First birthday party - keeping it simple or doing a theme?

[busymama77]

DS2 will be 1 in 2 months.  I still can't believe it!!  For DS1, we kept the party very simple.  Invited family and some close friends and their LO's.  For a theme, it was a puppy dog theme.  We had cupcakes decorated in primary colors, served hot 'dogs', chips, veggies, fruit, etc.,  I would like to keep it just as simple.  I really like these invites: http://www.tinyprints.com/product/8602/studio_basics_photo_birthday_party_invitations_blocks.html and would like to go around this color theme.  We're making our own cupcakes but as far as decorations go, but some simple streamers and balloons?  The party will only be a couple of hours and still, keeping it family and close friends - nothing too crazy or overwhelming. 

What do you think?  What do you all have in mind for your LO's first birthday party?

[P.J.]

I think we'll probably have a few friends and neighbors w/similar aged kids over, plus MIL & SIL. Just some simple food and if the weather's nice (it'll be spring) some running around and playing outside. We may even skip inviting friends and just have family, we'll see. Also, I am not into DS having sugar so I'll have to bake up some non-sugary treats.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by P.J. 

I think we'll probably have a few friends and neighbors w/similar aged kids over, plus MIL & SIL. Just some simple food and if the weather's nice (it'll be spring) some running around and playing outside. We may even skip inviting friends and just have family, we'll see. Also, I am not into DS having sugar so I'll have to bake up some non-sugary treats.

Yeah, I think we may skip friends, too and invite only the Godparents which are really good friends of ours, but it'll keep it all low key and there won't be a ton of kids running around.  Good thought, P.J. ;) 

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

For DD, we had a party with both sides of the family (about 40 people, all-told). It was in July at my parents' place, outside. It was lovely. We are going to have the same people in our 1250 sq foot house in February. AAAAAHHHHH. DH really wants to do this, and since he will do more than half the work, ok. I'm not sure about a theme. It'll be loose at best. His nickname is Danger Boy so I'd like to build on that theme perhaps.

[iowawaltz]

Ha.  You could do what I did - announce an informal, imprompu b-day party about 18 hours in advance, on Facebook!  No theme, other than having a good time hanging out with our family and a couple friends.  Just a few presents.  Dad Skyped from Afghanistan. 

Spend just half a day prepping - mostly food and a little cleaning.  Spent about 15 minutes planning.  Had a great time, and so did the little man!

[memz]

My DD's birthday is in 2 weeks!!! Woha were did the time go...I still don't know what we'll do...our family lives far away so we'll probably just have a low key, simple, close friends party..

[McGucks]

No theme for our son's first birthday other than maybe a minimalist theme.  We are also steering clear of sugar, so will likely make our own cake for him with sweeteners like applesauce, maybe a cream cheese thinned with milk for frosting.  I think that, especially when they are young, they have fun just "being."  Nothing fancy is needed, though I do think balloons can be fun.  I don't have anyone alive/left from my family of origin, so any festivities with be with DH's family and we may have a separate fun time for friends.  Not sure yet, though.  I'm not a big planner, obviously!

[Knitting Mama]

I don't think we're going to do a themed party for Cecilia's first birthday. April in the desert is gorgeous, so our plans as of right now is to have a park birthday party with BBQ food and lots of running around and playing. Her cake will most likely be a homemade flourless carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, so I can make sure there isn't sugar in it.

[Oliver's Mama]

Our close, local family involves at least 60 people-  yikes- so we'll have to rent a place, so right there simplicity is thrown out the door!  I hate having such a big party, but it's one of those situations where you invite one person, it means you have to invite this other person, and so on. No friends though. I think I'll avoid a theme because then I'll start buying anything I see that fits the theme. Decorated plates, napkins, etc are so expensive, so we may just do fun colors. Balloons are a pain to order and pick up and dispose of, so we may do some sort of inflatables.. for ds1 he had a baseball party and we had beach-ball baseballs, which the kids loved, and they were turned into party favors.  I sound like such a party pooper! It'll be fun though.

[akind1]

DS is a November baby and we call him pumpkin, so we did a pumpkin/turkey theme. it was about 30 people including kids. DS is a very social little guy and he loves being with other kids. Mom made her annual turkey enchiladas, we had a pumpkin cake, and we did a pinata for the older kids and mini-hayride (my dad already has a trailer) for all. it wasn't expensive, really, and was a lot of fun.

It was originally planned for only a couple hours, but ended up lasting a few. I don't plan on doing it up big every year, but he is only one once!

[ACsMom]

A good friend of mine invited only those who were present for the birth to her daughter's 1st b-day party.  She had a homebirth, so it was a small, intimate crowd.  Very nice.  Myself, I'm having a family party only, but that's partially because my older daughter's birthday is two weeks after the baby's, and we'd invite the exact same people to both.  I don't really want to have two big parties in the span of 2-4 weeks.  Don't want to combine them, either.  We had a huge blow-out party for my older daughter's 1st, and that was awesome, but I don't have it in me this year!  Two is a lot more exhausting than one! :)

[SamanthaPankey]

I feel we shouldn’t go all around and host a big bash for first birthdays. The birthday child is too young to understand all these and will get scared by seeing too many strange faces and a lot of noise. So you should keep it simple and short.

[rtjunker]

Originally Posted by SamanthaPankey 

I feel we shouldn’t go all around and host a big bash for first birthdays. The birthday child is too young to understand all these and will get scared by seeing too many strange faces and a lot of noise. So you should keep it simple and short.

I think it really depends on the child as to whether a large party would suit them. My DD would probably love a big party with all her friends and family. We are pretty involved with a community of other like minded moms, also both me and DH come from families of 7, so we're often at large gatherings. My DD loves it and will spend hours chasing after the other kids, and being social. She actually shrieks in delight when she hears people yell or argue... OTOH my 16 year old niece spent her early birthday parties hiding, and trying very hard to not be the center of attention. If my child were like her, I would never consider a huge shingding.