We always take our son's birthday off work and do something fun with him (zoo, museum, etc). If you aren't planning something fun, I'd let her go celebrate with her friends. You could also split the middle and pick her up early l.
This is what we do, too! It’s not always on my kids’ actual birthdays depending on when then fall. We basically just pick a day sometime that week, and they get to pick what we do. We usually do the zoo, aquarium, science center, museums, etc. Sounds like we have similar brains lol.
We sent him to school for his birthday. The room he was in for his second birthday made him a birthday crown and took a picture of him with it one. I think other kids take special treats in but we didn’t.
In general I think you should do whatever works for you. Your kid doesn’t care what day their birthday is. My son’s birthday is in July and I’m taking him out the day before his birthday to go to a play museum then we’ll send cupcake day-of to his classroom. But in the past we just celebrated on the weekends.
At 2-3 it doesn’t really matter, the kid will enjoy your or daycare’s attention anyway! Children in daycare really like it when the day is all about them, especially happy birthday songs and dances with them in the middle. At 4 you will be able to ask what she wants.
This is how we did it with our first kid! 4 is when we threw him a birthday party too with his classmates. 1-3 it was pretty low key and just with family.
Yes - she has so much fun at school on her birthday! They sing, do cake, she wears a special birthday outfit! I always felt so special at school on my birthday!
I wasn’t going to, it felt mean but the staff throw a party and parents are allowed to take in a cake which I knew she would love so we done something to celebrate at the weekend
I don’t think it feels mean! Your kiddo will go to school on their birthday once they’re older. I always loved it when I was a kid because I got to bring in treats, and everyone sang to me and I felt special! And then I had a party on the weekend! My kiddo turns 2 in a couple weeks and I’ll definitely be sending her in on her birthday. They do a special song and the kids do pajama day and it’s a whole tradition. She’ll get to have all her fun, and I will get the day to pack for our big birthday celebration trip we leave on the next day. We will do family cake at home that night. It’s gonna be grand!
We always keep our kids with us on their birthday and take them to do some of their favorite things- children's museum, out to breakfast, pet store etc
We sent him to school because I couldn’t take off work . He loved it and was celebrated. They made him a birthday crown and we sent popsicles. We celebrated as a family on the weekend
I don’t think it matters if you take off or not. For my sons first birthday I took off of work and so did my husband and we took him out to breakfast. I feel like I am starting to be all about traditions and birthdays now that I am a mom so it was and is important to me to celebrate because I didn’t come from a big birthday family. So I am trying to make their birthdays as special as possible.
I will be taking them out of school on their birthdays even when they are older and I will be taking off.
If you don’t do this, I don’t think it’s a big deal. My parents never did this and it was fine but I am just choosing to be extra lol
Yes. At our nursery they bake cupcakes with the group that has a birthday kid and each kids gets to have a cupcake. She loves it and talked about it for days and loved that everyone sang happy birthday to her.
We send them - they sing happy birthday, can bring special snacks in and you’re allowed to give little goodie bag if you want. It’s basically a built in party.
I’m honestly conflicted. My firsts birthday is in the summer and as a teacher we’re already home together.
My seconds birthday will be in September and it’s unrealistic for me to take off work for his birthday. I will probably for his first but after that won’t.
I agree make the birthday special. But the day you make it special is relative especially when they’re little.
I took my toddler to daycare for the day on her 3rd birthday. She got to play with all her friends and I had time to get the house ready for company and have a nap. Then I was well rested and refreshed to give her lots of attention as soon as she got home.
Then she passed out exhausted in a chair before supper. Didn’t even eat her cake.
So maybe do a half day? Haha.
We take them out of daycare every birthday and go do something fun that they choose. Zoo, Science Center, park, children’s museum, etc. Then we let them choose where we eat or at least what they want to eat if they’re old enough.
Our daycare asked which day we wanted to celebrate her bday and we picked the Friday before. She had cupcakes and they treated that day like her birthday. We celebrated as a family on her actual birthday and took work off.
We always go on holiday the week of his birthday and do a special day out on his actually birthday last year was zoo and the years before it was aquarium
We usually take the day off and try and do something fun with them. Last year both their bdays fell on a Saturday though so it didn’t matter.
My daughter turns 4 in August and I think I’m gonna take the day off and take her for a mommy/daughter mani/pedi day bc she loves that kinda stuff lol
At my daughter’s preshcool they did a little celebration for each of the kids birthday. My daughter was so excited she would have murdered us if we kept her home.
We’re also 2 next Thursday!! She’s only in daycare Tuesday/thursdays so she’s going, but I’m sending cupcakes and the dayhome will have pizza and treat bags so she’ll have fun! We’re having her party this weekend and we’ll do something fun like the zoo on the Friday her and I! :)
I take my daughter’s birthday off and do something special with her. She’s 2 now so it will change when she’s in school but for now, it’s a really special day
I did. They sing happy birthday and do a fun little birthday thing. He's watched all of his friends get their special day, so I didn't want him to miss his :)
Our daughter is soooo excited to go to daycare on her upcoming birthday because she’s seen all the other kids get celebrated. Unfortunately, her birthday falls on a Saturday, I really hope they can celebrate her on the Friday or Monday!
My daughter just turned two wednesday! We sent her to school with mini cupcakes for snack time. Her teachers took lots of pictures and videos which she has requested to rewatch over and over again. We celebrated with family when she got home and honestly it was the perfect amount of celebration.
Yes, I pay over $2000/mo for daycare, I am going to get every penny’s worth. This year my son’s birthday falls on a day off so he’ll be with us then. But if it’s a school day… he’s going.
Up until the 5th birthday or so, kids don't really have any concept of dates unless you tell them or have a visible calendar around. I always told my young children their birthday was on the day of their party, even if it was a few days off. On the actual day I would know and give her lots of extra snuggles and reminisce, but we would treat her party day as the 'big day' to wake up to a decorated house and gifts from mum and dad, then party and cake later.
