1St Time Mom Seeking Birthday Advice

I say absolutely I would go all out for the first birthday
Balloons, a neat cake and most definitly he needs his own
cake to dig in that is like the hilight of the first B-day.
The little one diggin in the cake and chances are he probably won't eat much of it and you can make special cakes
that don't have as much sugar (even if its a cup cake or a
healthy muffin) GOOD LUCK! Congradulations on having a
1 year old. Keep running!

honestly big ta-doos for a 1st B-day are more for the parent because the child doesn't have a clue what's going on. So just have a good time and make as big as you're comfortable with.

By the way......let him dive in that cake....it's his first birthday!!

I think that as cute as 1st birthday "parties" are, they are really more for the parents and family since the kiddos are usually too small to remember them. Have a little family party, with a small cake, you can't miss out on the precious photo ops from that! :)

I had parties for both of my children at this age. I would not go overboard, but a small get together at your home or possibly a park would be fine. Small children just want to play, they really aren't concerned with party games and whatnot. As far as the cake thing, here is my opinion. I am also very strict on my childrens sugar consumption, and it is limited mostly to special occasions. However, it has been my experience that sugar alone does not induce a hyper activity spurt. Hyper activity can be cause by over stimulation as much/if not more than the sugar. So I say give him a birthday cake, you only turn 1 once in a lifetime. If you choose to do so you can buy sugar free cake or cupcakes, or even a carrot cake. They are both still sweet and equally as good as a regular cake. I hope this helped!

My advice would be to just keep it close family. Any YES, you should really let him have the cake. My son's first birthday was a couple of weeks ago. We just have a couple of our friends, and about 4 or 5 family members. It was a blast and still very memorable. You just have to see him dig into that cake! It's the cutest thing! And FYI, my son actually went down for a 2 hour nap a half hour later! Just have to plan your naps right ;)

Hi C.!
I have three kids, and had big parties for all of their first birthdays. They probably don't know the difference, but I think it's just as much a celebration for you -- it only happens once! As far as the cake goes, they wear so much more than they eat, and that is the fun part for me! Makes for great pictures!
Have fun!
C.

It's too much fun watching them dive into the cake not to go ahead and have one. It's sort of a right of passage, I guess. I would imagine there's a still tasty way to provide a cake with less sugar. You might check diabetic cookbooks - lots can be done with Splenda and appleauce.

Given that your families live out of state, if your home can take the numbers and activity, it's nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about someone else's time limit on your space. Also, it will be easier to clean up the little one.

My sister-in-law had a cute cowboy theme party for her son one year. I don't remember all of the details, but one continues to stick with me (because I still have it). She had red bandanas monogrammed on one corner with her son's name, a horseshoe, the numerical birthday (1st birthday) and the date of his birthday that year. It was lots of fun to have a "party favor" that we could all keep forever. I don't know about the cost, but if you have a crafty family member who knows how to do that or something similar, it could be worth it. Just remember to enjoy it!

I would totally let your hair down for this very special day. We baked a little cake for all three of our kids on their first birthday and let them go at it. It is SO MUCH fun to watch. The pictures from all three kids are worth a thousand words and totally worth the sugar he will get. It is worth doing...really. We just had our family over for their first couple of birthdays, but since they are out of town, I think friends would be great. Have fun.

Hey C.,

My son just turned one in November. He had not had a lot of sweets up until that time either. I did make a ver small cake for him (icing and all). He didn't actually dive in. It took quite some time to get him to even touch it. Eventually he ended up with some green icing on his face and did eat a little of the cake. After all the excitement of playing and opening gifts, etc... he was pretty exhausted and we had NO trouble with over-excitement. Nor have we had any problems with him wanting more sweets. It was kinda special and there was so much going on... he probably doesn't even remember that he had cake! There are some other options... you can do a search online for 1 year old birthday cake. You will find a lot of recipies for carrot cake, etc... with no sugar in them. Do they taste good... who knows!? But I think 1/2 the stuff I feed him made me gagg... like baby food chicken and broccoli (his fav). Anyway... I hate to see you look back a few years from now with NO pictures of him with his very first birthday cake. We had such a good time with it. I have an awesome scrapbook filled with pictures and memories of that day. Sure he will have other birthdays but never again his very first!

