[RhondaJ]

I need ideas my dd turns 1 next month! I want to go all out, however; there won't be a lot of children...mainly adults! Do I go for it or should I keep it simple and wait until she is older for an all out b-day party? (I did cross post in parenting)

[srusse24]

For our kids' first bdays we always did a party at our house with family and our close friends.

We went all out as far as the cake and making a big deal of it with them. They just loved spending time with family and eating cake for the first time.

[devildogwife]

My son's first birthday was simple (meal with a small number of family and friends), but very joyous. That truly was a huge milestone for him and we were all so happy to celebrate his life. For him though it really wasn't a big deal. He couldn't even eat his own cake. For us, we were just happy to focus on the bigger picture with him. When he's older, maybe we'll do something a little more.

I say, if going all out is important for you, then do it. They only turn one once.

[robandjulie]

Bear in mind your DDs personality and routine. Most kids at age 1 get really easily overwhelmed and are pretty miserable if you screw up their routine too much, so while a big hoopla may sound fun, to me the first and foremost should be for you and your daughter to have a wonderful day of celebration.

For us, when DD turned one, we had a 2-3 hour party which actually started while she was still napping. An hour into the party she woke up, had a snack, had some cake, opened a few presents (we asked people not to bring presents so she wouldn't get overwhelmed). The party was all extended family and a few friends and any other kids that were there were cousins and such. It was entirely about the adults except for the cake and gift opening--she wasn't forced into the center of attention and could relax or play as she wanted.

Even with that, all the attention and kisses and new toys and excitement had her ready to melt down after about 90 mins so we wrapped up the party as planned and sent everyone home.

We did something a bit bigger for DD's 2nd; DS's 2nd was his first home so we kept it small since he was newly home and still a little nervous. By their 3rds we started planning things they would actually enjoy and they were active the whole time: parties outside with the kiddie pool, for example. Not saying that's the best or only way to do it, but at age 1 it wasn't a good fit for our kid to have a big party.

[Fran27]

We only did a small party for their first birthday... At this age really it's more for the parents than the kids (and we have a nice picture of DD screaming behind her cake to prove it!).