Hello all! My son is turning 1 this week. Yea! I took him for pictures last week, and took a cake for him to "play with." He freaked out, cried and was distraught with the cake. We went to a birthday party today and he was upset again at the cake.
Any ideas of what to do for his birthday cake? It's supposed to be a tradition, but I don't want to make him cry during his party! Anyone do anything alternative?
Thanks!
My son is allergic to a lot of different things and finding a cake to make was hard so we made cookies for him and put a candle in it. He still made a mess but loved the cookie, it was easier for him to hold then a piece of cake.
Have fun with the first b-day.
J.
For my daughter's first birthday we had a monkey theme and did banana splits...it was a hit. We had all sorts of toppings and everyone could make their own.
I personally don't think kids need actual cake on their first birhtday. They will get enough of that later on in life. So, my daughter had a banana with strawberries on top with a candle. She loved it.
How does he do with ice cream?? Our family usualy only have cake and ice cream on b-days. So it was to my 4 year olds surprise that the bucket of neopolotin ice cream with a candle in it was his cake. He loved it . We had cake the day before at his preschool classs too. You might want to make his favorite food as his cake to sing to him with. You can still serve cake to your guests and remember it is his b-day and he gets what makes him happy!!
Good luck and god bless
What about cupcakes? Then it is something much smaller. Is it the cake itself or everyone being loud singing Happy Birthday?
Good luck !!
Because of allergy concerns, we have been slow at introducing a lot of foods, based on how common allergies are. Also, we want to keep sugar away for the first 2 years. Next month is my daughter's first birthday. As an alternative to the tradition, the food theme of her party will be new foods - we'll let her start a few new foods that she couldn't have until now, like oranges and corn.
Would he freak out about a cupcake? When I made his 1st birthday cake, I just made the batter into one cupcake and the rest into a regular cake for guests.
I've also made a little cake in a mini loaf pan.
If you think he'll still freak out about a little cake, maybe you could try cutting it up and putting it in a bowl for him.
Or maybe you should just do a regular cake and get his unique reaction with the camera. It's something you'll always remember about his first birthday!
What I did for my first baby was take an ice cream sandwich, put a little whipped cream on top and stuck the candle in it. He loved it. Ice cream was his favorite so it worked out perfect. For my twins I took and gave them each a cupcake to eat, but their birthday "cake" with the candle was a little cupcake puppy. At walmart in the bakery they have little cupcake dogs they make for around $3.00. I don't recommend eating them, because it is all frosting, but the kids loved them and were excited about it with a little candle in the puppy's back. Make your son's a small "just for him" cake. Happy Birthday :)
I am wondering if it was a textural thing- if the gooey frosting upset him? When I worked at Parent's Day Out we had a coupe of activities that involved gooey textures, such as finger painting with pudding. While most of the kids did fine, some HATED it! If that's the issue, you could give him something unfrosted. Hope you find a good solution!
A cupcake might be a better alternative. You will still get the cake smashing effect, but it might not be as overwhelming for your son. GL
Hi J.,
My one year old did the samething. We had tears and looking back it made for some great pictures and memories however a little embarrasing at the time. What if you took him to the store and chose a cupcake to enjoy prior to the party? If you get a good response then maybe for his "cake" you could do a cupcake. Then have a birthday cake for everyone else to enjoy. It would make for less germs on the cake if the candle was blown out on his cupcake and he might enjoy it. Just a thought. (My little one just turned two and loved the cake this year, little overwhelmed with the singing but the cake has become a new found love)
Good Luck!
i think Carrie might be on to something regarding the size of the cake for your son.
mayb he has a preference...
are there certain colors he prefers?
characters?
is there a way he could choose from a photo of two options on which one he wants?
does he like fruit & whipped cream instead of cake?
pudding-- maybe a tiny pudding pie?
is he a 'clean' kid who just doesn't like to get messy?
cupcakes are great.
when i ordered my son's first cake, the store offered a complimentary 'baby sized' cake for the 1st birthday which we sat in front of our 1 yr old... that was fun!
good luck & have fun!
Maybe it's the candles that freak him? Or the size of the cake? Try it without lighting candles or maybe cupcakes? Or maybe a big Jello mold? Don't worry about the tradition - alot of kids cry at that first birthday. I think alot of it is just the pressure - everyone is looking at them expecting something - they don't quite know how to handle it! Good luck!
We used jello and cool whip due to allergy issues. The ice cream idea sounds good too if your little one likes it!
have him blow out a candle on a candlestick. the cake is for you, not him at this age. you can serve it with whatever is his favorite. when he gets a real taste for sugar he'll appreciate cake.
When my daughter turned 3, her favorite dessert was pudding. So that's what I made...pudding. I stuck a candle in it and she was really, really happy! One of my girls wanted a pie one year...so that's what I made! If my children wanted a bowl of strawberries, I'd let them have it with some cool whip to hold the candle. Think of what he loves and let him have it...it's his birthday, not anyone elses! If it's a matter of needing a dessert for others you feel comfortable serving, you can always make it and put it on the side.
Check the bakery at your local grocery store. One year we did a HUGE choc chip cookie that had a frosting-picture of cookie monster on it.
Did he freak out at the sight of the cake? Or when he touched it (a texture issue probably) or when he ate it (taste, too sugary, texture issues, or possible sign of allergy).
I honestly think the baby smashing the cake and making a huge mess for the first birthday is silly. My oldest fell asleep before we could serve her the cake, and for my youngest I made cupcakes, put them together to frost (so it was like 1 big cake, sort of) and then gave baby just 1 - he didn't even know what to do with it! Don't worry about the tradition of the cake - and don't worry if your family or your in-laws say something about not having a cake mess. He's your child, you know what's best for him, and you're going to do that. He'll likely be tired anyway from all the birthday stuff, which makes a grumpy, so go ahead and skip the cake if you think it'll be a problem. Or just serve it for everyone else like you would any birthday.
Hmmm...was it a large (well, regular size) cake or was it a cupcake? Maybe it is the size of it that bothers him (too big)? How about decorating a big soft cookie with frosting for him to smoosh instead? We did a big cake for our daughter's first birthday, but when we sang to her she got a decorated cupcake to smoosh and the big cake was cut for everyone else. I don't even think I have a picture of her with the big cake at all! Or you could make him a "sundae" with some pudding or jello and whipped cream if you just want something for him to "play with" while you sing to him. Those pictures are always so funny to look back on! Sorry I don't have any other ideas for you...hope you find something that works!