As far as themes... we did a construction theme (kinda went a along with a cartoon on disney... handy manny) But I tried to keep it very simple. I thought about doing the little ABC wooden blocks. I was going to decorate with primary colors and buy a couple packs of those blocks and just place a few down the middle of each table to decorate with so he could use them to play with later. Try to stick with decorations that can be toys (we used all plastic toy tools) otherwise you are just wasting money on all that paper/plastic throw away stuff.

Good luck and try to have fun! (whew... sorry that was so long!)

Some type of party is a good idea....but not crazy decorations or expensive plates, etc. Cake or cupcakes are great and honestly at one they get more on them than in them so I wouldn't worry about the sugar. If family is out of state then invite a couple of the familes you are close to and maybe have lunch followed by cake and gifts then send eveyone home. Maybe do chicken nuggets, fries and mac n' cheese for lunch...kids love this! (If your son has teeth and is doing table food). Best of luck! Congrats on his bday. C.

I had a party. It was for family, so not many really little kids running around, but it was stupid-funny ( can say that now that he's three-- it wasn't funny then). My son slept through part of it, then got up and was freaked out by all the people (maybe 8, not including us) looking at him. Then he didn't know what to do with the cupcake, since we also limited his sugar. He ended up licking off the icing. He warmed up after that, but after everyone left he went into super-meltdown mode and screamed for three hours until he finally just passed out. Eek! Maybe just a special dinner including one favorite person, if I had it to do over again. Good luck, whatever you decide-- and congratulations!

When my son turned 1 on the 6th, we invited two of his friends to the house with parents of course plus a few of his grandparents were in town. The party was in the early afternoon after the morning naps but before the afternoon one. We pushed the living room furniture to the walls and put all of his toys in the middle. The kids were able to play while the parents watched and got a chance to talk. We had appetizers, some were kid friendly and some were more adult. I had the same issue about too sugar at this age, so I made carrot cake muffins for the 'cake'. I put the regular amount of icing on top for the parents and piped just his name on the rest. It was great, he grabbed a less frosting one and dived in. The kids had a great time playing, and the adults could just sit back and watch. Everyone was relaxed and calm, no meltdowns, no fights about toys, and the kids lasted about an hour and a half.

Good Luck and Happy Birthday to the little one!

My first child's birthday is tomorrow. I too struggle with the "no sugar"-she has had a bite of sugar cookie that her grandma insisted upon giving her and a lick of ice cream once...that's all the sugar she's ever had. I am going to go ahead and let her tear into her cake and take it away promptly...I'm not going to let her sit and maul in it and smash it in her mouth for more than a few minutes, I just don't want her to have that much sugar...her little system will be quite shocked from it I'm affraid. We are having a small (as intended anyway) party with close family and friends and unfortunately that consists of 30 some people. Larger than I wanted, but I couldn't include some on not the others. As concerned about her lack of sleep due to all the people, chaos, presents and sugar...I'm going to be sure she gets her morning nap and just be prepared for the little grump in the afternoon and pray she takes one once everyone has left. Hang in there, it's only 1 day...until next year anyway. :)

My first son's first birthday is coming up in April. I, too, do not want the kid addicted to sugar. However, think of all the wonderful photos and memories from letting him dive into his own little birthday cake! Definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Or maybe you are able to get some unique suggestions to make his first birthday a one of a kind. Maybe using cupcakes instead. Or maybe him getting all soiled in bbq sauce from having his first birthday ribs or something else unique to your family history. Happy early First Birthday!!

If you have a Little Gym in your area, they throw great birthday parties. My son has been going to the Little Gym since he was 9 months old. We are about to have his 2nd birthday at the Little Gym. Kids of all ages have a great time at their parties. The best part is their staff will set up for the party, provide all the plates, cups, glasses and plastic ware, and clean up after the party. It is really nice. As far as cake goes, for my son's 1st birthday, we got him one of the little mini-cakes for him to destroy. The pictures were worth the mess. He had fun playing with the cake, but was totally uninterested in eating any of it or the icing. He still doesn't eat much sugar and still doesn't care for cake. In my opinion, letting the child have a cake to play with on their first birthday is too special to pass up. Your son probably won't like the taste of it anyway.

