What's to like about having a fall birthday?
August 7, 2013 1:57 PM Subscribe
I’m currently expecting my first child, who is due around Halloween. I have some minor and probably totally inconsequential—yet nagging—worries about her expected birthdate, and would love if those of you who are late fall babies OR a parent of a late fall baby would come in and assuage my concerns.
It seems relevant to mention that I had a miscarriage last year and my original due date would have been this past June. It doesn’t matter anymore, but I still find myself ruminating more than I’d like about how there was SO much more to like about my original due date. I’m a June baby myself and I’ve always loved it, it’d have been much easier to get out of the house and find stuff to do while on maternity leave, my mom doesn’t work summers so she would have been free to hang out with us, stuff like that. Additionally, I’ve always really disliked fall—to me, it just means darkness and cold and fighting off SAD, and heralds the beginning of yet another agonizingly long Minnesota winter. I’m particularly apprehensive about being on maternity leave when it’s going to be freezing and snowy and it might be impossible to get out for walks, and it'll a huge production to leave the house and get the car out, and I could be stuck at home alone for days on end.
In the end, I expect I won’t actually give much of a shit about any of this stuff once she’s born and I’ll just be thrilled to have her here safely and healthily, but I would love to hear all the things I’m totally overlooking about her birthday season that are going to be pure awesome, both when she’s a newborn and as she grows up. I know there must be lots of stuff and I’d like to know what I can look forward to.
Thanks, MeFi!
It seems relevant to mention that I had a miscarriage last year and my original due date would have been this past June. It doesn’t matter anymore, but I still find myself ruminating more than I’d like about how there was SO much more to like about my original due date. I’m a June baby myself and I’ve always loved it, it’d have been much easier to get out of the house and find stuff to do while on maternity leave, my mom doesn’t work summers so she would have been free to hang out with us, stuff like that. Additionally, I’ve always really disliked fall—to me, it just means darkness and cold and fighting off SAD, and heralds the beginning of yet another agonizingly long Minnesota winter. I’m particularly apprehensive about being on maternity leave when it’s going to be freezing and snowy and it might be impossible to get out for walks, and it'll a huge production to leave the house and get the car out, and I could be stuck at home alone for days on end.
In the end, I expect I won’t actually give much of a shit about any of this stuff once she’s born and I’ll just be thrilled to have her here safely and healthily, but I would love to hear all the things I’m totally overlooking about her birthday season that are going to be pure awesome, both when she’s a newborn and as she grows up. I know there must be lots of stuff and I’d like to know what I can look forward to.
Thanks, MeFi!
Best answer: Here's one plus: If you're going to be using any kind of sling or baby-carrier like a moby, fall is the perfect time to have a baby. I loved using a carrier, but my June baby and I both got very sweaty on hot days. Plus, by next summer your baby will be old enough to really get out and enjoy stuff like the zoo, the pool, etc. That stuff is hard to do with a newborn.
posted by jrichards at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2013 [10 favorites]
posted by jrichards at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2013 [10 favorites]
Born on October 14th. I have literally never considered the significance of the timing of my birthday in the calendar year except that it was pretty rad when it would fall on Columbus Day and I got my birthday off from school.
She'll be among the older kids in her grade cohort.
This may depend on the school system. I was always the youngest in class because the grade cutoff was something like October 20th. My best friend is almost exactly a year older than me and she graduated in the same year as I did.
posted by griphus at 2:02 PM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
She'll be among the older kids in her grade cohort.
This may depend on the school system. I was always the youngest in class because the grade cutoff was something like October 20th. My best friend is almost exactly a year older than me and she graduated in the same year as I did.
posted by griphus at 2:02 PM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
One small nice thing: your child will be in school during their birthday and can share it with classmates. I always thought kids with summer birthdays got kind of gypped in this area. My son was born a few days before Christmas so he rarely gets any recognition at school.
If your baby arrives near Halloween, I would plan some kick-ass birthday parties with dress-up required.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:03 PM on August 7, 2013 [19 favorites]
If your baby arrives near Halloween, I would plan some kick-ass birthday parties with dress-up required.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:03 PM on August 7, 2013 [19 favorites]
Best answer: Fall is also the lead-up to all of the best holidays for kids: Halloween, Thanksgiving and then the big enchilada itself, Christmas. I find myself in the same sort of space with respect to the daylight hours and general gloominess, but it's more than offset by the brood starting to ramp up for the end-of-year holiday freakout season.