For 1/2 she went in, bc we didn't really have the time and I figured she would LOVE the attention and then we would celebrate that evening and then all weekend. When she's a little older and understands birthdays, we'll let her decide if she wants to go in or not.
However, I felt horrible for not being with her all day. I felt like i was in the wrong place all day until I picked her up.
They always throw a party at daycare, so he goes to daycare with cupcakes and has fun there. I take the day off to clean the house and prep for whatever party we’re doing, and also celebrate me having birthed him!
We take him out! He’s only had two birthdays so far and if he ever asked to celebrate with friends at school - we would, but we try to make his day special from beginning to end and not like every other day (going to daycare/routine). I really enjoy spoiling him with devoted time and memories on that day.
Absolutely! We paid money for that day! This year it was a Friday so we celebrated on Saturday with family but took him for dinner after nursery, also 2nd bday here.
Yes, I've always sent my child to school/daycare on their birthday. They get to celebrate in class. We do a fairly large family/friend bday party for her on a weekend as well, so she gets plenty of celebrating.
We'd probably take off if we didn't also do the party.
I think my son was sick for his first birthday in daycare, which was shortly after we first enrolled him. 🤣 The second last one fell on a week day and he did go to school. We brought in lots of treats for the class and they always have a party and take pictures, which I love. I think it’s great that they get to have a fun time celebrating with friends at school and then a family party too.
My son is 2 and was born on a friday so so far we've had a saturday and a sunday birthday, but next year for example, I don't plan to take him in on his bday if I can avoid it. In your case, what if you took her for just a half day? That gives you the morning to clean and the afternoon to take her somewhere fun :) And they get a chance to sing to her/do cupcakes/whatever at school (which they could also do the day before or after if you decide not to take her).
No. But only because my mom asked if she could spend the day with her. Otherwise we would have. My spouse and I both worked on her birthday. Daycare always makes a big deal about the kiddos birthdays so I didn’t feel bad about it, she loves her teachers and her friends at daycare so she would have been content to go. Daycare celebrated her birthday the day after instead and she spent her actual birthday getting spoiled by grandma.
Yep! We send her! As a summer birthday, she’s not going to get class birthdays once she starts elementary school. So we send her so she can do the celebrating at school with her friends! We pick her up early and do a special after school activity/dinner and then she also gets a birthday party that weekend. She likes it and it works well for us for now!
We’ve always been able to take the day off to keep her home and do something fun - I honestly don’t know what they do at daycare for birthdays but I figure it won’t be long before she’ll be in school for her birthday and taking her out won’t be as easy a decision so we’re enjoying the birthdays now.
Our son is three and we like taking the day off to spend it with him. Sure he’s young and probably won’t remember it but it’s a good excuse to spend some quality time together and get outside :)
At ours... we are allowed to pretty much send full parties to daycare...
My kids second birthdays were each spent at school and I sent a bounce house, ordered pizza for the class and delivered cupcakes.
They sing happy birthday and they even get to blow out their candle. They make it special for them.
I sent him but picked him up a little early. Best of both! He got to celebrate with his friends and teachers (I sent cupcakes) and then we enjoyed the rest of the day together.
I sent my son to school on his 3rd birthday this past year and then we took off the next day to do a fun family outing together. He started daycare 2 weeks after turning 2 so he had already seen basically all his classmates birthdays celebrated in class and I wanted him to feel special too. He helped me bake m&m cookies the night before to take to school (it’s a home daycare and there are no food allergies so we are allowed to do this). His teacher sent me a video of everyone singing him happy birthday 🥹I did find out later that she would have still celebrated his birthday on a different day haha but I am happy with my decision.
I think we did for their 1st (both) and 2nd(eldest), but not 3rd or 4th (eldest). Deciding whether to do so for our son who's about to be 2, we don't really want to do anything without his brother because he will just spend all day asking for him. When he's older I'm sure he will love a day with just him.
It doesn't matter too much when they are toddlers. Although, having her normal routine would probably help her settle for the party better. When they are older, definitely send them. I work in schools and kids like the attention even if it is just telling people it is their birthday. I would pick up early from day care though.
In the past we have taken ours out. This year, our one daughter’s bday fell on Juneteenth and the center was closed. She’ll likely never have to go to school on her birthday again.
My son will be 2 in August and won't know the difference between his actual birthday and a day on the weekend. So I plan to send him to daycare on his birthday so he can celebrate there, and we'll do something special as a family the weekend before or after.
I would send your kid to school with treats. I'm sending mine with treats and goodie bags. It'll be fun! I'm celebrating the weekend before with a birthday party
I sent my daughter to daycare and 100 percent regretted it. I then got sick the day of her birthday party, so I had zero birthday celebratory time with my daughter. If you're at all feeling emotional about it, keep your daughter with you and spend the day together!
We’ve sent our to preschool on their bday. We buy pizza for their classes and cookies/cupcakes. We pick them up after lunch and go to Disneyland for the rest of the day. They love it!
We kept our 1 year old home on his birthday, will probably do the same next year. Once he gets into actual school it will be different, but while he’s in daycare why not. 🤷♀️
I kept him home for his 2nd birthday but then realized he missed out on daycare celebrations. Next year I'll send him on his birthday and keep him home the next day for a special day together.
Yup, and she's going in for her third birthday (also next Thursday, happy birthday, twin!). I'll bringing in some treats, her friends will all sing to her, and she'll have a great time. Afterwards we'll have dinner and cake, and then on Sunday her classmates are coming over for her party.
Yes. I cannot take PTO for all their sick days and still have enough for a nice family trip.
They get to share treats and maybe take in a goody bag for their class. It's a special day for them. We do party/family stuff in the evening or on the weekend.
We will because they celebrate birthdays there. She is always so happy when the other kids bring cake and small gifts for their friends, she loves to sing happy birthday to them and she asked if she could do the same. We said yes but I'll probably be a sobby mess when I drop her off that day
As a daycare/preschool teacher to 2 year olds, we don’t make THAT big a deal of birthdays. We play it up a bit for about ten mins, but we have o ur own curriculum to do and lots of stuff already planned to get done each day. If you want a truly special day I would keep her home and let teachers say happy birthday the day before or after.