Hi C., congratulations on your little stinker bug turning 1. It is a huge milestone in every baby's life. Inviting the neighborhood kids and playgroup mom's and even friends of yours without kids or older kids is a great idea. Pick a great theme that boys would like, bugs, trains, cars, etc. Make some goody packs for the kids that are coming (age appropriate of course). Do a couple of games for the older ones...pin the tail, etc. Now, about the cake, please let him have some. Get a cake for everyone to enjoy and purchase a cupcake for him. You can even ask for the light icing that isn't all sugar - Walmart - it won't have a huge effect on his system. At that age they really don't eat the whole thing anyway, especially if they really aren't feeding themselves yet. It gets everywhere else and not much in the mouth. So let him have the joy of "blowing" out the candle and tasting his first cake. And remember, it doesn't have to be chocolate. And it's not going to cause him to want more sugary stuff either. (Side note...if you deny him forever, when he goes to that first party by himself he will gorge and get sick because it will be new and yummy, then you will have problems, moderation now teaches a lot for the future) By the way, good for you trying to keep the sugary stuff down. I wish more parents were like that. We definately want our kids to be healthier than we are.
Don't stress to much about the party either, provide a few snacky/appetizer type things for everyone to enjoy and just have fun. Have it at a park or local playground (with a plan B incase of inclement weather). Have fun and may you have many more fun parties for your little stinker bug.

Hi there...I understand your hesitation. My grandson will be 2 in May and my daughter has always limited his sugar as well as gluten intake. He's never had a "cookie" and we'd like to keep it that way for a while. For his 1st birthday, we had a dinner for the family and made a gluten free carrot cake - no icing and Jack just loved it. He had no problem diving in. The rest of us had the same carrot cake, with a little icing, and it was wonderful. If you don't want do do the gluten free, there's nothing wrong with a little cupcake without the frosting. We put a candle in Jack's cupcake and he was fascinated! She took some of the gluten free cupcakes to his day care and the kids ate them right up. Good luck with whatever your decide.

At 60 I may be a bit old fashioned, but I think that every birthday that a child has should be special. You don't have to have a theme if your child doesn't have any particular interest in anything yet. The cake, ice cream and maybe a few games geared to their age could be enough. Sometimes at that age, just playing together is what they enjoy. As far as the cake and ice cream, you can always do sugar free. I'm sorry, but in my eye, a birthday is just not a birthday without cake and ice cream unless your child just doesn't like it or has a medical reason not to have it. Hope this helps.

Hello C.:
I have two boys and have been to lots of birthday parties for little ones. It is fun to have a get together when they are young. Keep everything very simple. Provide some toys or activities like water play or edible dough. You are right about too much sugar. My experience has been that at that age they don't actually get much into their mouths though. Maybe you could make something fun from fruits and vegetables or do a fruit pizza.
The most frustrating thing about birthdays for Toddlers is present opening. It usually takes too long and requires sitting still. There is always a child who doesn't understand the presents aren't theirs. I would ask guests to not bring a present or make sure everyone has a present to unwrap.
Have someone else take pictures for you. I always end up being to busy to take pictures.

Goodluck from J. J.
Mom of two boys, 6 and 9.

