# Birthday traditions?



## virgomama (May 23, 2002)

Hey everyone! I wasn't sure where to post this....

As my son approaches his first birthday, I'm trying to think of a ritual or tradition to start that I can do each year to honor his special day. Any ideas?

Thanks!


----------



## Megs Mom (Mar 19, 2002)

My mom always let us pick the dinner menu on our birthday, which I plan to continue. However, I don't know how well that would work for a one-year-old. Happy birthday to him and enjoy!


----------



## grumo (Dec 12, 2001)

Hi VM!

Here is a similar thread
http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...threadid=16517

I am starting to think about what I want to do for dd's bday. I think my first rule will be not to evr throw a party for her until she asks for it and can help plan what she wants. I want to review her birth story and photos from the past year. My mom bought a really cute growth chart and I think we'll hang that up for a couple of weeks around her birthday. I think we'll have a dinner and invite special adults in her life.


----------



## Writermom (May 9, 2002)

- Mark the growth chart
- Take a special photo (in the same place each year, if possible, such as by the same tree)
- Get out his/her baby book and look at it together
- I recently went to one of those paint your own pottery places and made a birthday plate. I painted it very bright and cheerful, and my name, my husband's, and the names of my two children are painted around the rim. When it's my birthday, for example, it'll be my plate at dinner, with my name at the top, facing me.


----------



## virgomama (May 23, 2002)

Thanks for the great ideas, mamas! I think I'll do the growth chart thing and the birthday plate sounds fun too!










p.s. see you tomorrow grumo!


----------



## hawaiibabylovex2 (May 26, 2002)

A couple of ideas...

write a letter to him about his year, keep the letters a secret and give them to him when he's an adult or becomes a parent

or

take a picture of him in one of his dad's shirts, and continue to photograph him in that same shirt every year (noticing how he begins to grow into the shirt)


----------



## oceanmommy (Nov 24, 2001)

On DD's 1st Bday we planted a pear tree with her placenta under it. We will plant something every year on her birthday. We had a party with her playgroup friends, and she got to have some very sweet cake. We also just made the day extra child centered and celebratory, tied balloons and streamers to her high chair, etc.


----------



## Wildflower (Nov 25, 2001)

we got this heart shaped cement stepping stone kit thingy, and the idea is she'll put her footprint in it, and then we'll do a new one every year and have a pathway of her growing footprints. it was from a garden store, pretty cheap too. I'll lwet you know how it works!


----------



## Curious (Jan 4, 2002)

Where'd you get the thingy?


----------