The kids find all of the fun stuff for any time of the year. For fall, that's leaf piles, bonfires, apple cider, fall carnivals/festivals, corn mazes, pumpkin-related-stuff, family get-togethers with cousins, church-related preparations (for us, that's Advent), decorations of all kinds, holing up to watch cartoons or movies when it's too dark, board games, and so on.
And to have a birthday in the middle of it all? That's like hitting the jackpot (I say this as a Christmas +2 day kid).
posted by jquinby at 2:03 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
The kids find all of the fun stuff for any time of the year. For fall, that's leaf piles, bonfires, apple cider, fall carnivals/festivals, corn mazes, pumpkin-related-stuff, family get-togethers with cousins, church-related preparations (for us, that's Advent), decorations of all kinds, holing up to watch cartoons or movies when it's too dark, board games, and so on.
And to have a birthday in the middle of it all? That's like hitting the jackpot (I say this as a Christmas +2 day kid).
posted by jquinby at 2:03 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
anderjen: it'll a huge production to leave the house and get the car out
With a new baby, it's always kind of a huge production to leave the house and get in the car. A little snow won't really add too much to the procedure.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [8 favorites]
With a new baby, it's always kind of a huge production to leave the house and get in the car. A little snow won't really add too much to the procedure.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [8 favorites]
Instead of having a birthday party for me in September and one for my sister in November, we had a combination double birthday/Halloween party in October. I gotta tell you, the combination of birthday and Halloween party traditions is pretty rad when you're a certain age.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I love having an autumn birthday. When you're a kid it means that your birthday falls in the first few weeks of term after the summer holidays. So all your friends are around for the party. I always felt bad for my friends who had birthdays in June/July during the holidays. I was also among the older kids in my cohort, not that this ever really made a difference.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:05 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:05 PM on August 7, 2013
I've always loved autumn. Back to school, and a snap in the air and the sound of leaves rustling.
I have SAD too, but you can get a light for that, it helps a LOT!
You can go apple picking and drink mulled cider.
You can pick out pretty leaves and press them in books.
Cute sweaters and hats!
Quiet days with roaring fires, books in the window-seat and the sound of snow falling on the boughs of trees.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:05 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
I have SAD too, but you can get a light for that, it helps a LOT!
You can go apple picking and drink mulled cider.
You can pick out pretty leaves and press them in books.
Cute sweaters and hats!
Quiet days with roaring fires, books in the window-seat and the sound of snow falling on the boughs of trees.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:05 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Rock Steady: With a new baby, it's always kind of a huge production to leave the house and get in the car. A little snow won't really add too much to the procedure.
I should add, I say this as a person who had a baby in February in Vermont.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:06 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I should add, I say this as a person who had a baby in February in Vermont.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:06 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was an October baby. Here are some of the ways an October birthday is awesome:
- You get your birthday in before all the big holidays so there's no over-shadowing but still all the great run-up excitement.
- October is late enough that you've made new friends at school so your party is attended.
- Depending on when your kiddo is born in October, you get to choose which year of school she starts.
- Cooler weather means little non-athletic bookworm kids have an excuse to have an indoor/low-key party. Less pressure to DO ALL THE THINGS.
- Fall has the best candy and treats.
- October has the spooky stuff and if you're a morbid kid like me, that was the BEST.
posted by ninjakins at 2:07 PM on August 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
- You get your birthday in before all the big holidays so there's no over-shadowing but still all the great run-up excitement.
- October is late enough that you've made new friends at school so your party is attended.
- Depending on when your kiddo is born in October, you get to choose which year of school she starts.
- Cooler weather means little non-athletic bookworm kids have an excuse to have an indoor/low-key party. Less pressure to DO ALL THE THINGS.
- Fall has the best candy and treats.
- October has the spooky stuff and if you're a morbid kid like me, that was the BEST.
posted by ninjakins at 2:07 PM on August 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
My birthday is in late November; it's fallen on Thanksgiving several times in my life. My mother's birthday is two days after Christmas. I think my grandparents may have had to make a special effort to make sure my mom's birthday present was clearly separate from Christmas gifts, but aside from that, I don't think it was ever an issue. As for me, I always liked having my birthday around Thanksgiving. If the holidays seem to make it difficult to have parties for your little one down the road, you can always celebrate half-birthdays!
posted by Janta at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by Janta at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2013
I'm not sure what the laws are in MN, but in the Northeast, a fall baby means the youngest in the class. Which is both good and bad, I guess. My dad is an October 5 baby and my husband is September 20th, and they both liked being the youngest of their friends. It's also nice to have something to celebrate in the early fall before all the holidays start!