Hi C.,
I have 3 boys, the oldest is 11, middle is almost 5 and youngest is 18 months. We had a big party for our first son on his first birthday. They have gotten progressivly smaller. But that is so up to you! If you have people to invite, I say go for it. He won't remember, but you will. I'm actually really writing to tell you about a great, sugar-free recipe for a birthday cake. All my boys had it as their first birthday cake and loved it. It is in the What To Expect The First Year book. It is called First Birthday Cake and is made with pureed carrots and apple juice concentrate. It is fairly long, so I won't try to type the whole thing out. If you don't have the book or can't check it out from the library, email me and I will try to figure out how to scan it and email it to you. Keep up the good work with your son and his healthy diet. Don't get discouraged if he becomes picky as he gets older.
D.
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For my son's first birthday (he's now 2) we did a little theme of Baby Einstein. I got plates and napkins that said Happy 1st birthday. You can order party supplies from www.babyeinstein.com or I found it at my local party store. You could also do a generic theme of sports or cars/trucks. We got balloons and did do a cake and let him dive in except he really didn't...he poked at it a few times and licked his fingers with the frosting. As for your worry about him becoming hyperactive...that will happen with or without sugar because he is a boy! I think it's his birthday and let him live it up. You can also go to playhouse disney for party ideas too. Good luck

OMG YES! Get a cake, Let him dive into it. Letting him have one piece of cake is not going to turn him into a sweet hog. If you pass up this opportunity, you may regret you didn't get to see it. Although, I would just leave it to imediate famliy and really close friends. Leave the neighbor kids out of it for now....unless you are really close witht them. Since you have no family stick with close friends. record the event of him eating the cake and then send it to your parents. They will enjoy it.

I am the mother of three boys (5yr old & 2 1/2 year old twins). I celebrated their first birthdays by inviting family and friends. I had a light lunch and cake. Hy-vee and Price Chopper have small personal birthday cakes for 1 year birthday if you order a quarter sheet cake. It's his birthday he deserves cake if only a little bit!! I hope you have a great turn out. The children don't understand the importance but I enjoyed sharing the day with family and friends who had been there for me.

He will only turn "1" once.....it is not as if he will remember this day, but you will, invite all your friends and their kids no matter what their ages. If they are a part of his life, invite them to join this special occasion.
You could make the theme something that brings a smile to his face. IF he has a favorite story or song, just make the characters come to life for him.
Let your hair down and let him have cake, odds are that more will be all over him than actually go in him...and an early " Happy Birthday to your son!

just an idea for the cake issue: Jessica Seinfeld's cook book, "Deceptively Delicious" has some cake recipes that are lower in sugar, and even have vegetables hidden in them! I made the chocolate cake with beets in it, and it was pretty tasty. This may be a good alternative to a super sugary cake....and atleast you could take some classic "cake eating" photos for the baby book! enjoy your litte one's 1st Birthday!!!! http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/index.php

I would do something even tho he wont remember it (take lots of pics and or video) cuz he is so young, but do something have a few friends over and keep it to a couple of hours. As for the THEME do something he likes, but go small on the decorations. I would let my hair down and give him a small piece of cake I did with my son he ate a little bit and he wasnt really hyper and didnt make much of a mess, its fun watching them at that age. My son just turned 2 and we did the CARS theme. We had 6 kids over and he had a great time.

Hi I know you are excited about making your sons first birthday but I really think that the first couple of birthsday are more for the parents since they are so young and they enjoy playing with friends and making a mess more then anything else. Our family always has a small 5" chocolate cake and our daughter did more messing then eating. Then we had fruit and good things for them. Then just let the kids play and have fun. The adults had fun goodies and it gives the moms a chance to talk and visit with no stress since with other mothers there whoever is closest can handle what comes. But take lots o pictures and have fun is the most important thing since your little guy will pick up on your stress and could be fussy becasue of it.
Congrats and good luck

Anything you do for him will be memorable, because 1 is huge. If you're worried about the sugar, why not make (or buy) a cupcake w/o the frosting? I don't think just the sugar gets them hyper, rather than all the excitement of friends and family and something new in the air. Enjoy this day, and take a great picture of a face full of smiles!

We went all out for our first child's 1st birthday but didn't for the next two. Why go to all that fuss when they won't remember it at all? If I were concerned with sugar I'd do something like a carrot cake, banana bread or whatever he likes. Feed him really well before the party and he won't be too interested in the cake. Ours were so afraid to "dig in" (their father is nearly obsessive about not using hands to eat or getting messy) that they really never warmed up to the idea of having a free-for-all with their cake.

