First Birthday Party-Winter Birthday

[Anonymous]

Ok, so I've skimmed all the First Birthday threads on DCUM and I thank everyone for their ideas. Here are some specific questions:

1. Taking nap time etc. into consideration, what time is best? I am not that concerned about dealing with food etc.

2. The tots will be in the 12-14 month category, generally speaking, accompanied by parents of course. There might be a couple of older kids, but we're not sure.

3. Does it make sense to use an indoor play venue for this age group? Or should I stick with the neighborhood community center? DS is a very happy go lucky kid who loves his little friends. So, the idea is to have a fun party where everyone can relax and have a good time. I would prefer not to be run ragged. I also want to make sure that DS gets to interact with his friends and it's not just all the kids with their parents. It would also be nice to get to know the parents we haven't met before.

4. I also want to keep the cost to a manageable amount. A friend recently did a "high tea" for her one year old at a fancy restaurant and I thought that was a bit excessive. It was mostly adults who sat around and ate fancy cakes and had tea. The Birthday Baby was fussy the whole time......

5. Having not had a chance to vet any of the indoor play venues, I hesitate to go out and book one...should it be Musikids, Tumblebus, Jonah's Treehouse, Monkey Business....ai yai yai! What's best for the tiny tot age group?

6. I guess the final question is, are indoor play venues suitable? Or is it a better idea to have some sort of entertainment come to the party instead. I noticed Musikids will come to your home....


I'd appreciate some practical suggestions. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My Ds turns 1 in December, and I plan on something very lowkey, just inviting his 4 daycare buddies and their parents, plus a few adult family/friends. I'm thinking two hours tops in the afternoon (1-3?), snacks and cake for the adults, apple sauce/Puffs/Cheerio for the kiddos. Space is a premium for our tiny house, so I'm struggling with that, but I definitely was NOT thinking of a play space-type place since most of the kids in our circle aren't even walking yet. Honestly, I was thinking maybe a local coffee house (asking them first when an ideal slow time would be)

I'm curious to see what other folks think up! If he were a summer baby we'd plan a picnic and be done with it

[Anonymous]

I went to a 1 year old's party at a indoor gym type of place. At first I thought they were crazy to spend the $, but then planning my own party for my son, I realized it was a better deal and NO work involved. Celebrating at home is nice but exhausting and you end up spending more money I think. They also had it there since they had no space at their home, and did not have a christening type of celebration which may have resulted in bringing more people together. I thought it was nice, but did not care for the people who ran the gym. (Sort of trashy...eating the kids cake, etc., licking their fingers..).

[Anonymous]

we kept our DS's 1st bday party very small....about 15 people. ...had it in the late afternoon at home. ordered barbeque and a cake....mostly adults. even with just those few people, DS seemed a little overwhelmed. he's not smiling in any of the pictures .....i advocate smaller is better; home is great; good food and wine/beer a must. haha!

[Anonymous]

Ours was low key in our home too.

We set the time based on OUR DD's nap schedule (if it didn't conform to others' schedules, oh well) so we did a 5-7pm party. So, we did carry-out catering with foods we knew both toddlers and kids could easily eat (penne pasta. loaf bread, cut up "soft" veggies...there was a catering menu we selected from).

We thought spending $ on entertainment was rather silly (especially at only a year old) since there was so much hoopla going on already - my DD was fascinated with the helium balloons and once her four little friends arrived they spent time playing with toys, eating, dancing to the music (in the background), enjoyed watching the home videos we had on (a powerpoint slide show also works), etc).

Time flew by and it was fun. DD didn't feel overwhelmed or over-stimulated (which you may anticipate bringing in entertainers for a 1 year old party). Didn't have to spend a lot of $ either.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thank you, and please keep the suggestions coming. Our place is din_ky, so having something at home wouldn't work. I'd have to get the clubhouse/community center. That's not a big deal and is quite reasonable, actually. Now the trouble is keeping the guest list manageable. He has 6 daycare friends, plus pretty much all our friends had babies within the past two years or so - so we have them - then, there are some adult family friends/relatives that would probably have a cow if we didn't invite them! Ack! I agree re not having entertainment - especially for this age group - and in fact, I was thinking about bagging the whole party idea altogether and just doing a low key cake - just us and then taking a family weekend trip to hang out together. Then, I started thinking maybe I was gypping my kid out of his first Birthday party......
I would prefer not to have an sort of professional anything at this point - but party ideas and how to keep the tots entertained would be more than welcome. I agree with the PP - summer Birthday - and we could've called it a day with a picnic. This is mid-Jan we're talking about and I am trying to stay ahead of the curve...

[Anonymous]

I appreciate that alot of people had low key first parties. But, I had my son's first bday party at Jonah's Treehouse. It was very cute and stress free for me. The staff handled everything from the time that you hit the door. They crawled and climbed and sang. All of the kids had a nice time. I provided cupcakes and pasta salad and snacks and stuff....I took the first slot in the am...I think 11:00 or so. It was easy for me and at this age that is the goal as far as I am concerned. My DS is born at this time of year - so an indoor venue is needed. I can tell you that I chose Jonah's over some other similar chains because it was in DC (I live and try to support DC businesses when I can) and because it seemed a little cleaner to me than others that I visited. Have fun!!

[Anonymous]

I think you're right about not needing entertainment. All you need is some music. As for the guestlist, honestly, if you have the room and the food, I would invite everyone. This will probably be the first and last party your adult childless friends and relatives attend... and especially if they will "have a cow" if not invited, I would definitely let them in.

There's also always the chance it will snow and people won't come. That happened to dc's January party a couple years ago.

[Anonymous]

The best first birthday parties I've been to were super low key. If you want to be inclusive, I vote for doing it at the community center. I'd keep it short, do it pre- or post-lunch with very basic snacks, and just have recorded music instead of fancy entertainment. If you want to make it more festive, go to the party store and pick a theme for decorations. Basic, basic, basic!!

Have fun!

[Anonymous]

I think the low-key is best. And you can keep it low-key while still inviting all of his day-care friends and your friends. At a community center, bring lots of ride-on/push cars, rockers, balls, age appropriate toys, and let them have a ball running/crawling along. Those are some of the best parties we've been to.

[Anonymous]

When did birthday parties for one-year olds become mandatory? I understand the socialization aspect but the children can't possibly enjoy them in any real sense. Less stress seems better to me. If you like planning parties, do it, but don't feel like you must.

[Anonymous]

For our daughter's first birthday we had a brunch and called it Bubbles & Bubbles. We invited just family (which I'll admit was not large at the time). We had mimosas for the parents and got a $9.99 bubble machine for the kids. For food we served bagels, a baked egg dish and fruit buffet style. Having brunch also solves the nap issue as well.

Again, depending on who you want to invite this may or may not work, but just an idea. Good luck!