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: My older son's birthday is October 27. He loves having a birthday near Halloween - all the parties and the costume crazy makes it even better. I'm SO glad he's one of the older kids in his class (our cut off is September 1).
The huge plus is a birthday during the school year - my daughter's birthday is in July and even if we try to have a big party, so many people are out of town it's hard to make it happen.
And a birthday just a few months before Christmas actually helps cut down on the gift nagging - he gets enough new toys for his birthday that we're not hearing (too many) pleas to add a lot of stuff to his Christmas list (of course, this only matters if you celebrate Christmas).
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
The huge plus is a birthday during the school year - my daughter's birthday is in July and even if we try to have a big party, so many people are out of town it's hard to make it happen.
And a birthday just a few months before Christmas actually helps cut down on the gift nagging - he gets enough new toys for his birthday that we're not hearing (too many) pleas to add a lot of stuff to his Christmas list (of course, this only matters if you celebrate Christmas).
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I love fall. It's beautiful! It smells good! You can go apple and pumpkin picking and have birthday parties on haunted hayrides which in middle school will be the best thing ever!
Also your fall baby means you are, I think, required by law to acquire a really, really adorable Hanna Andersson jacket and bunting (I'm expecting in February, and found the jacket on ebay for less than half price). Little babies in little tiny Nordic snowsuits! What can be better than that?
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also your fall baby means you are, I think, required by law to acquire a really, really adorable Hanna Andersson jacket and bunting (I'm expecting in February, and found the jacket on ebay for less than half price). Little babies in little tiny Nordic snowsuits! What can be better than that?
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
October 28th, here. Everything ninjakins said. Halloween was (and still is) my absolute favorite holiday, probably directly because of my birthday. Always had Halloween themed birthday parties growing up (costumes, bobbing for apples, etc). Totally loved it.
posted by Roommate at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Roommate at 2:09 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Dead-of-winter birthday, here (early Feb), but I always felt bad for the kids who had summer birthdays because nobody was every around to go to the party. It's grand to have a birthday during the school year. And you'll be able to have apple picking birthday parties!
Also, I'm very sorry for your loss - I've had three MCs in the last six months and my first due date is coming up next week. It's really hard to let go of all the plans you made for the hypothetical baby, good for you for looking for the positive :)
posted by hungrybruno at 2:10 PM on August 7, 2013
Also, I'm very sorry for your loss - I've had three MCs in the last six months and my first due date is coming up next week. It's really hard to let go of all the plans you made for the hypothetical baby, good for you for looking for the positive :)
posted by hungrybruno at 2:10 PM on August 7, 2013
October 7 kid here. Youngest in my class because the cutoff was the 15th. The only thing that sucked about that was everyone in my class got a drivers license before me.
I have a friend who's bday is Nov 1, and he's always bummed bc no one wants to go out on his bday because everyone went out the night before (Halloween). But when I was a kid I had a friend with a bday on Halloween who I thought was so lucky because her bday party had lots of candy and costumes.
Ultimately, your kid won't suffer one way or another and if she does I doubt it will affect her in the long run. At least it's not Christmas Day! My sister's bday is December 25 and she has never once had a bday party with her friends on or near her bday (because they always had family obligations). She's 40 on her next birthday and still has to spend it with her mom and sister :(
posted by greta simone at 2:10 PM on August 7, 2013
I have a friend who's bday is Nov 1, and he's always bummed bc no one wants to go out on his bday because everyone went out the night before (Halloween). But when I was a kid I had a friend with a bday on Halloween who I thought was so lucky because her bday party had lots of candy and costumes.
Ultimately, your kid won't suffer one way or another and if she does I doubt it will affect her in the long run. At least it's not Christmas Day! My sister's bday is December 25 and she has never once had a bday party with her friends on or near her bday (because they always had family obligations). She's 40 on her next birthday and still has to spend it with her mom and sister :(
posted by greta simone at 2:10 PM on August 7, 2013
I had a friend for several years middle-high school who had a summer birthday, and she haaaaaaated it. So she and her mom decided to completely ignore her actual birthday and throw her birthday during Halloween week. She always had the best birthday parties--costumes and candles and all that stupid seancey shit that tween girls get really into.