Does he like any cartoons? Maybe Elmo, Lil' Einsteins, Thomas the Train? If so, choose one of those. If not, there are a ton of generic "Look Who's 1" birthday packages out there. One great place to check is www.orientaltrading.com, but be careful about ordering everything. Sometimes the shipping will get you. I have checked oriental trading and then a local party supply store to compare prices & shipping.
About the cake, we gave our son cake at his first birthday and it was GREAT! The memories and pictures are priceless. Eventhough you haven't given him sweets much, I am a firm believer in pictures. This is an opportunity you can't pass up! Then, just don't give him sweets anymore. Just get him a little mini-sized cake & let him go to town. You will love the pictures and it will give you many years of laughter and memories!

Hope that helps. Enjoy him while you can! They are a true blessing.

Hello C.,
I am a mother of three beautiful girls and we celebrated each one of their first birthdays with a party.We celebrated my oldest's, now seven, first birthday with family because we happened to live near family at the time. However, when my #2, now 4 1/2, had her first 1 year old birthday we were seperated from family by a couple of states. So we invited a few friends who new us when we were expecting and had who had whitnesed our child's growth over the last year. They brought their kids who were perfectly content with just playing with the toys that we had at our home. We kept it low key. the kids plaied and the adults visited and got caught up on this and that. As far as food is concerned I don't think a little cake would hurt. Like you we didn't let our first have any sugar until after she was much older than 1 year. Now she is seven and loves sweets just as much as the next kid. What can you do? We still don't stock sweets in our house and so our children really only get candy, soda, ect... when they are at parties or occasionally on holidays. I did learn a little trick by the time my third, now 2yrs. old, came along. For her 1 year birthday we invited a few families over and served cupcakes. I made an arched rainbow out of three rows of cupcakes.I just frosted the cupcakes a different color for each individual row. You can also frost a few cupcakes with white frosting and form a cloud on one side of the rainbow if you wish. Cupcakes are great because of their individual serving size and they are so easy to make. Plus you don't have to give one to your child if you don't want to. Oh, and if you are concerned about your son feeling left out just make him a muffin in a cupcake wrapper and stick a candle in it for him to blow out. That way it will still look like a cupcake but be a little healthier. Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck, S.

Happy Birthday to your soon to be one year-old. I have a three year-old and still feel the same way you do about all the sugar and junk they don't need. For Aidan's (son) first we went to Party City and I picked out three different choices and let him grab the one he wanted. He ended up picking Pooh. I did give-in to him on cake, since it was his birthday. But, I had a really small cake that was Pooh's head made just for him to dive into, and a separate cake for the quests. Honestly, he played in it more than he ate it, so I wouldn't worry a whole lot about that. There will be so many other things going on that he will be so busy watching and preoccupied with.

I think the neighborhood kids and a few others that you are close to is a good idea. We just did close family and friends.

Well, I hope I was able to help a little. Sorry if you get this twice, I think I sent it before I finished.

A.:)

Hi Cathy my daughter just turned 1 three days after Christmas I was going to do a huge party with food and all but decided to just have a few finger foods we had a pull string pinata for the kids to do and yes of course she had her very own small cake she tore it up but ate hardly any of it. I would let him have cake he only turns 1 once. S.

I think it's okay to celebrate a 1st birthday with cake for your son. A little bit of sugar, on one special day, will not get him addicted (as long as you don't give him cake every day! LOL) My favorite parents are those who know balance. For Example, have a party but don't break the bank. Invite friends, but not so many that you have to rent extra chairs for them to sit. Have fun but don't be disappointed if your child (or another) has a meltdown - that is normal for 1-year-olds. Plan some activities but go with the flow of the party and if guests are more interested in socializing or playing with toys than doing a structured game, scrap it. Your son will have the best birthday if you feel comfortable too. Congrats on your first year of motherhood!!!

Birthdays are not only a celebration of the child becoming a year older, but also of your dedication and committment as a mother in the life you created. I am a grandmother and have very much enjoyed each First Birthday of my grandchildren, along with all the grandparents and great-grandparents that were able to make the trip. Many came from out of state. We did not have a theme. Children provide the themes as they grow older and tell you they want a spiderman cake or a cinderella cake. My granddaughter got the Cinderella Castle Cake on her 5th Birthday. The point is, have fun and celebrate and invite everyone. They will take delight in helping you celebrate the wonderful life of the child that you have.