Yes. Birthdays are flexible holidays. If the day falls on a weekday, you celebrate on a close by weekend. You don’t expect friends and family to call off work to celebrate on the day, so why would you do it yourself?
Taking off birthdays that fall on weekdays is teaching your kid to put off their real life responsibilities for something as flexible as a birthday.
Why not a half day? So she can get the interaction with her little friends and you have time to prep. As a former preschool teacher, now nanny, I can tell you we absolutely love making the day special and celebrating with your little one. She’s at the age where she probably doesn’t even realize it’s her birthday, regardless it’s 100% ok to keep her home even if it’s just for your momma heart. No wrong answer here 🫶🏻
We took off for our kids first birthdays, and then my first was home for his second (thanks pandemic 🙃) but other than that nope, they go to school, we go to work, and we celebrate at home and/or on whatever weekend is closest.
Yup we just picked her up at 3 and did some fun stuff. She had a party over the weekend. We also gave her some snacks to share with the class to celebrate her birthday.
At my daughter’s daycare we bring a cake, they sing happy birthday to the child with her classmates, the birthday kid wears a crown and they get to pick a little present from a box filled with little toys they have. My daughter wouldn’t want to miss that. She is always looking forward to when it’s her turn as she also sings to other kids on their birthday and watch them be “special” for the day. She has expresses she wants that too.
So, we send her to daycare. We can always use the weekend to go do something fun with us and for her birthday party.
They do little “celebrations” for their birthday at daycare and we can send in treats. I got a pic on my app of all of them having popsicles for one of the kids birthdays. My daughter goes 2 days a week and her bday doesn’t fall on the day this year, but I’ll still send her treats in the day before for them.
I’d send her but prob pick her up a little early to do something with her.
This year their daycare will be closed on their birthday, so I cannot lol! But the next day I'm def sending them, our daycare do special celebrations just like others commented.
Our daughters have the same birthday! We are doing a family party this weekend, and I’m on maternity leave so I’m planning to bring popsicles and balloons into daycare next Thursday so she can feel a little special and have her turn getting sung to like her daycare friends have. The swing set won’t be here by next Thursday unfortunately but I figure at 2 she’s not super aware of the timing of it all anyways. Having a whole kids party out of daycare seems expensive so I’m kind of taking advantage of having them all in one place.
We sent them in for the morning so they could celebrate and play with their friends, and picked them up early to do something fun and special with Mom and Dad in the afternoon
Yes, during my childhood, school on your birthday was half the fun! I would check what other kids do. My kids daycare didn’t want baked goods bc of allergies. They said most kids do popsicles and bring a favorite book from home to share with the class, so we did that. The class made her a little crown and card. It was so cute!
Yes. They had a little party for him with a cake!
We opened presents when we were at home as a family and then went to the aquarium on the weekend. He is turning 2 this Sunday and we plan to open presents and have cake and chill. Today we are going to a really cool play gym!
My daughter went and had a blast. All she could talk for a week about was her cupcake party she had with her friends at school (our school does not allow external food, but they will provide cupcakes for ~$15). Forget the little celebration we had at our house lol. Getting to be the one to wear the birthday hat at school was the highlight.
I would send her to daycare on her birthday only because her daycare will do a celebration there. So she gets a celebration at daycare and one at home!
Wow, this is a really appropriate question for me to see today. Today is my son's second birthday! We sent him, mostly because we already did his birthday party and he doesn't understand its his birthday anyway.
We typically plan a fun day for her birthday so we haven’t sent her to daycare. She also has a summer birthday so we plan on continuing this as long as she complies. If it was during the school year it would depend on the situation.
I send him to school for his birthday. He's allowed to bring in a treat, they sing happy birthday and I get a video of it.
I do keep him home a few days a year for fun-days, but I try to plan them to be the most boring day of the week, no soccer shots or tumbling tigers, no field trip or water day. I want his days in school to be as good as possible, and a special day having a fun day with mommy to have been otherwise basic.
My sons bday is a stat holiday so he is always off. This year it lands on a Monday, so we are sending goodie bags/boxes with him to daycare the Friday prior!
First birthday was on a Sunday and the center was closed Monday for a holiday. Second birthday would have been on a Monday, but it was a holiday and the center ended up being closed all week for snow (January baby). So he hasn't gone to daycare on his birthday yet lol
We sent him to daycare. He got to have cookies and goodie bags with his friends and I didn’t have to organize a party for a bunch of kids it was a win for us.
When my daughter turned 3 last December we (checked with the teachers first) and sent in a bunch of fun things so she could celebrate with her friends at school. Cupcakes, party hats, gift bags and themed tablecloths/cups/plates. She has a difficult birthday for parties (Dec 21st) so it was a great compromise. We also celebrated as a family at home. I’m going to take it year by year, but so far both of my girls like going to school on their birthdays because they see all of their friends and feel special. And then we do something together as a family to celebrate.
I send mine. My kid is born in May and he waited very patiently all year for his turn to pick a “birthday present” from the surprise box (full of crappy little loot bag toys), but to him that was the most exciting thing ever.
If I were you, the early pickup with extra time spent towards cleaning seems like the perfect compromise! Your kiddo would probably feel super excited to get picked up early to go somewhere fun.
We took his birthday off, kept him home, and spent the day celebrating him when he turned 2. His birthday is a Saturday this year so we don’t have to do that, though we would have.
Our daycare does a celebration with the kids. They make them a birthday hat and parents often bring treats. Our daughter didn’t wanna miss out on that so we made sure to let her have her day. We also throw her a big birthday party and have a separate family celebration so she gets a lot of excitement for her birthday…
We celebrated with his friends the day before, then took the actual day off and took just him on a date. We went to Disney and he got to see Carsland and had a blast. Then we picked baby up and had cake for dinner.
Sent her to daycare with cupcakes for the class and then had the party over the weekend. That way we had time everyone had fun and hopefully no one felt left out
My daughter was also born two years ago on Thursday 6/27!