It actually wasn't until she moved away to go to boarding school that I found out when her actual birthday was. I called her at the end of October to wish her a happy birthday, and she just burst out laughing.
posted by phunniemee at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
It actually wasn't until she moved away to go to boarding school that I found out when her actual birthday was. I called her at the end of October to wish her a happy birthday, and she just burst out laughing.
posted by phunniemee at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's only fall on one side of the world, remember! I've gone from birthday memories of strawberries and sun growing up in the Southern Hemisphere to chilly November nights in England. They're both pretty great. Don't worry about a thing - this baby's going to have an awesome childhood regardless of DOB.
posted by teststrip at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by teststrip at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
OMG my sister was born on October 27 and her birthday parties were the BEST! She always had costume parties and that allowed all her friends to use their costumes more than once. Plus, her gifts were always great things like back-to-school clothes.
posted by janey47 at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by janey47 at 2:16 PM on August 7, 2013
October has the spooky stuff and if you're a morbid kid like me, that was the BEST
cosign, times like one million
posted by last night a dj saved my life at 2:17 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
cosign, times like one million
posted by last night a dj saved my life at 2:17 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Children born at the beginning if the school year, ie the oldest in the class, are more likely to succeed. The top 5 CEO-producing months are: March (12.53%), April (10.67%), November (10.67%), January (10.13%), October (9.87%).
posted by MuffinMan at 2:17 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by MuffinMan at 2:17 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You won't be at home with the newborn thinking that you're missing out on everything you love about summer, you'll be cuddling up at home with the newborn thinking how cosy it is to be at home all wrapped up in blankets and onesies.
posted by jacalata at 2:21 PM on August 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by jacalata at 2:21 PM on August 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
I have the same birthday as mathowie and always enjoyed my fall birthday. As a kid, I thought the leaves were dressing up just for me!
posted by wiskunde at 2:21 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by wiskunde at 2:21 PM on August 7, 2013
FWIW, I'm a June baby, and when I was a kid I always envied my friends who had fall birthdays because that's when school was in session, and so there were class birthday things and friends in the halls might remember to wish you a happy birthday, and none of that was possible where I went to school because school was already out when my birthday came along.
posted by rtha at 2:23 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by rtha at 2:23 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
I have a November birthday and it's awesome. Fall is the best time for birthday parties! You can have an indoor party or an outdoor party, depending on the weather, because the season is so nice and in-betweeny. And as others have said, having your birthday during the school year means your friends will be around and you can celebrate together (this is true even when you are an adult -- adults go on vacation in the summertime, too).
The only problem I have ever had with my fall birthday timing's is that its proximity to Christmas (yes, even a whole month ahead of Christmas) has caused people to give me combined birthday-Christmas gifts on occasion, which is annoying. So just don't do that to your kid.
posted by BlueJae at 2:31 PM on August 7, 2013
The only problem I have ever had with my fall birthday timing's is that its proximity to Christmas (yes, even a whole month ahead of Christmas) has caused people to give me combined birthday-Christmas gifts on occasion, which is annoying. So just don't do that to your kid.
posted by BlueJae at 2:31 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: There is lots of confusion in these answers due to differing kindergarten cutoff dates in various locales. I believe the date here in Minnesota is September 1. So, your kid will be one of the oldest in her class. I tend to think that's a good thing.
My son's birthday is October 18. We live in Minnesota. He loves having a Fall birthday. He associates the changing colors with his birthday and gets excited once he sees the first orange or red leaf in September. We typically do a birthday party on the weekend, sometimes at an orchard.
As someone mentioned above, he sees his birthday as the beginning of the holiday season. He has his birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, all in about 10 weeks. For him, that's the best time of the year. Maybe seeing your kid enjoy her birthday will help you enjoy the Fall more.
posted by Area Man at 2:36 PM on August 7, 2013
My son's birthday is October 18. We live in Minnesota. He loves having a Fall birthday. He associates the changing colors with his birthday and gets excited once he sees the first orange or red leaf in September. We typically do a birthday party on the weekend, sometimes at an orchard.
