Should I have a big birthday bash for my son who is turning 1 soon?

Question

I know he wont understand and will just be as happy with a song and a cake but Idk I guess I feel obligated to because he is my blessing... I was thinking about doing the party on 9/13 and here in NY the weather is in the 70's around that time....so I want to do a bbq I think it will be cheaper and have it elmo themed...

what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

No. Unless your rich and just want to show off. Chances are he won't even notice whether it's big or not.

Answer 2

I understand he is your blessing.  so bless him by saving the money from a 'big bash' and putting it into a college fund.  he will never remember it anyway...

Answer 3

The way I saw it, and still do, for the first couple of years, the party is about the parents.  Because, seriously, my little boy, slept through his entire first birthday party almost, and my little girl, it was just another day for her.  You go ahead and do what ever you want to do.  Just think, in a couple of years, what you want to do, won't matter at all, it will be all about him and what he wants to do for his birthday.

Answer 4

We had a party for our daughter's 1 year birthday, but we made it clear to the people that we invited that the party was to celebrate that we, the parents, sucessfully made it through the first year.  Also, we told everybody that gifts were optional.

I would have the BBQ for sure, but just invite your friends/family and not take a lot of trouble to invite other children or make it a kid-friendly theme, because your son is so young.  You have plenty of time for the "kid" parties in the years to come, so just make this one for the grown-ups (and add some cupcakes for him).

Answer 5

I think you should do it. You don't want to look back and wish you had. I had a party for my 1 year old. It was a pirate themed party and we had all the liitle kids dress as pirates( I have an older son, so they were mainly his age) We had a pirate ship shaped cake, and I gave pirate hats and eye patches as goodies. It was a lot of fun. I am sure my son had no idea, but everytime I look at the pics from that day, I remember how much fun it was!

Answer 6

I had a decent sized party for my son's first birthday. It is a great milestone. I invited all the immediate grandparents and great-grandparents. My 2 aunts and uncles a couple of my friends and all of his little friends. All together there was probably about 20-25 people which isnt really a lot. He had a blast playing with all of the kids and all the adults just socialized. Most of the mom's played with the kids too. His birthday is in April so it was a nice reason to have a picnic outside and eat some good food.

I think it was definitely worth it. I've got lots of cool pictures of him eating his "smash cake" and everyone that attended. His grandma is making a scrap book with all his events like that.

I say go for it. Maybe you could do it Labor Day weekend and have a holiday party and his birthday - that would be a good idea.

Good luck!

Answer 7

I had a bbq for my daughter's 1st bday. It's more for your memories than anything. As Far a decorations go, all I did was buy a mylar balloon and tied it to her chair.  

Answer 8

That sound like a great idea and take lots of pictures so when he is older you can look back at them and he can see how special he is to you.

Answer 9

seriously,don't bother. You wouldn't be doing it for him, but rather for what everyone else thinks.. after all, he's not going to get that the birthday party is one of your ways of showing you love him... although, a cake always goes down well. i'd leave it at just a cake, and a couple of friends/family. and beleive me, you'll have plenty of opportunity to throw parties for him in the next few years!

Answer 10

An outdoor bbq with family and your close friends with kids with an elmo theme is a great idea.  Don't put too much emphasis on the birthday boy, it may be over whelming.  Seeing elmo everywhere will be fun for him and cake and ice cream after the meal will be more than enough.  

Do not overwhelm him with a million presents, he is too young to understand the concept.  Take pictures for his baby book and have a good time with family and friends.

Answer 11

I think a BBQ would be a great idea just remember your child won't fuly understand ,, invited al his freinds and family he will probably enoy and apperciate them being there!!!

Answer 12

of course i mean its his first birthday....maybe not so big a few relatives and family friends would do fine...

is 9/13 his bday?

you should do it on his birthday :D

dnt forget pics :D and put em in an album for memories :D

elmo's sooo cute

oooh bbq dats nice da whole things nice wow

he's your blessing :D

Answer 13

That sounds fine. Your son may not remember but you and your family will. Plus, he will have pictures to see what its like. If you have the money go for it. My sons 1st birthday party is in 1 week 1/2 and we are doing the same thing. Have fun!

Answer 14

your son probably wont even remember it

Answer 15

it depends on who you're actually giving the party for.  unless you're going to have tons of pictures taken and maybe videos, he is not likely to remember what you did and he certainly can't appreciate the costs involved.  A savings bond would be a better idea, and when he's older he'll know that it's for him.  An Elmo toy for now will be more appreciated than the party and will last longer.

Answer 16

i would say have a little family party with cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, close friends and people like that.  

Answer 17

You will scare the c**p out of him! Think small. Have a cake (I had one just for my son to demolish on his own-a small one), with a candle for him to blow out-a trick relighting one is good so he gets the hang of it and you can help. Have family there-people he knows but no more than a usual gathering that he has been to. This is new to him and he is the center of attention. If the event is too overwhelming he will climb into an unsociable shell and if he gets too much attention he will be horrible to live with for a while because he will expect this all the time. If the event is a small social/family event with a couple of gifts to open it will be a pleasant rather than a disruptive growing experience.

Answer 18

Yes ,he don't understand give it a few years when you both can in joy it.

Answer 19

Go for it!

Why not!

I know he wont remember it, but if you take photos, he wil be able to look at them when he is older!

Answer 20

You definately want to have a celebration to mark his first birthday but it doesn't need to be a "big bash".  Regardless of the size of the party, all the excitement tends to over stimulate them so keep it simple and plan it for the time of day he's at his best (in the morning before nap, afternoon after nap, etc.).  

For our sons 1st, we did a backyard BBQ with a Baby Einstein theme.  We kept the menu easy "fix ahead" items like burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, cake, deviled eggs, ice cream, etc.  Hubby did the grilling and I had everything else made the day before so I could focus on the birthday boy.

Decor was simple and inexpensive... We had the baby einstein cake, white table cloth, baby einstein napkins and brightly colored balloons.

We also kept the guest list to immediate family which gave us 12 people (it was plenty!).

I figure save time and money now while you can.  As they get older they'll want to have fancier parties with more friends and more expensive gifts!

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 21

I think you should and it should be a definitely be video taped  

Answer 22

I wouldnt go all out

Answer 23

I had about 50 people at my son's first birthday. It was extra special because my son was born almost 3 months early and he almost died when he was born and I had 3 miscarriages before getting pregnant with him. Don't let people tell you that you should not do something just because they think you are "showing off."

Answer 24

My advice is to keep it very small, low key and casual.  Go with the flow.  The bigger and fancier you plan it, the more likely your child will be cranky, tired, and miserable for the festivities.  

We kept my daughter's party small and intimate, and didn't make a big production out of opening gifts.  My daughter went down for her nap before the party ended which was fine by me!!  We still had fun, and so did she.  It was more for our enjoyment and excitement than hers anyway!  She had more fun playing with the boxes and wrapping paper!

Answer 25

Yeah, that's kind of a dilemma- on one hand you don't want to spend a fortune on something he won't be caring for anyway, and on the other you do want to celebrate the day in a nice way!

Recently I attended a first-birthday party where they put up a tv and played a video show made with pictures of the baby growing up (birth/first tooth/first smile etc). All the pictures were beautifully synchronized to music and were full of story-telling actions. It was so touching, and the best part was the child would enjoy the DVD when he grows up and treasure it as well! The DVD was not very expensive and they had got it done professionally at http://www.smilingsnaps.com . Just wanted to share this idea with you- do check it out, its awesome!