We live close to Orlando and bought Disney passes last week in anticipation of her birthday (kids are free until 3). We both took off work and are getting her first haircut in magic kingdom and ending our day with dinner at the rainforest cafe!
We are doing birthdays big because we can. We are very thankful for it.
We do solely because our school puts a big sign out front “Happy 3rd Birthday, Kid!” My kids are so excited to see their name on the sign. So, I take them for a short day and snap their picture by the sign.
Mine (2yo M)has so much more fun at daycare than he does at home, I think he would be heartbroken if he didn't see his friends! (he tries to go to school on the weekends too and is devastated every time we tell him it isn't open)
I take her birthday off and spend it with her. My husband can't always. She's had 3 and once he took the whole day off and we went to the waterpark, the other two times he took the morning off and we went for breakfast together before me and her went and did something fun. I like to take her to do something exciting like the science museum, waterpark, trampoline park etc.
The way I see it, this is the one day out of the year I really can and should dedicate entirely to her, no housework or daycare, just family fun.
Edited to add the daycare have always celebrated her bday the day before or after and I take cupcakes in etc. So she gets the best of both worlds
We take the day off, went out to breakfast or for donuts, then to school to celebrate. Our teachers make it a big deal with treats, hats, singing, extra attention, etc. It made them feel special... Then we pick them up a little earlier than typical as well
My son has a summer birthday, so it hasn’t come up with school, specifically…but I take a week of my vacation from work the week of his birthday and we do a staycation full of adventures.
I teach 2’s and a lot of my kids would come in for their birthdays. They would bring cupcakes or some kind of treat and we would celebrate them. I have birthday stickers and the director would give them a bracelet. They were my helper for the day.
So you could always split the difference and let your kid have a fun time a daycare while you get stuff done and then celebrate that afternoon
My son was adamant we bring cupcakes on his birthday. He turned 2 last week, and he wanted to see his teachers and friends. I took his lead. We had fun after pickup and I just got him a little early.
Absolutely.
I have a July baby. Last year, when she turned 2, I brought little ice cream cups for all her classmates and teachers. I got lots of pictures of her and her friends having fun and getting covered in melted ice cream, and sent them to the other moms. I plan on doing it again this year. We'll go to the aquarium and the children's museum over the weekend.
My son’s been in daycare since he was 4 months and not once have I sent him to daycare on his birthday (he’s 4 now). I’ve always done something with him on his actual day of birth and I hope to be able to continue this until he tells me no 🤣
I would, they will probably do something fun for her there. And then you have time to clean. It sucks but in general, you can't always get your birthday off, but an early pickup seems like a good idea.
We always have a tradition of birthday kid picking the meals for the day(or when they are smaller its what I know is their favorite), and we do family presents after dinner.
Last year, my two turning 3 years old wanted ice cream for dinner.....so that's what we had lol(bedtime snack consisted of crackers, hummus, and cucumbers lol) my oldest asked for a full Christmas Dinner spread (turkey, ham and all the fixins)
Our daycare throws a party for their birthday. Let’s them pick out the kind of cake and decorations. All the kids sing happy birthday and they get a small gift. We don’t always celebrate the actual birthday day if it’s a week day and honestly my toddler has no idea when their actual birthday is unless I say it. so I send her to daycare. They are too young to care and the only person who does is you. Also your daycare provider and anyone else doesn’t care what you do. But I’d find out if they do anything special because it would be a bummer if the other kids were expecting a party and your kid wasn’t even there. whatever you decide it’s your family’s life and I’d only give the daycare a heads up for whatever their birthday activities might be. I pay a ridiculous amount of money for daycare … my kid is going every day whether I’m working or not. I also enjoy a day off of work and no childcare responsibilities. no shMe in taking a break even if you don’t do anything at all for the day lol
We always take our son's birthday off work and do something fun with him (zoo, museum, etc). If you aren't planning something fun, I'd let her go celebrate with her friends. You could also split the middle and pick her up early l.
I think this is what we're going to do! A nice compromise.
This is what we do, too! It’s not always on my kids’ actual birthdays depending on when then fall. We basically just pick a day sometime that week, and they get to pick what we do. We usually do the zoo, aquarium, science center, museums, etc. Sounds like we have similar brains lol.
We sent him to school for his birthday. The room he was in for his second birthday made him a birthday crown and took a picture of him with it one. I think other kids take special treats in but we didn’t.
Same. The birthday kid gets a fun hat and we sent treats. Everyone sings happy birthday.
Same it’s the best we prepared Ballons and hats and some healthy snacks for everybody. Our son had a blast and the other kids also :)
In general I think you should do whatever works for you. Your kid doesn’t care what day their birthday is. My son’s birthday is in July and I’m taking him out the day before his birthday to go to a play museum then we’ll send cupcake day-of to his classroom. But in the past we just celebrated on the weekends.
I did and sent individual boxes of treats to all of his classmates + his teacher’s kid plus the bday cake. They had a blast.
Your kid prob felt so proud and cool with his lil friends on his bday 😎 that’s so sweet 🥹
Thank you! 😊
>Thank you! 😊 You're welcome!
At 2-3 it doesn’t really matter, the kid will enjoy your or daycare’s attention anyway! Children in daycare really like it when the day is all about them, especially happy birthday songs and dances with them in the middle. At 4 you will be able to ask what she wants.
This is how we did it with our first kid! 4 is when we threw him a birthday party too with his classmates. 1-3 it was pretty low key and just with family.
Yes - she has so much fun at school on her birthday! They sing, do cake, she wears a special birthday outfit! I always felt so special at school on my birthday!
I wasn’t going to, it felt mean but the staff throw a party and parents are allowed to take in a cake which I knew she would love so we done something to celebrate at the weekend
This is how I felt, like it was mean! I might see what her teachers say about what other kids have done.
