Huge 1St Birthday Guest list....HELP!!

I went to a 1st birthday party last year where the parents rented a roller rink for the evening. We have a very large Italian family so we tend to have a huge guest list for these things as well. When I did my girls we had at least 100 people! I was lucky though because they have summer birthdays so we did it outside.

Anyway, the roller rink was great because they allowed them to bring their own food and it gave everyone something to do. They only paid $500 or $600 to rent out the whole place (cheaper than a hall) and they saved money on food because they cooked it themselves.

Maybe there is something similar near you that would allow you to rent the whole place for the evening. There are so many different kinds of places like laser tag, go-karts, indoor golf places.

I have also been to large birthdays in people's basements. We were all squished in but it was still fun =0)

Good luck with whatever you do!

Okay, it's not crazy, I totally get it and all those haters out there need to simmer down! ;) I have huge parties too...partitally because our family is HUGE and partially b/c I can tend to go a little crazy. First off remember that everyone you invite won't be able to make it, even if they say they will. You will have at least 10 of those people bail out, I assure you. Our house isn't huge and we managed to do it (the last guest count was about 50), although we did have the backyard to utilize and you won't have that on Dec. 4th. Here's my advice. Clean out your garage. Sweep the floor and if possible get a tarp or some cheap tableclothes (plastic) and hang them over stuff that you don't want kids getting into. Move into the garage some balls, bikes, trikes, etc. If you have some of those little tykes slides and stuff those are great. If you have a rug you can put in there, do but otherwise I wouldn't worry. Parents will be happy about it, don't worry. Mostly they want their kid to go play and you will always have at least one adult in there with the kids to keep an eye on them, it always works out. Spread out toys in the other rooms as well. Since it's winter, you'll probably want to include the birthday boy's rooms in the area of play, but I would certainly close off your room and others you don't want the kids in.

Secondly, get as much of it catered as possible. If you're doing a meal, which you probably are, then check out Costco. It's the cheapest I've found for sandwich trays, etc. Plus they make absolutely AWESOME cake! Set up a buffet table with throw-away or reusable. I've used both, but I prefer the reusable picnic ware. For my daughter's first b-day I made all the food for about 60 people and it was a nightmare. When I did her 2nd b-day catered it was a huge life saver...of course I was 9 months pregnant, but still!

Do as much of it beforehand as possible. About a week before I started cleaning and organizing. I put out all the serving dishes and utensils and labled with small post-its what food would go where. I put together all the party favors about a week to two weeks ahead. Use plastic silverware and get juice boxes for the kids. For the adults I offered beer, water and iced tea. The only cups that were out were for adults.

I am seriously a pro at this...if you want more help, please PM me, I'm happy to offer tips. Yes, this party is for you, but who cares. It's fun and it makes you happy so do it! Plus, it will be really fun for your son to look back on the pics and videos from this day! Do what you want and don't worry about it. When they get older you will have less control over their themes and guest lists, so go crazy while you can...that's my motto at least!

Oh and trust me...all those cousins and aunts and uncles ARE excited about the birthday! If you have a close family, which it sounds like you do, they are excited and they WANT to be there....and if they aren't, they won't come! Everyone looks forward to my big parties, it's part of the price you pay with a big family, but I think it's worth it.

First Bdays in my family are ALWAYS the largest (we had about 50 family come)... because first bdays are still about the PARENTS. It's about showering the new family with love and joy (and gifts that you wanted to give at the baby shower, but weren't quite age appropriate ... like blocks and books and shoes and clothes). Really, it's kind of like "welcome to childhood" party combined with "Congratualtions Parents! You survived a year without sleep!"

Parties after #1 are about the kid ("friends" etc., esp starting at age 3)... but 1st bdays are the worlds best mother's day/father's day and family. #1 is about the adults. #2 Tends to be about 1/2 the size, & #3 onward are just a couple family

My suggestions:

- Have it start about 15-30 minutes after the afternoon nap ends
- Buffet style it out & POTLUCK it out if your family does potlucks (ours does, we've got a huge family as well... at least 40 every thanksgiving)
- Unwrap gifts NOT all at one time (too overwhelming)
- Consider it being an open house from x hour to y hour... that way people can space themselves out naturally. If you do this an example is:

Open house from 2-6, cake and singing at 4.

Have you already sent invitations? If not, pare down the guest list! I love having big birthday parties for my kids and I love the pictures, videos, etc. that will provide them memories in the future of those first few parties, because they WILL NOT remember them! Just invite your very CLOSEST friends with children or who are a regular part in your kid's life -babysitter friends, God parents, etc. Invite the grandparents and any close siblings or you or your husband. If that's still too many, pare it down to grandparents or only the siblings of yours who have young kids. A.L. is correct -we have many single and child-free couple friends. While in some respects it feels weird to have big parties and not invite them -why on earth would they want to come to a 2 or 4 year old's birthday party and listen to screaming kids run amok? I've actually mentioned before that we only invite friends with kids -unless, as I mention before it's an extremely close friend who also has a big role in your child's life (like a single, child-free friend who is also a Godparent to your child).

I just read your update -still do all of your siblings and your husband's siblings have children? Are they all really young children? If not -call or email the ones without kids or whose kids are 8,10 and older and simply let them know that the party list is so huge with everyone (and you're pretty sure they're not dying to come to a baby birthday party) that you're going to keep it to people with small children. That should cut it down a bit.

