Seeking All Moms - Jackson,TN

He's a baby. He may even hate cake, the attention, and extra people (like my kids did!)..... Get a smash cake and have family over for a potluck. I wouldn't do more than that. The kids don't care at this age and certainly don't remember it.

Hi A. - good news, for the first 3 birthdays, it's not about the kiddo enjoying himself, it's about YOU and your family celebrating his birthday. He will not really care till he's maybe 4-5 years old.

Until then, you do what is most convenient and fun for you and your family. He will play with whoever is there, eat whatever you give him, and not care about decorations/themes at all.

Pick a family friendly place, stay home, whatever you like - whatever is easiest on you and fun for those you invite. Enjoy!

Invite family and very close friends. Don't worry about if they have kids or not, because 1 year olds usually don't play well with others.

Be careful about decor. Balloons can be scary. Confetti can be choked on. Put them out of reach.

Have a regular cake and a smash cake.

A nifty little trick I learned: Ask that toys brought for gifts be simply wrapped (toy out of packaging before wrapped in paper) so they can be played with immediately when the paper is off.

Have good, adult food, and simple fare for the little ones.

That's really all you need to do. Anything more is, honestly, a waste of time and money. And having it be too crazy is not a good idea for a little one.

Also, a few other things you might not be thinking of:

Don't schedule during nap time. Or right before. Schedule for a time you know he'll be happy and alert and interested in eating and seeing other people.

Also, pick colors that don't stain for icing, or plan on him not wearing that outfit again. The icing colors are difficult to get out.

Some babies hate being dirty. If that's the case with yours, you might want to skip the smash cake.

Best,
C. Lee

Family bbq with cake. He will NOT remember a thing about the party, nor will he be awake during most of it. This is really a party for you to celebrate surviving the first year.

We did a BBQ at our home with our extended family and a few friends. He slept for the first hour, played with his cousins (sort of), ate his cake and then passed out on my mom for the rest of the afternoon. We opened his gifts that night with a glass of wine and leftover cake.

A water party would be a bit much for a young child, unless you are talking about having a silly sprinkler and water guns kind of thing. Anything "more" than that will require a lot of supervision.

A child's one year old birthday party is really for adults. Invite a few families with children. Have some toys or games for little ones. Make sure the adults stick around. BBQ, talk, eat, play. Keep it simple.

A.:

Welcome to mamapedia!

The first birthday is for YOU and the dad...not the child. He won't remember it.

At a pool or water park?! TOTALLY INSANE. I wholeheartedly agree with anyone who tells you it's too much!

As I said, typically 1st birthday parties are for the parents, not the child. I would have a few family members and friends over to the house and have cake and ice cream.

Please DO NOT get caught up with "keeping up with the Jones'" and having some extravagant birthday parties and goodie bags. You start out big and every year you are going to feel pressured to top last years. Use the KISS method - Keep It Simple Silly and celebrate your child and another year passing!

Good luck!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to your son!!

I agree with what Nancy suggested and will add to ask all kids to bring a suit and towel for some fun water games. I think he will have fun. But a one year old is just that - a one year old. This party will be lost on him. But next year will be more exciting. Enjoy your baby's milestone!

A party for a 1 yr old is not a party for the 1 yr old.... it is a party for the parents. A 1 yr old will not remember the 1st birthday party.

A lot of familes just have a family cookout, dinner, etc and get a pic of the birthday child with their special cake they can dig into and make a mess.

Have fun

At my son's first birthday, I invited family -- my mom, my brother, my aunt, I think that was about it. I served iced tea and I some kind of salad for the grownups, and made a baby-friendly applesauce cake for my son. He got about 3 presents. We all got to see him toddle around, and it was a team effort to prevent him from eating wrapping paper. That was it. Anything else is overkill.

What do you mean by "water party?" However, I agree with the others. Keep it simple for the 1st birthday. We had immediate family, grandparents and godparents. We have small families so there weren't a lot of people. We had hamburgers, chips, fruit and cake. Presents. Our oldest son HATED the cake part. Like others have said, plan it around nap time. Save the fun and games for when he's older. Happy 1st birthday!

The one area in which I did put in some effort was photo displays of the first year. That was kind of fun. I always had "1st Birthday" decorations and tableware too. That is one way to get a little more elaborate if you want.

I haven't read the other answers, so forgive me if I repeat someone...

First, your son is NOT going to remember or care about this. Let's just be clear about that right off the bat. This will be for the other people inhis life.

I'd keep it simple, honestly. Keep it small, have just immediate family over and serve snacks and cake, etc. I think way too many people make a big to-do over birthdays at too young an age and set themselves up for even bigger and better as the kids get older.

Save a sprinkler party for when he's two!

1st birthdays have always been big for us. I guess historically, lots of babies do not make it to thru their 1st year. So when they do, it's a grand celebration. In our case, first birthday... first born, we just didn't realize that kids chops up a huge chuck of our coffers (by the 2nd birthday we realized how much poorer we have become LOL).

There are ways you can do a water party without making it too much. I'm sure there will be other kids there.

1. Make a dry pool using a heavy weight clear tarp. basically 2 tarps duct taped together, filled with water and blue food coloring. You can add soft toys in like the ones that expand in water. Like a big i spy water mat. Do this only outdoors as they may spring a leak.

2. Get a wading pool fill them with plastic fishes with pater clips on their mouths. Make fishing poles with magnets.

3. A game of drop drop splash for the older kids. It's a variation of duck duck goose with an addition of a water soaked sponge.

First of all, you should realize that a 1st b-day party is more about you, the parents. Your child is too young to understand what's going on or to even care.

A water party is waaayyyyy too much for a 1st birthday party. Think about it, you being responsible for all those kids in the water. Way to scary for me. I wouldn't want to be the host or invited guest.

A simple backyard or park bar-b-que is wonderful. If you have older children, you can bring water balloons and/or squirt guns. Much safer and the kids love 'em!

Keep it simple. Have it at your house or at a local playground. You don't need to hire any entertainment or rent a bounce house, or anything. Just let the kids play at the park. Bring bubbles and balls and you're good to go.

Limit the party to 1.5 or 2 hours max - the kids can't handle more than that - and plan it around your son's nap times so he isn't cranky or tired.

I did my son's first and second birthdays at the same park. It had a small playground and a big grassy area. I kept the food simple and didn't need many decorations since it was outside.