Disney birthday and other sibling non birthday question

[pantherlj]

I am brainstorming and thinking about going to Disney next September. We could actually plan it to be there on our 17th wedding anniversary (had our honeymoon there) as well as our youngest dauther's 7th birthday. We had a blast when we went in September because crowds were low and we could still enjoy water parks. I worry that my older daughter (would be 10) would feel very left out. Her birthday is in June.

I think I have read that people celebrate their birthday even when it really isn't there birthday but I feel kind of weird with that idea.

What have you done in situations like this? Maybe it would be best to just wait until mid October so it isn't anyone's "event"?

ETA - Ack! What am I thinking, I don't think I could go in October and give up free dining in September! : )

 

[dogodisney]

We will be at Disney on my DD's 14th birthday. Our other DD(15) was having a fit because we would be at Disney during it. (How come we get to go to Disney for her bday, blah, blah, blah,).
I told both girls that this trip is not "her" trip, it is our family vacation. I did let her pick what restaurant we will eat at that night and we will acknowledge her birthday and try to make it special just like we would do at home but we will not be going all out. I am not ordering a special cake or anything like that.

Maybe you can handle your DD's birthday the same way or for your non-birthday DD, maybe you can take her to BBB for her to do something special.

It's not easy trying to please everyone.

 

[delmar411]

I seem to recall this topic being covered on a different board here with lots of good information (aka debates! ).

I'll see if I can find it by searching....

 

[AKBAFB]

We'll be in the same situation as you when we go in January. We'll be celebrating DD#1's 7th birthday and our 10th anniversary. I was worried about DD#2 feeling left out also. This will be the girls' first trip to WDW and it's not every year we will be there for someone's birthday, so I decided we will celebrate DD#2's Unbirthday while we're there too. I'm going to keep her actual birthday in November pretty limited - we'll probably just invite our close family over to the house for dinner and cake. On the DISigns board, I was able to find a Tinkerbell 7th Birthday Girl disign and a Tinkerbell disign with Tink winking that says "It is my unbirthday". They're very cute and we won't have to lie or explain that we're celebrating her birthday two month's late for the trip. We'll make that a day with lots of treats and souveniers for the kids!

 

[canadianmom2three]

We will also be there for our youngest Ds's birthday (and the day after our wedding anniversary). We will be driving there on our anniversary day, so we will probably just celebrate another time, not planning to do anything special at WDW for that. AS far as DS's 6th bday, we did pick a restaurant for breakfast that we know he will love (Ohana best friends character breakfast) and I do plan to celebrate his birthday that day BUT I have made it very clear that the trip is not in any way FOR his birthday. It just so happens that we will be there when it is his birthday. We will have fun with it, and to be honest, he deserves a bit of extra celebration, there are so many things the big kids get to do that he doesn't, I think it will be nice for him to be the center of attention for the day, but we won't be celebrating his birthday the entire week, just that day.

There hasn't been any complaints from the other kids, and I don't anticipate any. They do special things for their birthdays too, and to be honest, I think both my DD and older DS would be embarassed at all the attention if it was their birthday at WDW, but they will have fun celebrating with our youngest DS. Hope you have a great trip, and your dd has a happy birthday!!!

 

[mom2aredhead]

You didn't plan the trip FOR her birthday, it happens to fall during your vacation. Let her have the day as you would at home - pick the restaurant, get a cake and wear the birthday button on the day of her birthday. But I wouldn't let it be a week long event - wearing the birthday button every day, singing at every restaurant - I think that would make it bad for the older one.

You shouldn't have to celebrate one child's birthday 9 months early (or 3 months late) because the other one's birthday happens to fall during your vacation.

I was one of 3 and we were treated as an "all or nothing" group by my parents when we were little. If all 3 of us weren't invited somewhere, none of us could go. If the neighbor wasn't playing nicely with my sister, we were all banned from the house. If my sister couldn't have a pool party for her birthday (in March) neither could my brother even though his birthday was in June. There were cries of "NOT FAIR" 100 times a day from someone that wasn't getting the exact same thing as the other one. At some point kids need to learn that "fair" does not mean "same". It's not going to be fair that the older one can drive before the younger one. It's not going to be fair that the younger one will have less homework than the older one. This year it's not going to be fair that the little one's birthday will happen on your vacation. I'm sure in June you'll make the other one's birthday special in it's own way.

 

[pfp258]

We had the same thing happen many years in a row. Our oldest daughter has an August birthday and we spent many of those birthdays in WDW. Our second daughter has a birthday in November and although we would sometimes go to WDW over Thanksgiving break in never happened to fall on her birthday. Last year her birthday was on the Friday before Thanksgiving break week. We were traveling with 3 other families (all of her friends and their families) so we pulled them out of school and left from Chicago on Thursday evening so that she could finally have a birthday in WDW.
That being said we don't plan a trip for a birthday- our vacations just happened to coincide with their birthdays. My girls are just happy to be in WDW, birthday or not!

 

[DVC Sadie]

You didn't plan the trip FOR her birthday, it happens to fall during your vacation. Let her have the day as you would at home - pick the restaurant, get a cake and wear the birthday button on the day of her birthday. But I wouldn't let it be a week long event - wearing the birthday button every day, singing at every restaurant - I think that would make it bad for the older one.

You shouldn't have to celebrate one child's birthday 9 months early (or 3 months late) because the other one's birthday happens to fall during your vacation.

At some point kids need to learn that "fair" does not mean "same". It's not going to be fair that the older one can drive before the younger one. It's not going to be fair that the younger one will have less homework than the older one. This year it's not going to be fair that the little one's birthday will happen on your vacation. I'm sure in June you'll make the other one's birthday special in it's own way.

I thought this post was excellent and reflected my pov to a T.

 

[Louisianafive]

We went in June last year and "Celebrated" all 3 of our DD's birthdays while there. Their birthdays are in May, June and October. We let them pick a special event at WDW to celebrate for just them. DD's - 8 & 6 - chose eating dinner in Cinderella's Castle after going to BBB. We just told our waiter that they were celebrating birthdays and he brought them each their own cakes and a signed birthday cetificate from Cinderella!
Our DD -14 - chose to go to Fantasmic. So we ate at -I think it was- Hollywood and Vine? We got the early admit to Fantasmic and her own cake!
They all have the free Birhtday buttons from WDW.

 

[chessie2008]

We will be there for my dd's 8th birthday. My ds wanted to know if we will be going back for his 6th birthday (6 weeks later). He wasn't kidding. I explained that because it is her birthday trip he will get do all the 'extra' fun stuff that we will do that week too (i.e. he gets the 'cool dude' do when she is at the BBB, he gets to go on the pirate ship adventure with her, MNNSHP, etc). He was totally okay with that. He did ask if we could go some year for his birthday though! Good luck - I think most kids are just happy they are at WDW - no matter the reason!

 

[vellamint]

My boys never really complained about it being their twin sisters birthday almost every time we go.....we go end of August because of discounts.... I kind of steer the girls to pick going to Disneyquest and my boys were happy that way. The girls do not get to pick the restaurant (my job yeah!) but we do tell the waiters and they do get sung to. If anything the girls have said they are sick of being away for their birthday and would rather be with their friends......oh well..