1st birthday for son - help

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-09-2004
1st birthday for son - help
17
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 12:29pm
My son will be one on March 10th and we are having a birthday party for him on the 11th. We expect about 60 people - Yikes! I'm from a big family, youngest of 6. My husband is an only child but his aunts/uncles and cousins are like his bro/sis. so we had to invite them all. I bought invitations at the dollar store and gave most of them to my family to avoid stamps BUT what do I serve to eat. We are having it over lunch I was thinking pizzas from Costco maybe or BBQ? Any suggestions for economical party lunch for that many. And my bigger issue is what to get him without spending much. I have a 2 year old daughter and we don't really need toys but I feel like I have to get him something????

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 12:56pm

Can some of your family contribute to the food? Have Mom make a casserole, have Sises and Bros bring chips, dip, and veggie tray?

For gifts, just do a big ball, a new board book, and an outfit! Have lots of balloons around the house for him to play with, and he will be pleased, I'm sure!!!!

Good luck!
~Aravis~

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-02-2004
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 12:59pm

Happy Birthday to your little boy!

Have you considered potluck? Or you could do spaghetti/salad/bread. That's inexpensive for a crowd and most everyone loves it. And at lunchtime, I don't think anyone would expect appetizers. Will you buy or bake your cake? You'll need a big one, and buying one can get pricey. Or you could bake one large cake and do some cupcakes, some vanilla and some chocolate. For drinks, it would be more economical to make up some pitchers of lemonade and iced tea or buy 2Liter Sodas instead of putting together a big tub of canned/bottled drinks.

If you're overloaded on toys, you could suggest childrens books as gifts. Or if you need clothes for him for summer, request that instead of toys, there may soon be spring/summer clothing in the stores depending on where you live. I did a book baby shower once and it went over extremely well! I painted a cute bookshelf and everyone brought books suitable for all ages as the baby grew. I requested guests bring a new copy of their favorite childhood book and it sparked some great conversation between people who didn't know each other.

Hope ya'll have a great day. Large families are a real blessing! (most of the time, anyways-lol)

momsacupcake

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 2:35pm

I don't what your family 'culture' is around this but everyone in my family would ask what they would bring and I encourage you to let them. Maybe you could provide the main dish and the dessert and ask everyone else to bring appetizers, salads and sides. We use BBQ pork/beef sandwiches a lot for these big gatherings. It's relatively inexpensive and you can make it ahead and just serve it in crockpots. If you haven't already sent the invites, I would consider just including the request in the invites. You can assign the type of dish you want them to bring or just let nature take its course and people will bring what they want to eat.

As far as a gift from Mommy and Daddy goes, I would focus on maybe giving him something sentimental and inexpensive. With 60 guests, you are going to have plenty 'o gifts. Can you maybe frame a group of pictures with him and family members to add to his room? I'm sure you could find a collage frame inexpensively at a discount store or maybe at a thrift store. Another idea is to make an ABC scrapbook for him. Here's a link for a description http://scrapbook.lifetips.com/subcat/77211/scrapbook-themes/abc-scrapbook-theme/index.html. Even if you don't have time to complete it, he won't know the difference. You could give him a page or 2 for his birthday and finish it up over the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't spend a fortune on archival products for this one...it's intended for them to look at and handle so it probably isn't going to survive to be a treasure for years to come. :)

HTH!

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-09-2004
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 2:49pm
Thanks for the suggestions on food and gifts. My mom did offer to make Beef BBQ so I think I'll let her and MIL said she would make something too. I did order a cake because I'm not much of a baker and trying to make a cake or even cupcakes for that many people, well, I just can't face it. I love the ABC book idea although I have a scrap book that I started for him when he was born and it only has one page in it, his sonogram picture!!!!!!! My daughter who was 2 in November, I started one for her as well when she was born, hers is up to about 9 months! It is just so hard with 2 little ones to find time to get anything done! I may try the ABC book though or maybe a family picture album, I know my daughter loved looking at pictures of family and if it was something he could play with .... That would be great too!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-07-2005
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 2:54pm
How about sloppy joes in the crockpot? Hot dogs too? We did this one year--we didn't have quite the expected number of guests as you but I don't see why it wouldn't work for you too. Then do the chips and soda deal. It's about as cheap as I think you could go. GL
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 3:16pm

You've gotten great ideas so far!

I just wanted to add that if you're looking for things to *do* at the party, especially if there will be other children, you could make a pinata. This is a very cheap, though somewhat messy and labor-intensive activity, and children love it. You can let the children take home the contents of the pinata instead of more formal favors (just provide small bags to carry their goodies home in).

To make a pinata, all you need is newspaper, a balloon, and flour and water. We made a "Blue's Clues" pinata this previous year--you can make it into anything you like, so long as the basic shape is balloon-shaped. Blow up the balloon. (You'll need to start several days before the party).