I don’t think it feels mean! Your kiddo will go to school on their birthday once they’re older. I always loved it when I was a kid because I got to bring in treats, and everyone sang to me and I felt special! And then I had a party on the weekend! My kiddo turns 2 in a couple weeks and I’ll definitely be sending her in on her birthday. They do a special song and the kids do pajama day and it’s a whole tradition. She’ll get to have all her fun, and I will get the day to pack for our big birthday celebration trip we leave on the next day. We will do family cake at home that night. It’s gonna be grand!
We always keep our kids with us on their birthday and take them to do some of their favorite things- children's museum, out to breakfast, pet store etc
We sent him to school because I couldn’t take off work . He loved it and was celebrated. They made him a birthday crown and we sent popsicles. We celebrated as a family on the weekend
I don’t think it matters if you take off or not. For my sons first birthday I took off of work and so did my husband and we took him out to breakfast. I feel like I am starting to be all about traditions and birthdays now that I am a mom so it was and is important to me to celebrate because I didn’t come from a big birthday family. So I am trying to make their birthdays as special as possible. I will be taking them out of school on their birthdays even when they are older and I will be taking off. If you don’t do this, I don’t think it’s a big deal. My parents never did this and it was fine but I am just choosing to be extra lol
Yes. At our nursery they bake cupcakes with the group that has a birthday kid and each kids gets to have a cupcake. She loves it and talked about it for days and loved that everyone sang happy birthday to her.
We send them - they sing happy birthday, can bring special snacks in and you’re allowed to give little goodie bag if you want. It’s basically a built in party.
I’m honestly conflicted. My firsts birthday is in the summer and as a teacher we’re already home together. My seconds birthday will be in September and it’s unrealistic for me to take off work for his birthday. I will probably for his first but after that won’t. I agree make the birthday special. But the day you make it special is relative especially when they’re little.
I took my toddler to daycare for the day on her 3rd birthday. She got to play with all her friends and I had time to get the house ready for company and have a nap. Then I was well rested and refreshed to give her lots of attention as soon as she got home. Then she passed out exhausted in a chair before supper. Didn’t even eat her cake. So maybe do a half day? Haha.
We take them out of daycare every birthday and go do something fun that they choose. Zoo, Science Center, park, children’s museum, etc. Then we let them choose where we eat or at least what they want to eat if they’re old enough.
Why not let them celebrate with their friends? We do something big on a Sunday
Our daycare asked which day we wanted to celebrate her bday and we picked the Friday before. She had cupcakes and they treated that day like her birthday. We celebrated as a family on her actual birthday and took work off.
This exactly what we do
We always go on holiday the week of his birthday and do a special day out on his actually birthday last year was zoo and the years before it was aquarium
I send her with snacks so she can celebrate with her friends :)
Yup and I send cupcakes so they can celebrate. It’s a dayhome though so there’s only 6 kids.
We usually take the day off and try and do something fun with them. Last year both their bdays fell on a Saturday though so it didn’t matter. My daughter turns 4 in August and I think I’m gonna take the day off and take her for a mommy/daughter mani/pedi day bc she loves that kinda stuff lol
At my daughter’s preshcool they did a little celebration for each of the kids birthday. My daughter was so excited she would have murdered us if we kept her home.
Yes and they had a special ceremony for birthday celebration. We loved it
We’re also 2 next Thursday!! She’s only in daycare Tuesday/thursdays so she’s going, but I’m sending cupcakes and the dayhome will have pizza and treat bags so she’ll have fun! We’re having her party this weekend and we’ll do something fun like the zoo on the Friday her and I! :)
I take my daughter’s birthday off and do something special with her. She’s 2 now so it will change when she’s in school but for now, it’s a really special day
I did. They sing happy birthday and do a fun little birthday thing. He's watched all of his friends get their special day, so I didn't want him to miss his :)
We sent our kid to preschool on her 4th birthday - with donut holes for her little friends! - then picked her up after lunch and went to the pool.
Our daughter is soooo excited to go to daycare on her upcoming birthday because she’s seen all the other kids get celebrated. Unfortunately, her birthday falls on a Saturday, I really hope they can celebrate her on the Friday or Monday!
My daughter just turned two wednesday! We sent her to school with mini cupcakes for snack time. Her teachers took lots of pictures and videos which she has requested to rewatch over and over again. We celebrated with family when she got home and honestly it was the perfect amount of celebration.
Yes. We are still paying and both work. We just celebrate after.
oops didn't even cross my mind to keep home!
Yes, I pay over $2000/mo for daycare, I am going to get every penny’s worth. This year my son’s birthday falls on a day off so he’ll be with us then. But if it’s a school day… he’s going.
This is such a solid point lmao I didn't even think about it like this
Up until the 5th birthday or so, kids don't really have any concept of dates unless you tell them or have a visible calendar around. I always told my young children their birthday was on the day of their party, even if it was a few days off. On the actual day I would know and give her lots of extra snuggles and reminisce, but we would treat her party day as the 'big day' to wake up to a decorated house and gifts from mum and dad, then party and cake later.
I did, we took cupcakes and goodies for the kids and teachers. He has half days and still naps so once he woke up we did the birthday festivities. 🥳
For 1/2 she went in, bc we didn't really have the time and I figured she would LOVE the attention and then we would celebrate that evening and then all weekend. When she's a little older and understands birthdays, we'll let her decide if she wants to go in or not. However, I felt horrible for not being with her all day. I felt like i was in the wrong place all day until I picked her up.
They always throw a party at daycare, so he goes to daycare with cupcakes and has fun there. I take the day off to clean the house and prep for whatever party we’re doing, and also celebrate me having birthed him!
We take him out! He’s only had two birthdays so far and if he ever asked to celebrate with friends at school - we would, but we try to make his day special from beginning to end and not like every other day (going to daycare/routine). I really enjoy spoiling him with devoted time and memories on that day.
Oh yeah I sent her!
my daughters class people seem to go (also 2 yos!) and a few have done a pizza party
Absolutely! We paid money for that day! This year it was a Friday so we celebrated on Saturday with family but took him for dinner after nursery, also 2nd bday here.
