She will enjoy the pictures when she is older but the party here is for you and your family. How nice you have so many family members that care and want to she\are this day with you.

Parties for this age should be no more than an hour. Time for opening a very few gifts and then making a mess with the cake and ice cream. You can open the gifts throughout the time of the party or you can open all the gifts from friends and immed. family at home and only open ones from people you don't wee often at the party.

You can reserve a room at a restaurant. The reservation costs nothing. It would just mean buying a meal or just desert. The low cost chains such as Denney's often have a banquet room.