Make a watery paste of flour and water. Tear the newspaper into thin strips. Dip the newspaper into the paste, then use two fingers to remove excess paste from each strip as you apply it to the balloon. Completely cover the balloon, overlapping each piece slightly. Let it dry completely between layers, or it will take forever to dry. You can speed the process with a hair dryer, but be careful not to dry for more than a minute or two at a time, as the heat will cause the balloon to expand and the newspaper to split.

Apply three to four layers. If you want to color the pinata, you can use plain butcher paper (or any other white, but not glossy, paper) instead of newsprint for the last layer, and dye the paste with food coloring. This will give the pinata a pale wash, which can then be painted over to add designs--eyes, mouth, patterns, whatever.

When the pinata is completely dry, you can decorate it. We made cardboard ears, with one layer of the same blue-washed paper as the body of the pinata. Then we made a nose out of the paste-filled newspaper formed as with clay. We attached the ears with duct tape and then covered the tape with papier mache. The nose we attached with a rivet (don't really recommend that--you can find a better way, I'm sure).

We painted darker blue spots, eyes, and a mouth.

It turned out GREAT. The previous year we had made a Nemo fish using the same basic principles but different paint and trim. In both cases, the pinata's were so much nicer than store-bought.

Once it is complete, you can cut a hole in the top large enough to put the goodies in. You can use candy, small toys from the dollar store, etc. We never spend more than a few dollars on the treats.

You can either re-close the hole by duct taping then papier mache-ing again, or you can just attach it losely with Elmer's glue or the like (just be sure you're not putting weight on it to support the pinata).

Attaching the pinata to string for hanging is the most challenging part. We used a three-pronged tool from dh's toolbox, inserted while the lid was off, and with a string tied to it and then threaded through a small hole in the top. It was sturdy because the three prongs of the tool rested inside the body of the pinata, not relying on the lid at all for strength or holding power (very important). I'm sure someone handy in your family can come up with a similarly sturdy arrangement.

Then you just blindfold the party-goers and have them whack as hard as they can. Be sure you let only one person at a time do this! And everyone else has to STAND BACK! LOL

Anyway, it's always a big hit at our parties and while it's time-consuming to make, it's also fun and very cheap.

As for a gift for your daughter, you might also consider making a tradition of giving her money for her college fund or other savings. It might be a good opportunity, when she's older, to teach her good money skills--you can give her, for instance, $20, and tell her that a portion of it is for her to spend, a portion is to save, and a portion is to give (or whatever your values/customs are).

Oh, you can also bake your own cake for a fraction of the cost of buying one. Or, get a cake off the "day-old" shelf and have them put lettering on it (or letter it at home). I have a blast designing the kids's cakes each year. This year, again, it was a Blue's Clues cake for my older son. Last year it was a frog. There are so many ideas on line for these kind of things, and how to do them. If you're not much good at decorating cakes, maybe someone in your family can/would like to help. (I can't frost a cake to save my life--I had my mom do it this year, and a friend do it last year).

Good luck and have fun!

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-07-2003
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 8:43pm

I'm the queen of going overboard with birthdays for my son.

Pumpkin

&nbs

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2006
Wed, 02-08-2006 - 11:34pm
A pot luck sounds like the way to go with such a crowd. Everything the others suggested seems right on to me. I would get your cake at Costco since you don't bake. Our local grocery chain and Costco's cakes are very similar in quality only the supermarket cake is 1/4 sheet cake while the Costco cake is 1/2 sheet for the very same price. As for the presents you must know kids under 5 are more into the wrapping or big boxes than what is inside. Perhaps you and hubby could find a big box and "build" his very own Fort. Anything you get him won't be remembered by your son and it's not necessary to keep up with the other family members in terms of what you give him. Maybe instead of a gift plan an outing to the zoo with him, family time can be a gift too. Good luck. Pam

Proud sister of a Marine:

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Thu, 02-09-2006 - 8:11am

For my son's 1st birthday, we had all the immediate and extended family, as well as co-workers who had supported us through the loss of our first son and the difficulties of a high risk pregancy with our 2nd. So it was a big crowd. :-D I kept decorations simple. I took several pieces of posterboard and labeled them with magic marker at the top (Special Events), "Places I Went", "New Discoveries", and then taped pictures of my son all over each sheet of posterboard....discovering new things (and the cute faces a baby makes when seeing something new and fascinating), trips he'd gone on with us, dressed up for special events, etc). Just showing his first year of life in pictures. I put some balloons on the mailbox and that was it. Very simple. For food, we had hamburgers and hotdogs, chips and baked beans. We bought everything in large quantities at a warehouse store, and that kept cost down. We bought bottles of bubbles (large ones) in bulk for any kids who were coming, so they spent the party running around the yard together playing bubble games. It was very inexpensive and fun....except when the bubbles got poured into our son's baby pool and no one thought to let us know. ;-)

Pat :-D

Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 02-09-2006 - 9:53am

I haven't read through the replies except I saw the first one said a big ball and I laughed because that is what I would say to get him or you know what - he won't care - get him a pack of diapers - ROFL (just something for him to unwrap).

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