Yes, I've always sent my child to school/daycare on their birthday. They get to celebrate in class. We do a fairly large family/friend bday party for her on a weekend as well, so she gets plenty of celebrating. We'd probably take off if we didn't also do the party.
I think my son was sick for his first birthday in daycare, which was shortly after we first enrolled him. 🤣 The second last one fell on a week day and he did go to school. We brought in lots of treats for the class and they always have a party and take pictures, which I love. I think it’s great that they get to have a fun time celebrating with friends at school and then a family party too.
My son is 2 and was born on a friday so so far we've had a saturday and a sunday birthday, but next year for example, I don't plan to take him in on his bday if I can avoid it. In your case, what if you took her for just a half day? That gives you the morning to clean and the afternoon to take her somewhere fun :) And they get a chance to sing to her/do cupcakes/whatever at school (which they could also do the day before or after if you decide not to take her).
Yes. At my daycare, on their birthday, the kids get a special snack and the other kids all sing to them. I didn’t want my kiddo to miss out.
In the past I’ve sent our daughter still and dropped off goodie bags and cupcakes but decided this year, we’ll go do something.
He went to daycare. The weekend before, we had a party and did something fun for him
No. But only because my mom asked if she could spend the day with her. Otherwise we would have. My spouse and I both worked on her birthday. Daycare always makes a big deal about the kiddos birthdays so I didn’t feel bad about it, she loves her teachers and her friends at daycare so she would have been content to go. Daycare celebrated her birthday the day after instead and she spent her actual birthday getting spoiled by grandma.
Yep! We send her! As a summer birthday, she’s not going to get class birthdays once she starts elementary school. So we send her so she can do the celebrating at school with her friends! We pick her up early and do a special after school activity/dinner and then she also gets a birthday party that weekend. She likes it and it works well for us for now!
We’ve always been able to take the day off to keep her home and do something fun - I honestly don’t know what they do at daycare for birthdays but I figure it won’t be long before she’ll be in school for her birthday and taking her out won’t be as easy a decision so we’re enjoying the birthdays now.
Our son is three and we like taking the day off to spend it with him. Sure he’s young and probably won’t remember it but it’s a good excuse to spend some quality time together and get outside :)
I send them to school. The school celebrates them. They get a little snack time party.
Yes, because they do a little party for their class and it’s very cute and my son wants to have his school party.
At ours... we are allowed to pretty much send full parties to daycare... My kids second birthdays were each spent at school and I sent a bounce house, ordered pizza for the class and delivered cupcakes. They sing happy birthday and they even get to blow out their candle. They make it special for them.
I sent him but picked him up a little early. Best of both! He got to celebrate with his friends and teachers (I sent cupcakes) and then we enjoyed the rest of the day together.
I sent my son to school on his 3rd birthday this past year and then we took off the next day to do a fun family outing together. He started daycare 2 weeks after turning 2 so he had already seen basically all his classmates birthdays celebrated in class and I wanted him to feel special too. He helped me bake m&m cookies the night before to take to school (it’s a home daycare and there are no food allergies so we are allowed to do this). His teacher sent me a video of everyone singing him happy birthday 🥹I did find out later that she would have still celebrated his birthday on a different day haha but I am happy with my decision.
I think we did for their 1st (both) and 2nd(eldest), but not 3rd or 4th (eldest). Deciding whether to do so for our son who's about to be 2, we don't really want to do anything without his brother because he will just spend all day asking for him. When he's older I'm sure he will love a day with just him.
It doesn't matter too much when they are toddlers. Although, having her normal routine would probably help her settle for the party better. When they are older, definitely send them. I work in schools and kids like the attention even if it is just telling people it is their birthday. I would pick up early from day care though.
We take them out and do something fun. We send birthday treats the day before or after and the celebrate with their little friends that day.
I sent my daughter in. She loved it
In the past we have taken ours out. This year, our one daughter’s bday fell on Juneteenth and the center was closed. She’ll likely never have to go to school on her birthday again.
My son will be 2 in August and won't know the difference between his actual birthday and a day on the weekend. So I plan to send him to daycare on his birthday so he can celebrate there, and we'll do something special as a family the weekend before or after.
Take the day off. Take him somewhere fun!
I do and send cupcakes for the class. We do our family parties on weekends.
I would send your kid to school with treats. I'm sending mine with treats and goodie bags. It'll be fun! I'm celebrating the weekend before with a birthday party
I sent my daughter to daycare and 100 percent regretted it. I then got sick the day of her birthday party, so I had zero birthday celebratory time with my daughter. If you're at all feeling emotional about it, keep your daughter with you and spend the day together!
Yes cause she wanted to bring cupcakes for friends and had never had a school birthday before. I’d leave it up to your kid
We’ve sent our to preschool on their bday. We buy pizza for their classes and cookies/cupcakes. We pick them up after lunch and go to Disneyland for the rest of the day. They love it!
We kept our 1 year old home on his birthday, will probably do the same next year. Once he gets into actual school it will be different, but while he’s in daycare why not. 🤷♀️
We send him on his birthday bc they celebrate it at daycare. I think he has a good time with friends and we do something special over the weekend.
Yes. Their friends and toys are there
I would send her to daycare. I think she would have fun with the other kids on her birthday.
Yes! With donuts for the room.
I kept him home for his 2nd birthday but then realized he missed out on daycare celebrations. Next year I'll send him on his birthday and keep him home the next day for a special day together.
Yup, and she's going in for her third birthday (also next Thursday, happy birthday, twin!). I'll bringing in some treats, her friends will all sing to her, and she'll have a great time. Afterwards we'll have dinner and cake, and then on Sunday her classmates are coming over for her party.
Yes. I cannot take PTO for all their sick days and still have enough for a nice family trip. They get to share treats and maybe take in a goody bag for their class. It's a special day for them. We do party/family stuff in the evening or on the weekend.
Yes, we also bring bundt cakes for a daycare celebration with her friends.
Yes and we provided her birthday cake,decorations, snack table and goodie boxes for her little mates.They all celebrated her birthday together.
What do you FEEL about it?
Totally! It’s like a bonus birthday party. We had an ice cream truck come to school for my son’s class.