For my son's 1st birthday, we took him to McDonald's for the first time and let him wear a birthday crown. Then off to the park, and then home for presents. Lastly, we let him dive into one of those mini cakes from the store (they look like tiny 2-layer birthday cakes). Don't skip the cake -- you will really enjoy looking at the photos later. I have been to several parties for kids this age, and it's really all about the adults. Invite a few close friends and their kids, and serve cupcakes. They love 'em. Print invitations that say "Our Little Cupcake is turning 1!" I received one of those and thought it was the cutest theme. They had displayed the cupcakes in a tiered fashion to look like a cake -- adorable!

It's a milestone you won't get to repeat--so have fun and let him have a little, too! Do you know it's going to cause him hyper--or are you just thinking it will? I didn't let my kids have any sugar up until that point and my daughter wouldn't have anything to do with the cake, anyway. I had a big party for her at church with all of her church friends invited. We videotaped the whole thing. She's almost 9 now and she watches it ALL the time! She loves seeing how everyone was wishing her well on her first birthday and how much she is loved! At that age is doesn't have to be about kids his age, just about people who love him! Relax and have fun with it!

We had a hugh celebration for our first two children since the first year of life is the hardest to survive. Our son wasn't that lucky since we had just moved here and didn't know anyone. Have what you want, make the theme something your little boy likes such as Elmo or whatever he enjoys. Let him have cake!!!! It's a tradition and sugar does not make children hyper. It sometimes causes hyperactive children to become a little over stimulated but if your son hasn't been diagnosed, don't worry about it plus they don't normally eat much of it, they just finger taste and make a mess. Let him enjoy it! All the other children around him at one time may cause him to become over excited so if you want time to enjoy it, assign different jobs to different moms(ask nicely) so you can enjoy his day also! Maybe a kinder gym or something so someone else does the cleanup.

Good luck,
D.

Hello! I love 1st bday parties. I have two girls and it's my favorite year so far for both. I always did a 2 layer cake (resembles a wedding cake) and the top I would take off for my daughters to dig into. Believe it or not one of them LOVES sugar and one of them doesn't, but neither of them dove into the cake. Probably b/c I was the same way and never really gave them sugar. You can go to Price Chopper or HyVee to their cake designer and it's only about 30$ for them to make and you can bring them your own design with your color scheme.
They always say that the 1st bday is more for the parents and family then it is for you, but I insisted on making it memorable.
For my daughters bdays (I too have parents out of town) I did personalized bday cards with their faces. I used www.SassyfrassCreations.com. They will create one that matches your party theme for free and only charge for the cards. You just give them the color scheme. Then my out of town parents at least got a really cute picture announcing the babies first birthday! They will also custom make the thank you cards for you.
At one they don't tear into the presents so be prepared to have to hold him while you open them up or if you have other little ones I would sit them around and have each one of them help me open and throw away the trash.

Good luck! I would for sure have a party though! It makes great memories and great pictures!!!

I have learned from lots of research with planning my kids birthday parties that having a big birthday party for a young child is not always the best idea. If you want a theme make it something they are familiar with such as Thomas the Train or Elmo. As far as guests it is suggested to have 1 child their age for every year old they are until they are in school(1 child for 1 year old, 2 children for 2 year olds, etc). Any more than that and the child can get discouraged and overwhelmed with the party and then you will have a fussy baby on your hands. At his age he will not remember the party but for a week or so. Therefore having a huge party is not as important to him. Invite family and your baby guest and that should be plenty. As far as the cake I make a cake from diabetic recipes I have. It has a lot less sugar and you do not have as much hyperactivity afterwards. There are a lot of good recipes out there for diabetics that taste really good. Even though your child is not a diabetic you can still use those recipes to give to your child. He will not know the difference between that and a regular cake if you start them on it at a young age. It is a great way to give your child the sweet treats without all the sugar. Good luck with the birthday party and have lots of fun.

