Joan,

I am not trying to "pop your balloon", so to speak, but what you are planning is going to be very overwhelming for a child just turning one. I don't know the age of the 17 kids you are inviting, but your child that is turning one, will not be able to play musical chairs or much of anything else. I would recommend inviting a very small group and keeping the activity very limited. If these other kids are being invited because they have to be, because they are coming with their parents, I would still advise any activities you plan to be short and sweet.

A friend of mine had a fairly large party for her daughters 1st birthday. She just made it kind of like a play group- nothing planned- just put a bunch of toys out on the floor for every one to play with. I wouldn't worry about planning anything but food. Be sure there is lots of food for parents and kids and that should keep everyone happy.

Joan, for my dd's 1st b'day party I wanted to plan some major event because it was her 1st!! But the others are right, they are too young at this age to have anything planned so for my dd's party I made it a Minnie Mouse theme - guests had the option of dressing up with 'Mouse Ears', & I had Minnie invitations, a Minnie Mouse head cake, Minnie paper plates and napkins, Minnie decorations and Minnie candy bags to take home. That part is simple and you still have your theme. If your child is a boy, make it Mickey!
I hired some toys such as a slide and see-saw for the older kids, and had some toys scattered around.
The party only lasts for 1.5 - 2 hours at the most as they will get tired, and some either arrive late or go early for their naps so dont go to too much trouble!! Save that for later parties as we'll have more planning to do!

Your little one won't be able to really enjpy games. I like parties that are simple. We are more of a cake and ice cream and a few people over. Meanwhile, my SIL tries to invite everyone she knows, plan games, cook tons of food, buy a huge cake and large tub of ice cream and it's too much! They spend way more money than they need to and the kids really don't care. She's running out of ways to top the last party too and the kids are 4 and 6. It will get harder as the years go by. She makes the rest of us think we're crappy parents because we don't do it for ours but we don't see the point. The celebration is usually enough for the kids.

~Leslie~

For my dd 1st birthday we had tons of kids there...but we did it at a park. There were sandboxes, swings, etc... We also borrowed a big mulitcolored parachute and had balls and toys on it for the kids to sit and play on. It was a hit!
We just kept things moving..Ate lunch, opened presents, had cake, passed out goody bags and said good-bye. 17 kids will be fine!

I had a large party for my 1 yr old and it was, as the others have said, incredibly overwhelming. I would suggest no more than three or four other children, kids that your child is familiar with and is used to seeing. invite them over, fix food for moms and dads, and just relax. I overdid it, and my son spent the whole time in Daddy's arms,refusing to play or visit any of his guests. no fun. I seriously regret it.

My son is turning one in February. I didn't want to have a big party because I know he is too young to even notice, but all the adults in the family (22 adults/5 children) want to come to celebrate his 1st birthday.
Before, I got the guilt from the other family members I had decided on an Elmo theme, because he loves Elmo. I have the plates, napkins, paper plates, etc . . . and I can also get some more.
I am thinking about making my own invitations and mailing them with a Sunday date from 1-4 in the afternoon stating just cake and ice cream. It will be too cold to put people outside and I don't know what to do to entertain them for that long length of time. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I make the time shorter like 1-3?

Marykate,

I think you are smart to keep it simple and just do the cake and ice cream. He still may get overwhelmed though with that many people. My vote is for 1-3 PM. It doesn't sound like all that long, but for a 1 year old, it really is.

To entertain the kids, assuming they are younger, you can get Elmo birthday goody bags and put a few party favor toys in them. That should keep them occupied for a while.

For the adults, don't worry about entertaining them. Their entertainment will be watching your sweet son enjoy his party!

Have fun!

My DD is also turning one in Febuary. My in-laws live 2 hours away, but they want to be here, so we are having an early dinner, and cake after. There's going to be one other child there and that is my DD's cousin who is 5 months older. My in-laws are coming because they want to see the grandchildren and having a family get together was just an excuse. I do not want to have other kids ( lots of neighbors'kids) at the party as my DD is way too young to understand the special occasion. When she's three or four, I might have a kids party.