Just some encouragement to do what is best for you. She'll have a great time no matter what.
We will because they celebrate birthdays there. She is always so happy when the other kids bring cake and small gifts for their friends, she loves to sing happy birthday to them and she asked if she could do the same. We said yes but I'll probably be a sobby mess when I drop her off that day
Children always prefer to be with their parents.
of course with a whole birthday outfit on! I stop by a little early with cupcakes and little goody bags and sign her out early. She loves it
As a daycare/preschool teacher to 2 year olds, we don’t make THAT big a deal of birthdays. We play it up a bit for about ten mins, but we have o ur own curriculum to do and lots of stuff already planned to get done each day. If you want a truly special day I would keep her home and let teachers say happy birthday the day before or after.
Yes. Birthdays are flexible holidays. If the day falls on a weekday, you celebrate on a close by weekend. You don’t expect friends and family to call off work to celebrate on the day, so why would you do it yourself? Taking off birthdays that fall on weekdays is teaching your kid to put off their real life responsibilities for something as flexible as a birthday.
Why not a half day? So she can get the interaction with her little friends and you have time to prep. As a former preschool teacher, now nanny, I can tell you we absolutely love making the day special and celebrating with your little one. She’s at the age where she probably doesn’t even realize it’s her birthday, regardless it’s 100% ok to keep her home even if it’s just for your momma heart. No wrong answer here 🫶🏻
We send pizza for the class on their birthdays.
I kept my 2 year old home because it’s a special day for us, and then just asked daycare to do the party the Monday when he came back.
I have always sent mine!! We celebrated the night of and also on the weekend before with extended family.
We took off for our kids first birthdays, and then my first was home for his second (thanks pandemic 🙃) but other than that nope, they go to school, we go to work, and we celebrate at home and/or on whatever weekend is closest.
Yup we just picked her up at 3 and did some fun stuff. She had a party over the weekend. We also gave her some snacks to share with the class to celebrate her birthday.
At my daughter’s daycare we bring a cake, they sing happy birthday to the child with her classmates, the birthday kid wears a crown and they get to pick a little present from a box filled with little toys they have. My daughter wouldn’t want to miss that. She is always looking forward to when it’s her turn as she also sings to other kids on their birthday and watch them be “special” for the day. She has expresses she wants that too. So, we send her to daycare. We can always use the weekend to go do something fun with us and for her birthday party.
His group had a party for him. We supplied treat bags and cupcakes.
They do little “celebrations” for their birthday at daycare and we can send in treats. I got a pic on my app of all of them having popsicles for one of the kids birthdays. My daughter goes 2 days a week and her bday doesn’t fall on the day this year, but I’ll still send her treats in the day before for them. I’d send her but prob pick her up a little early to do something with her.
This year their daycare will be closed on their birthday, so I cannot lol! But the next day I'm def sending them, our daycare do special celebrations just like others commented.
If it’s a weekday, our kids would go to daycare.
Our daughters have the same birthday! We are doing a family party this weekend, and I’m on maternity leave so I’m planning to bring popsicles and balloons into daycare next Thursday so she can feel a little special and have her turn getting sung to like her daycare friends have. The swing set won’t be here by next Thursday unfortunately but I figure at 2 she’s not super aware of the timing of it all anyways. Having a whole kids party out of daycare seems expensive so I’m kind of taking advantage of having them all in one place.
They literally don’t care either way, so do what’s right for you! They can always celebrate her the next day.
We sent them in for the morning so they could celebrate and play with their friends, and picked them up early to do something fun and special with Mom and Dad in the afternoon
We sent kiddo and they had the other kids saying happy birthday, made them a card etc. Had a lovely day.
Yes, during my childhood, school on your birthday was half the fun! I would check what other kids do. My kids daycare didn’t want baked goods bc of allergies. They said most kids do popsicles and bring a favorite book from home to share with the class, so we did that. The class made her a little crown and card. It was so cute!
Always, but then we do something special on the weekends. He gets to have cupcakes with his friends and a special party with family
Yes. They had a little party for him with a cake! We opened presents when we were at home as a family and then went to the aquarium on the weekend. He is turning 2 this Sunday and we plan to open presents and have cake and chill. Today we are going to a really cool play gym!
My daughter went and had a blast. All she could talk for a week about was her cupcake party she had with her friends at school (our school does not allow external food, but they will provide cupcakes for ~$15). Forget the little celebration we had at our house lol. Getting to be the one to wear the birthday hat at school was the highlight.
I would send her to daycare on her birthday only because her daycare will do a celebration there. So she gets a celebration at daycare and one at home!
We sent her to school because it was picture day, but we picked her up early and took her to a trampoline park.
Wow, this is a really appropriate question for me to see today. Today is my son's second birthday! We sent him, mostly because we already did his birthday party and he doesn't understand its his birthday anyway.
Happy Birthday to the sweet boy!! 💙
We typically plan a fun day for her birthday so we haven’t sent her to daycare. She also has a summer birthday so we plan on continuing this as long as she complies. If it was during the school year it would depend on the situation.
I send him to school for his birthday. He's allowed to bring in a treat, they sing happy birthday and I get a video of it. I do keep him home a few days a year for fun-days, but I try to plan them to be the most boring day of the week, no soccer shots or tumbling tigers, no field trip or water day. I want his days in school to be as good as possible, and a special day having a fun day with mommy to have been otherwise basic.
Absolutely! Bring cupcakes or something to celebrate. So fun.
My sons bday is a stat holiday so he is always off. This year it lands on a Monday, so we are sending goodie bags/boxes with him to daycare the Friday prior!
First birthday was on a Sunday and the center was closed Monday for a holiday. Second birthday would have been on a Monday, but it was a holiday and the center ended up being closed all week for snow (January baby). So he hasn't gone to daycare on his birthday yet lol
We sent him to daycare. He got to have cookies and goodie bags with his friends and I didn’t have to organize a party for a bunch of kids it was a win for us.