As someone mentioned above, he sees his birthday as the beginning of the holiday season. He has his birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, all in about 10 weeks. For him, that's the best time of the year. Maybe seeing your kid enjoy her birthday will help you enjoy the Fall more.
posted by Area Man at 2:36 PM on August 7, 2013
I was born late September in a school district where the cutoff was September 1. Turns out, you can request an exemption to the cutoff, so I started kindergarten a year 'early'. As a result, I played U10 soccer when most of my grade was playing U11 and so on. I'm sure I theoretically could have played U11, but I didn't. I've never thought of this as a bad thing, but those are the only two consequences of being born in September I can think of. (I went to college at a public university in a state where the cutoff is often January 1, so there were a lot of people from that state, and did discover I had sort of internalized that I was always one of the youngest, but it was just amusing to discover that was no longer the case.)
posted by hoyland at 2:37 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by hoyland at 2:37 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: I'm an October baby, and I love it. My mother always told me that the day I was born was a beautiful fall day with a brilliant, crisp blue sky, and so I've always thought of the whole season that way. Plus, it's not close enough to Christmas to make a difference about presents, and as someone pointed out, far enough into the school year so you'll know who you want to invite to your party.
posted by Nyx at 2:40 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by Nyx at 2:40 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: My son was a late fall baby (in late November) and I loved it that his birthday really seemed to kick off the holiday season. Not to mention that little babies look danged adorable in Christmasy baby clothes. Think of the photo ops!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 2:43 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 2:43 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: My birthday is in October and it's fantastic. It's got halloween, postseason baseball, political theater, it's not too cold or too hot and, when I was a kid, it was the perfect amount of distance from Christmas, I could basically live like a king for 3 months or so.
posted by saul wright at 2:46 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by saul wright at 2:46 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
BlueJae: "has caused people to give me combined birthday-Christmas gifts on occasion"
This can work in your favor, of course...like, if there was some Giant Thing you wanted for Christmas and it was so big that you could argue for a combo gift.
But I agree - only if the kid wants it that way. Otherwise, it's cheaping out. I can say that no one ever did that to me - my family was good about that.
posted by jquinby at 2:47 PM on August 7, 2013
This can work in your favor, of course...like, if there was some Giant Thing you wanted for Christmas and it was so big that you could argue for a combo gift.
But I agree - only if the kid wants it that way. Otherwise, it's cheaping out. I can say that no one ever did that to me - my family was good about that.
posted by jquinby at 2:47 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: As a summer birthdayer I can tell you that they fucking suck when you are a kid. People are away with their families, so fewer people are coming to your overheated party and you get fewer presents and it is terrible and you don't get to wear the birthday princess crown in school.
im still mad about that fucking crown
posted by elizardbits at 2:48 PM on August 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
im still mad about that fucking crown
posted by elizardbits at 2:48 PM on August 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
Best answer: My daughter has several friends with mid-summer birthdays and ALL the moms told me that they were switching the birthday celebrations by 6 months so that they would actually be able to get kids to come to the parties. It was just too hard to get invitations out to their daughters' 6-year-old friends when they were no longer in school & they didn't have addresses for all the families. We lucked out & had kid #1's party the day after school ended, so we were able to hand out invitations in class.
My kids (both born in MN) are late May & Halloween. (I went into labor while trick-or-treating and ended up at the hospital an hour later with kid #1 still wearing her costume.) The nice thing about the fall baby is that by the time she was starting to crawl it was getting nice outside. And she was so excited. Grass! Flowers! Dirt! Her big sister started to crawl just when it got too cold to go outside to play.
My birthday is late November & the only time it bothered me was when it fell on Thanksgiving & I didn't get to pick what we had for dinner (as family tradition decreed). As the family's only vegetarian, this was quite distressing.
posted by belladonna at 2:56 PM on August 7, 2013
My kids (both born in MN) are late May & Halloween. (I went into labor while trick-or-treating and ended up at the hospital an hour later with kid #1 still wearing her costume.) The nice thing about the fall baby is that by the time she was starting to crawl it was getting nice outside. And she was so excited. Grass! Flowers! Dirt! Her big sister started to crawl just when it got too cold to go outside to play.
My birthday is late November & the only time it bothered me was when it fell on Thanksgiving & I didn't get to pick what we had for dinner (as family tradition decreed). As the family's only vegetarian, this was quite distressing.
posted by belladonna at 2:56 PM on August 7, 2013
October 27 here. It is a GREAT time of year for a birthday! My thoughts:
-- Don't push the kid into school -- let your kid be the old one, not the young one. This is based on having my own fall baby as well.
-- Halloween birthday cakes are a riot! I'm sure they make cooler ones now than 40 years ago, too.
-- October is the best month of the year in terms of weather (in New England, anyway). Plus Halloween!