Another idea -make it JUST family. I know many people who do this. I've never been offended at friends who don't invite us to their kids' first or second birthdays -even though our kids are the same age and they come to ours -because they truly ONLY do family for those birthdays. Many people do this, so I don't think your friends would find it strange. My husband and I are both only children -he has two half sisters across the country -so we have plenty of room for inviting friends, but if we had large families who were close by with small kids -I would have probably kept the first few birthdays to those folks and maybe my best friend who is also the Godmother of my children and has kids the age of mine.

I would offer three overly detailed suggestions that have worked for me. 1) Have a potluck. If anyone offers to bring something STAY YES! Ask a grandma to bring ice cream (my mom and mother in law have almost always offered to bring cake and ice cream every year since). Also, borrow crock pots, pastas, green beans, roasts and mashed potatoes will stay warm and ready to go all day long. 2) Have a LONG open house. Hosting a party all day long will take some effort but if you're worried about space giving people options to choose times lessens the amount of people per given period. I would try and have a "kid" centers. Crayons and coloring books on a little tykes table works well. Deck of uno cards on a coffee table. Little things that will encourage kids to play something stationary. 3) Open presents as you go (have an empty pack and play to receive them and keep little hands out). If you open three presents with 3 people every 30 minutes or so baby doesn't get overwhelmed wiht gifts (and neither do you). Hope this is helpful and not too much. Good luck and happy first mom!!

a first bday is usually not something a kid remembers.. those bdays are more for adults. Truly, keep it smaller and simple.. don't go overboard with gifts.. save that for when the child is older..
kids that age are simply happy to play with other kids. you neednt load up on games either..
oh and as much as many LOVE kids.. not everyone wants to go to a bday (apart from family and close friends) for someone that young. they just don't.. I don't mean that in a negative way, but if you need to cut back on people.. ask who wouldnt mind not coming.. I do that... because I know deep down, some of my friends don't want to hang with kids all day. again, they love em, but not all day.. therefore, you can prob make your list smaller and more manageable..best of luck

So is this a party for your child or for 60 friends and family? Your child will not remember this party. Why go overboard? Have something simple with just your family. There is no reason in the world to have all that chaos in your home. I love birthday parties. But I don't think it is necessary to go through that big expense just for something your child will never remember.

Don't do it :) Have a small celebration with family or a close friend. That will probably be more than enough excitement for your little one.

If you feel you must have a large party - there are some good suggestions here already. Or consider more of an "open house," for a couple of hours so everyone isn't there at the same time.

Howdy,

Congrats on the first birthday... sounds like a bash. Honestly, ask the family's to bring a dish to share and make a buffett style service. Since it is in december you are going to have to have it indoors so I would get a person who is an entertainer for the kids who is showing small animals, or singer, or excersise. Finally, 60 is a very large number, are you sure you need ot have all 60?

Wow lots of family to help you little one celebrate a very important milestone in his life. I have read a lot of the suggestions and there are some really great suggestions especially the potluck idea. What you might do is look into maybe a bowling or if there is something like a Crazy Bounce for the kids, that is if there are a lot of kids there. If there aren't a lot of kids then a hall or a hotel banquet room with someone there in charge of the kids and some games for them to do. Happy birthday to your son and I hope he has a great time eating his cake. Good luck

I'd never do this for a 1 yr old myself. He will have no memory of it. If your family traditions demand this, then have an open house with finger foods and cupcakes in your home. Think about what kind of precedent you want to set for your immediate family and future children and keep it as simple as you can, T.. You won't always be able to have the time and resources to throw a big bash, so why start? That's my take on it.

Cut it down if you can or want to, but if you go with the huge party of all 60, just keep it short 2-3 hrs max! I've been in that position before and my home is not all that big. We do have a separate playroom for the kids but only one bathroom! My brother in law needed to have a baby shower for his first son and they needed lots of stuff. I envited EVERYONE to my house. It was in November in Michigan and kinda cold. The guys mostly hung out in the garage where we had chairs and stuff set up. There were people in every nook of my house, but it worked. People even had fun with the games we had. My brother in law got lots of baby things he needed. If you can't cut down your list, then just go for it! Simple foods like hot dogs and sloppy joes, veggie and fruit tray, chips. Put away extra furniture or things like that in your bedroom. I put extra throw pillows in my living room for people to sit on too!

Is this party for you or your baby? Your baby won't remember this day and why put so much stress on yourself to plan such a huge party! 60 people is too many and would be very overwhelming for a 1 year old! I would stick to grandparents and your siblings-- maybe one or two friends. Thats it.

M

Don't start off by driving yourself nuts over children's parties. Just invite family. Your friends will understand if you mention that it's family only due to the size.

If you're set on having that many people there, I would suggest having it at a hall and set up a table for the smaller kids to do arts and crafts. Or do you know someone who lives in an apt? Maybe they can rent the party house when they live? If you have it in your house your son will be so overwhelmed b/c everyone will be crammed in there. Everyone will be spread out in a hall or party house.

(By the way, my little guy is turning 1 on Dec 7. I can't believe my baby is almost 1 already!)