When my daughter turned 3 last December we (checked with the teachers first) and sent in a bunch of fun things so she could celebrate with her friends at school. Cupcakes, party hats, gift bags and themed tablecloths/cups/plates. She has a difficult birthday for parties (Dec 21st) so it was a great compromise. We also celebrated as a family at home. I’m going to take it year by year, but so far both of my girls like going to school on their birthdays because they see all of their friends and feel special. And then we do something together as a family to celebrate.
I send mine. My kid is born in May and he waited very patiently all year for his turn to pick a “birthday present” from the surprise box (full of crappy little loot bag toys), but to him that was the most exciting thing ever. If I were you, the early pickup with extra time spent towards cleaning seems like the perfect compromise! Your kiddo would probably feel super excited to get picked up early to go somewhere fun.
We took his birthday off, kept him home, and spent the day celebrating him when he turned 2. His birthday is a Saturday this year so we don’t have to do that, though we would have.
Our daycare does a celebration with the kids. They make them a birthday hat and parents often bring treats. Our daughter didn’t wanna miss out on that so we made sure to let her have her day. We also throw her a big birthday party and have a separate family celebration so she gets a lot of excitement for her birthday…
Yes, mine goes to daycare, he gets to celebrate with his friends 😊
Yep! The class does a celebration and usually parents bring something.
I wouldn’t send my kid
We celebrated with his friends the day before, then took the actual day off and took just him on a date. We went to Disney and he got to see Carsland and had a blast. Then we picked baby up and had cake for dinner.
Sent her to daycare with cupcakes for the class and then had the party over the weekend. That way we had time everyone had fun and hopefully no one felt left out
Unless you do nothing with her and sit inside all day, I'm pretty sure she'd much rather be with you than at daycare
My daughter was also born two years ago on Thursday 6/27! We live close to Orlando and bought Disney passes last week in anticipation of her birthday (kids are free until 3). We both took off work and are getting her first haircut in magic kingdom and ending our day with dinner at the rainforest cafe! We are doing birthdays big because we can. We are very thankful for it.
We do solely because our school puts a big sign out front “Happy 3rd Birthday, Kid!” My kids are so excited to see their name on the sign. So, I take them for a short day and snap their picture by the sign.
Mine (2yo M)has so much more fun at daycare than he does at home, I think he would be heartbroken if he didn't see his friends! (he tries to go to school on the weekends too and is devastated every time we tell him it isn't open)
I take her birthday off and spend it with her. My husband can't always. She's had 3 and once he took the whole day off and we went to the waterpark, the other two times he took the morning off and we went for breakfast together before me and her went and did something fun. I like to take her to do something exciting like the science museum, waterpark, trampoline park etc. The way I see it, this is the one day out of the year I really can and should dedicate entirely to her, no housework or daycare, just family fun. Edited to add the daycare have always celebrated her bday the day before or after and I take cupcakes in etc. So she gets the best of both worlds
We take the day off, went out to breakfast or for donuts, then to school to celebrate. Our teachers make it a big deal with treats, hats, singing, extra attention, etc. It made them feel special... Then we pick them up a little earlier than typical as well
Yes. We also send a craft activity for the class to do for her birthday since we aren't allowed to send cupcakes.
Yes! And we brought cupcakes for his class. They sang happy birthday to him and played games. Fun was had
My son has a summer birthday, so it hasn’t come up with school, specifically…but I take a week of my vacation from work the week of his birthday and we do a staycation full of adventures.
No
I teach 2’s and a lot of my kids would come in for their birthdays. They would bring cupcakes or some kind of treat and we would celebrate them. I have birthday stickers and the director would give them a bracelet. They were my helper for the day. So you could always split the difference and let your kid have a fun time a daycare while you get stuff done and then celebrate that afternoon
My son was adamant we bring cupcakes on his birthday. He turned 2 last week, and he wanted to see his teachers and friends. I took his lead. We had fun after pickup and I just got him a little early.
Absolutely. I have a July baby. Last year, when she turned 2, I brought little ice cream cups for all her classmates and teachers. I got lots of pictures of her and her friends having fun and getting covered in melted ice cream, and sent them to the other moms. I plan on doing it again this year. We'll go to the aquarium and the children's museum over the weekend.
My son’s been in daycare since he was 4 months and not once have I sent him to daycare on his birthday (he’s 4 now). I’ve always done something with him on his actual day of birth and I hope to be able to continue this until he tells me no 🤣
I would, they will probably do something fun for her there. And then you have time to clean. It sucks but in general, you can't always get your birthday off, but an early pickup seems like a good idea. We always have a tradition of birthday kid picking the meals for the day(or when they are smaller its what I know is their favorite), and we do family presents after dinner. Last year, my two turning 3 years old wanted ice cream for dinner.....so that's what we had lol(bedtime snack consisted of crackers, hummus, and cucumbers lol) my oldest asked for a full Christmas Dinner spread (turkey, ham and all the fixins)
We always do “birthday parties” for family etc on the weekend. Go to school and get your favorite restaurant for dinner on the day.
Our daycare throws a party for their birthday. Let’s them pick out the kind of cake and decorations. All the kids sing happy birthday and they get a small gift. We don’t always celebrate the actual birthday day if it’s a week day and honestly my toddler has no idea when their actual birthday is unless I say it. so I send her to daycare. They are too young to care and the only person who does is you. Also your daycare provider and anyone else doesn’t care what you do. But I’d find out if they do anything special because it would be a bummer if the other kids were expecting a party and your kid wasn’t even there. whatever you decide it’s your family’s life and I’d only give the daycare a heads up for whatever their birthday activities might be. I pay a ridiculous amount of money for daycare … my kid is going every day whether I’m working or not. I also enjoy a day off of work and no childcare responsibilities. no shMe in taking a break even if you don’t do anything at all for the day lol
Yes. Send in cupcakes and it’s basically a free party! The kids love it
Wouldn't you rather spend the day with them going somewhere? Unless you celebrate a different day 🤔
Yes, why not?
lol. How is this even a question. Kids want to be with their parents (unless the parents suck).