Hi C.! At this age the party is definetely more for you than him. However, I think it's worth it because then you'll have pictures and memories to look back on for yrs to come. I too had not given my daughter any sugar to speak of prior to her 1st birthday and was concerned about what would happen, but I "let my hair down" and let her have at it and you know what? She didn't eat much at all(probably because it was so foreign to her) and there were no resulting issues from her having a little cake. I didn't even notice any hyperactivity to speak of. Then we went back to our "normal" routine of not really having much sugar. If you're consistant and only give him "treats" on rare, special occasions he'll learn to enjoy them when he does get them and not expect them all the time. Good Luck and have a great party!

Hi C.

My son just turned two... and for his first birthday, we had just family... and instead of a sugary cake... I got an organic whole foods cake mix... it was really good. At least this way, you know that some of what they are about to eat is good for them.

Whatever the case may be... enjoy the moment, for both of you!

For my middle's sons birthday my friend gave me this idea about making these cute cards using card stock and having everyone write a wish for him for his future. We tied a candle to the card using blue ribbon. Then after everyone had done so we used one candle for his first birthday. We use one of those special candles for each of his birthday's to come until they are all gone but before we lite the candles we will read what the card said and who it was from. My family is not close either and that helps me and the kids feel close to them. As far as the cake I am not big on letting my kids have too much sugar either but for his birthday my cousin made him a small little cake all for him and he loved it! It made such a great video! I hope this will help. Good luck!

Dear C.,
I have gotten so many ideas for all of my kids' birthdays from this birthday website:
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/party_ideas.html
If the website does not appear it is: www dot birthdaypartyideas dot com and you can locate the party ideas from that point. My suggestion for a substitute for cake for your little one is to have a birthday bran/banana/carrot cake muffin with some sort of healthy icing on top so that your lil guy can have some fun digging into his birthday "cake". I've had separate cakes for the birthday child to "blow" the candles out on just so that the kids don't spit all over the actual serving cake. Anyway, on this website it lists different themes for birthdays, and also ages of the child, such as first birthday ideas. And you can decide from there what you can do for the neighbor kids to do. For the little ones at my home, we've had pizza parties and kept it really simple and let the kids play with toys and/or make drawings with crayons and stickers. Depending on the other ages of the kids attending the party, too, whether or not you wish to have any other things for entertainment for those kids, such as a video while you set up for cake/ice cream, or just have block time, etc. Good luck with your planning. I hope the website helps. It sure has me with my four kiddos. Sincerely, T.

hey C.,

i say keep it simple for a one year old. i think it's ok to let him have cake on his birthday, it makes for a cute photo op letting him eat it himself. don't stress and make it a big deal, but make sure that you take lots of pictures.

kim

Yes you should go all out! The first Birthday birthday is very important and you can e-mail them to the family. In stead of a cake (chocolate looks really cute all over there face) you could make Rice Krispy treats (less fat) in a round cake pan and stick a big #1 candle in it. Don't forget to sing and take all kinds of pictures. Happy Birthday to your little one.

J.

Grandmother of 6.

Hey C.! Congrats on surviving the 1st year:) We started a tradition when our daughter was little of having a birthday sheet. I've bought a plain white flat sheet for each of my kids and each year for their bday we put their handprints on it with fabric paint. In the middle of the sheet I wrote their name, bdate, and other birth info: weight, lenght, day of birth, time of birth. It has become a priceless treasure and something my 8 and 4 year old look very forward to every year. When our youngest son was born last year, it wasn't long before our then 3 year old son was asking if Bryson would get his own birthday sheet! We use these sheets as the tablecloth for the party-under a clear protective covering!

I would also encourage you to write a leter to your son each year for his birthday. Include favorite memories from the year, your dreams and prayers for his year to come and what kind of man you want him to grow to be.

One last thought-don't plan something so big that you're stressed and spending so much of your time cleaning and cooking and getting ready that you don't have time to enjoy him on this special day.

Whatever you do, enjoy him!!

T.:)