need suggestions for first birthday party

[laurajetter]

My son isn't quite 6 months old, but I just realized that we will be going on a long vacation right before his first birthday, with less then a week remaining once we return. That means that I will probably need to have the majority of planning finished before we go on vacation; I would hate to have to worry about much after coming home. So, I'm starting to roll some ideas around in my head now of what I might want to plan.

Since we have a small house and we probably will have quite a few people attending, I am trying to think of other ideas of where to hold the party. His birthday is in the end of August. So far, the only idea I can come up with is to have it in a park, under a pavilion with picnic tables. It's not a *bad* idea, I just wanted to have a few choices but I can't think of anything else, and there aren't any nice parks very close by, so it would be a bit of a drive.

So, do you have any other suggestions? Again, this would be for a first birthday, so there won't be any extensive games or activities; just food and socializing.

Anway, thanks in advance!

Laura

 

[joeymom]

We had a pretty big 1st party for our daughter - had it at our house, but it was mostly outside and under a tent. Had a couple inflatable things - moonbounce and obstacle course and also had ponies for the kids to ride. Had all the food catered by Eddies of Roland Park - they delivered to Owings Mills, MD for just a $15 fee. We also had a few service people to help out with the cleanup. We had about 80 kids and about 170 people total...I know, a bit overboard, but it was a breeze to have everything taken care of and we had very little work to do ourselves. It was pretty expensive due to the number of people, but you could do something on a smaller scale at home. Maybe set up a few baby pools around the yard..home parties are always nice...so warm and friendly.

You could also consider a Gymboree or My Gym party. Cost about $300 - there is entertainment for the kids and all you need to provide is pizza and a cake.

Take a look at Baltimore Child magazine or www.baltimorechild.com for other ideas.

 

[laurajetter]

We had a pretty big 1st party for our daughter - had it at our house, but it was mostly outside and under a tent. Had a couple inflatable things - moonbounce and obstacle course and also had ponies for the kids to ride. Had all the food catered by Eddies of Roland Park - they delivered to Owings Mills, MD for just a $15 fee. We also had a few service people to help out with the cleanup. We had about 80 kids and about 170 people total...I know, a bit overboard, but it was a breeze to have everything taken care of and we had very little work to do ourselves. It was pretty expensive due to the number of people, but you could do something on a smaller scale at home. Maybe set up a few baby pools around the yard..home parties are always nice...so warm and friendly.

You could also consider a Gymboree or My Gym party. Cost about $300 - there is entertainment for the kids and all you need to provide is pizza and a cake.

Take a look at Baltimore Child magazine or www.baltimorechild.com for other ideas.

Hey, you're just a hop, skip and a jump from me in Hampstead!

Anyway, thamks for the suggestions. I did want to have it kind of lower key, just trying to mainly find a suitable place to hold everyone. Your party sounds like it was a hit! I do like the idea of having it in the backyard with some baby pools... the only thing I would worry about is the weather; if it needs to be moved indoors due to inclement weather, I really don't think we'd have the room. But it's something to think about, so thanks.

 

[aprilgail2]

I had my daughters out in the party room of a local restaurant. There is no way I could comfortably have close to 50 people in my house for a party and her birthday is in Nov so having a party tent put in the yard and having it outside wasn't an option.

 

[mommytotwo]

You could always rent a social hall at a church or a recreation center.