DD 1St Birthday

My family is supersticious and will not celebrate a birthday BEFORE the actual birthday. So if their birthday falls on a monday then we don't have a party until the weekend after never before. Everyone does things differently and it's all up to you.

Both my kids 1st birthdays fell on Friday and Saturday, so it was easy to celebrate it on the actual day, but if your little one's is on a tough day, it's okay! Just do it on the weekend or close to her actual day. Of course they won't know, but this question is really about you, and that's okay. Don't feel guilty! Just roll with it and have a fun celebration and it'll be good!

Our DD's birthday coincides with our annual time-share vacation week, so for her first and second b-days, we were able to celebrate on the actual day, but last year, her third b-day fell on the day we had to pack up and leave, so we held her b-day celebration a few days beforehand. At this age, they have no idea, and it makes absolutely no difference to them.

The child will NOT know the difference! Have it when you want. My DD's birthday is Jan. 8th and she wanted a carnival b-day. We are doing a 1/2 birthday for her and doing it in June since it will be warmer then. A few irritable family members were upset about it, but I don't care. And she's 10!
Have it when it's good for you! The baby will know no better.

We have celebrated both on the day of the birthday and had parties on the weekend when it was convenient for extended family. Most of our family is out of town, so we celebrate birthdays whenever we can get together, usually some weekend during the birthday month. We always acknowledge the actual day with a special dessert or breakfast or dinner meal with immediate family, but the party is usually on a weekend when it is convenient. Since you have older sibs, let them help choose a special thing to do on the day of actual birthday - maybe it's dessert or a meal you do at home- then save the party for the day you can celebrate with extended family. Have fun!

We rarely have any familiy members party on the exact day, especially if it is a weekday! If the birthday happens to land on a Saturday or Sunday then it's great, but most often they don't. I think we just had a small get together for my sons first with just family at my mother in laws. First birthdays are mostly for the family since the baby won't remember it so we always just do something low key and let the baby make a mess of the birthday cake lol.

while you do have to accommodate the needs of the family....please be very careful not to assume that the youngest can bear the brunt of this.

For our family, we have always held a celebration on the actual day....even if it's just us. Flipping that thought, the "family/friend" party has always been on the weekend to make it easier for all involved. In fact, now that I think about it.....I'm 48 & that's how it's always been ....my entire life!

We celebtrate with our family (mom dad kids) on the day. Their partys rarely fall on their birthday and it is usually the weekend after.

Since your daughter will not know the difference, are you worried about what other people will think? As long as you celebrate it some time, don't worry about what other people think. The point is to celebrate your child's first year of life.

Learning to be flexible will teach your children to also be flexible. What happens if one child's 16th birthday falls on another's day of graduation, for example? If your children learn that a calendar does not dictate their life, then they will be happy to go to the graduation and plan a birthday party on another day.

I have a sister-in-law that skipped her sister-in-law's wedding because she had the nerve to have the wedding on her 21st birthday when she wanted to go to Vegas... (Obviously, I am being sarcastic.) We can all guess how the first sister-in-law was raised.

For both kids, we did it on a weekend so people could actually come, and have done the same for each bday thereafter. Sometimes it's the weekend before, and sometimes the weekend after. But on the actual day, just with the four of us, we have a cake (or sometimes I can buy just a big piece of cake at the store) and the birthday girl/boy gets to choose the dinner (going out or me making their favorite). My daughter always chooses donuts instead of cake for her actual birthday.

For a 1st bday, the child won't know what day it is. The important thing is that you have a picture of a party (any kind of party, no matter how small) to put in her scrapbook so later she knows you did the same for her that you did for her siblings. So, specifics are not important for the 1st bday party.