Good luck and congratulations!
posted by theredpen at 3:00 PM on August 7, 2013
-- Don't push the kid into school -- let your kid be the old one, not the young one. This is based on having my own fall baby as well.
-- Halloween birthday cakes are a riot! I'm sure they make cooler ones now than 40 years ago, too.
-- October is the best month of the year in terms of weather (in New England, anyway). Plus Halloween!
Good luck and congratulations!
posted by theredpen at 3:00 PM on August 7, 2013
I have to agree with all the other October people here - I always saw it as the start to the holiday season as a kid and Autumn is still my favorite season.
Really, nothing beats Halloween birthday parties as a kid.
posted by Julnyes at 3:00 PM on August 7, 2013
Really, nothing beats Halloween birthday parties as a kid.
posted by Julnyes at 3:00 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: October-Nov is the perfect time to get out of the house with your brand new baby in a sling or wrap but not have to worry about pushing the stroller through snowdrifts, etc.
Plus by June the baby will be interactive, sitting up and maybe crawling and can be outside in the park watching the bigger kids frolic around, and can scoot around in the grass and generally enjoy learning to be mobile in the great outdoors during nice weather.
I was an August baby in the South--my birthday was always brutally hot (so outside parties not an option) and no one was around due to vacations.
I'm currently pregnant and due around the same time as you and I am totally stoked to have a November baby. I am envisioning a pumpkin beanie and hayrides with my older kiddo and it will be awesome.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 3:02 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Plus by June the baby will be interactive, sitting up and maybe crawling and can be outside in the park watching the bigger kids frolic around, and can scoot around in the grass and generally enjoy learning to be mobile in the great outdoors during nice weather.
I was an August baby in the South--my birthday was always brutally hot (so outside parties not an option) and no one was around due to vacations.
I'm currently pregnant and due around the same time as you and I am totally stoked to have a November baby. I am envisioning a pumpkin beanie and hayrides with my older kiddo and it will be awesome.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 3:02 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
My sister hated being a summer birthday because she was young for her grade, and no one was ever around to come to her birthday parties. I disliked my winter birthday because it was close to a winter holiday, and my birthday party options were limited to indoor activities. We always thought a fall or spring birthday would be the absolute best for party-having. So echoing others that this is a score!
And personally, I find fall to be the most awesome season. The most perfect weather, dress-up holidays, gorgeous leaves changing, the joy of back-to-school supply shopping for nerdy kids like me, the very best clothes (Sweaters! Tights! OMG BOOTS!). Which isn't to say that you should feel that way, but that maybe your daughter will. Especially if it's also associated with her birthday.
posted by Stacey at 3:07 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
And personally, I find fall to be the most awesome season. The most perfect weather, dress-up holidays, gorgeous leaves changing, the joy of back-to-school supply shopping for nerdy kids like me, the very best clothes (Sweaters! Tights! OMG BOOTS!). Which isn't to say that you should feel that way, but that maybe your daughter will. Especially if it's also associated with her birthday.
posted by Stacey at 3:07 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm a fall baby - November 3. And I can tell you that it is my favorite time of year. Being born just after Halloween means that there is always a fun party or celebration going on near/around my birthday, and there always seems to be more fanfare associated with it. It's also so much fun to play dress-up! Also, the food is the best! Pie! Candy! Cinnamon and spices! Roasted things! I'm salivating just thinking about all the good fall foods out there.
Congratulations!
posted by jph at 3:10 PM on August 7, 2013
Congratulations!
posted by jph at 3:10 PM on August 7, 2013
I have a whole passel of siblings.
The two September babies didn't care for their birthdays: they're the oldest kids and so they were the first birthdays of the year, and we moved a lot, so birthday parties were awkward.
The two November babies (myself included) loved their birthdays; my birthday falls on Thanksgiving every few years, and that's awesome. For a while I was confused and thought that Thanksgiving was for me, which was great until I figured out it wasn't. As an adult, I love my birth date, because it's guaranteed that I'll always be around my family and friends on my birthday.
The May baby was always the youngest in his year, and often felt overshadowed by the end of school. He really didn't like being one of the last to turn sixteen, eighteen, etc.
I just gave my mother a call and she said that she really didn't notice a difference in the time of year for each of us, other than that she preferred not being very pregnant during the summer months because of the heat, and that it's a lot of fun to have a baby around during the holidays.
