I believe that for parents there is no more emotional, nostalgic and exciting date than their baby’s first birthday . Many families choose to celebrate the moment in style, with balloons, cakes, gifts and endless details that will be forever immortalized in photos and videos. But others, on the other hand, prefer more discreet celebrations, in family and adapted to the baby.
In any case, it is impossible not to let a tear escape when realizing how quickly time has passed, and verifying that that newborn who first fell in love with you just a year ago is today a restless, adventurous and extremely special baby.
First birthday party, yes or no?
Although the first year marks a very important milestone in the development of the child, the truth is that it is still a baby with very specific needs . This makes many parents choose not to celebrate their first birthday, in order to avoid the stress of being with many people, the noise and the alteration of their schedules and routines.
For others, on the other hand, it is such an important date that it well deserves to be celebrated in great detail , since it is not only one year after the birth of their child, but also of them as parents. Not surprisingly, there are those who even joke with the fact that this first birthday party is actually more designed for parents than for the baby himself.
What is clear is that at this time all parents share the same feeling , and we wonder how it is possible that our newborn has grown so fast, despite the fact that the first months together probably passed between a nebula of doubts, fears and exhaustion.
My personal experience with three children
As a mother of three children, I fully understand both positions and have gone through all the situations described above, with their respective advantages and disadvantages:
First child: a party in style
With my first son we decided to have a party in style. We were so excited by the moment that we spent several days preparing his birthday in great detail , and we even opted to celebrate two parties given the high number of attendees we had anticipated.
Thus, we celebrated a first party with our whole family, which although it was somewhat more modest that was to come, we did not skimp on details: music according to the occasion, balloons everywhere, a tasty catering with a striking cake and many gifts.
The second party was more spectacular if possible, because we gathered a large number of friends who wanted to join us in our immense happiness. There is the paradox that none of them had children yet, so although the party had a certain childish tinge with the decoration of garlands and banners, the truth is that it was designed entirely for the enjoyment of adults.
Despite the titanic work that took us to prepare that festive display, my son obviously does not remember it, although he likes to see the photographs of that day and see how much fun we had celebrating his first birthday.
Second child: a low-key family party
With my second daughter we decided to skip the party with our friends and focus exclusively on the family celebration. In addition, and contrary to what we did at the time with the eldest, we divided the party into two days; one for each family branch (paternal and maternal).
In this way we achieved two much simpler and reduced celebrations , adapting to the needs of my daughter and also to mine, who at that time was pregnant with my third child and did not have the body for many hustles.
Third child: a celebration in privacy
With my third son we decided to get away from all kinds of parties and celebrations and commemorate his first year in the strictest privacy . This is how we chose to spend the day the five of us alone, enjoying a walk, an afternoon in the park and a piece of homemade cake that I prepared myself.
The celebration with the grandparents and uncles came days later, although in no case did it resemble the display of details that happened with my other two children. On that occasion the decorations were recycled from other parties, and the banners and garlands made by my little ones.
From the first one, I am left with the company of friends and the excitement of celebrating the first year of our baby and of us as parents. From the second I highlight the enthusiasm with which we celebrate with the family the first year of our daughter and the upcoming arrival of another baby. And of the third I will always remember the intimacy and complicity with which we commemorate the first year of my young son and the birth of our family of five.
Two details that cannot be missed
Of course, there were two details that were not lacking in any of the three celebrations , and that I recommend to all parents who are on the verge of celebrating their babies’ first year:
- The first, take many photos and make videos (if possible with a quality camera), because you will never tire of seeing it and reliving the moment over and over again.
- And the second is to prepare for the whole family a personal, emotional and unique gift that your child can keep forever as a memory.
Photos | iStock