I love, love, love autumn and I know that it's in part because of my birthday.
posted by punchtothehead at 3:17 PM on August 7, 2013
The two September babies didn't care for their birthdays: they're the oldest kids and so they were the first birthdays of the year, and we moved a lot, so birthday parties were awkward.
The two November babies (myself included) loved their birthdays; my birthday falls on Thanksgiving every few years, and that's awesome. For a while I was confused and thought that Thanksgiving was for me, which was great until I figured out it wasn't. As an adult, I love my birth date, because it's guaranteed that I'll always be around my family and friends on my birthday.
The May baby was always the youngest in his year, and often felt overshadowed by the end of school. He really didn't like being one of the last to turn sixteen, eighteen, etc.
I just gave my mother a call and she said that she really didn't notice a difference in the time of year for each of us, other than that she preferred not being very pregnant during the summer months because of the heat, and that it's a lot of fun to have a baby around during the holidays.
I love, love, love autumn and I know that it's in part because of my birthday.
posted by punchtothehead at 3:17 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: I love autumn, it's a squishy, doona-covering, scarf-wearing season and I always feel like it's really nurturing because everything is getting turned over and dug under and canned and prepared. It feels like a lovely time to be born because you'd spend that 'fourth trimester' all snuggled and warm inside in winter.
I also had my daughter in the dead of the Australian South winter (so, not that cold by most standards but FUCKING FEEZING by mine). We snuggled a lot, babywore a lot, got to wear the most ridiculously adorable hats and mittens together.
I am sorry for your loss.
posted by geek anachronism at 3:20 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
I also had my daughter in the dead of the Australian South winter (so, not that cold by most standards but FUCKING FEEZING by mine). We snuggled a lot, babywore a lot, got to wear the most ridiculously adorable hats and mittens together.
I am sorry for your loss.
posted by geek anachronism at 3:20 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
My November 6 kid loves her birthday--some years she has a costume party, most years it's still warm enough to do outside things for her birthday.
My June 3 baby's birthday gets lost in all the end of the school year excitement. If we have her party before school's out it's a challenge because I'm on so many activities committees that I can't really give any of my brain over to party planning, and if we try to have it after school's out, everyone has already started disappearing to cabins and vacations. That's a big concern in Minnesota.
posted by padraigin at 3:22 PM on August 7, 2013
My June 3 baby's birthday gets lost in all the end of the school year excitement. If we have her party before school's out it's a challenge because I'm on so many activities committees that I can't really give any of my brain over to party planning, and if we try to have it after school's out, everyone has already started disappearing to cabins and vacations. That's a big concern in Minnesota.
posted by padraigin at 3:22 PM on August 7, 2013
A lot of people hate fall since it means winter. This is certainly a bright spot to look forward to.
I am a fall bday and my son is fall, too.
I love it. Birthdays can be at the apple orchard, outdoors when there's less risk of TOO hot, and my son has opted for a Halloween birthday before. Also, this being his kindergarten year, I thought it's a nice way to break the ice with all the kids- having a big birthday party!
Also, I love the coziness of fall. All of a sudden I want to bake from scratch and it's the perfect time for hiking and biking.
posted by beccaj at 3:28 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am a fall bday and my son is fall, too.
I love it. Birthdays can be at the apple orchard, outdoors when there's less risk of TOO hot, and my son has opted for a Halloween birthday before. Also, this being his kindergarten year, I thought it's a nice way to break the ice with all the kids- having a big birthday party!
Also, I love the coziness of fall. All of a sudden I want to bake from scratch and it's the perfect time for hiking and biking.
posted by beccaj at 3:28 PM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Assuming Area Man is right that your kid will be one of the oldest in the class, that's awesome. I was always at the young edge and was jealous of those who were earlier to get drivers licenses, hit the drinking age, etc. Read Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers for more evidence about why being among the eldest in your cohort is great.
posted by ewiar at 3:29 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by ewiar at 3:29 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: November 24th.
Positives: Birthday falls on X-Giving every once in a while, which is cool. It's possible to con your folks into combining a couple of good but not great Birthday and Xmas gifts into one UBERGIFT. ("Think of the savings!") Not a crowded birthday calendar, like summer seems to be. Sagittarius is the best Astrological sign to be born under, and its proximity to Scorpio means Scorpios are automatically your friends, which is good, because they can be sneaky bastards.
Negatives: The school cutoff way back when was Dec 1, which meant I was the runt of the class right up through... okay I still am, even though I'm not in class anymore, and I'm a good-sized adult man. Depending on your local climate, it may rain on your birthday, or worse. (My local climate when birthdays mattered was Arcata, CA; so, rain.)
posted by notyou at 3:55 PM on August 7, 2013
Positives: Birthday falls on X-Giving every once in a while, which is cool. It's possible to con your folks into combining a couple of good but not great Birthday and Xmas gifts into one UBERGIFT. ("Think of the savings!") Not a crowded birthday calendar, like summer seems to be. Sagittarius is the best Astrological sign to be born under, and its proximity to Scorpio means Scorpios are automatically your friends, which is good, because they can be sneaky bastards.
Negatives: The school cutoff way back when was Dec 1, which meant I was the runt of the class right up through... okay I still am, even though I'm not in class anymore, and I'm a good-sized adult man. Depending on your local climate, it may rain on your birthday, or worse. (My local climate when birthdays mattered was Arcata, CA; so, rain.)
posted by notyou at 3:55 PM on August 7, 2013
September 28.
I absolutely love everything about when my birthday is, and I have SAD as well. As a kid, it was right after school started back so I was settled into my routine and I got to have cupcakes at school! I always felt sad that the summer birthday kids didn't get to have classroom birthday parties. It's also right in the middle of festival season - my hometown has a huge street festival that falls directly on my birthday every year (including this year, my birthday is on the biggest day of the festival). It always felt like a big party just for me. I think that having a birthday around Halloween would be fantastic - imagine the fun themed birthday parties!
posted by sarahgrace at 4:56 PM on August 7, 2013
I absolutely love everything about when my birthday is, and I have SAD as well. As a kid, it was right after school started back so I was settled into my routine and I got to have cupcakes at school! I always felt sad that the summer birthday kids didn't get to have classroom birthday parties. It's also right in the middle of festival season - my hometown has a huge street festival that falls directly on my birthday every year (including this year, my birthday is on the biggest day of the festival). It always felt like a big party just for me. I think that having a birthday around Halloween would be fantastic - imagine the fun themed birthday parties!
posted by sarahgrace at 4:56 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: My birthday is October 31, and I think its a great time of the year for a birthday. Of course for me there was always the bonus of being born on a holiday that wasn't Christmas (no combining of birthday/holiday gifts here). Its not hot out, yet there typically is no snow on the ground, so it was easy for parents to get their kids to my birthday parties. As an elementary school teacher I get to see how immature boys are compared to girls at a given age, and I have to say that the older boys in the class are frequently more mature than their younger male counterparts. In my district growing up the cut off was October 1st, so I was always one of the oldest kids in the class. Looking back to my years in school, combined with what I observe right now as an elementary school teacher I'm going to say that for my money, having a child immediately following or close after a district's cutoff for admission to kindergarten pays big long term dividends, especially for males. This is also going to help out in athletics throughout a child's academic career.
FWIW Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers cites some very interesting research concerning correlations to where a child's birthday falls in relation to academic and sports related cutoffs and their future success in those areas. I know that in my case my age and size difference when compared to younger kids in my classes certainly helped me in the sports I played, and it arguably helped me academically as well. Your mileage will vary of course.
posted by chosemerveilleux at 5:18 PM on August 7, 2013
FWIW Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers cites some very interesting research concerning correlations to where a child's birthday falls in relation to academic and sports related cutoffs and their future success in those areas. I know that in my case my age and size difference when compared to younger kids in my classes certainly helped me in the sports I played, and it arguably helped me academically as well. Your mileage will vary of course.
posted by chosemerveilleux at 5:18 PM on August 7, 2013
Much later on, but, if/when your kid is in college, their friends will be around and it'll be a good time to have a big party. My birthday was always after finals week so everyone had cleared out already. One of my other friends' birthdays was always DURING finals week, so she never got any sort of celebration.
posted by nakedmolerats at 5:44 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by nakedmolerats at 5:44 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: A fall baby? Lucky kid! Fall is THE most beautiful season, and the best smelling, too! With an October birthday, not only will your kid get Halloween tie-ins, he or she will be born in plenty of time for some really REALLY cute First Christmas pictures. Plus by the time Baby's first summer comes around, he'll be more mobile and with have a fantastic time exploring their world: grass! dirt! all kinds of neat stuff!
Spring is nice, but you and Baby would spend your first summer hot and sweaty. Summer babies, as so many people have said, miss out on their school friends at their birthday parties.
Winter babies..... oh heck, winter babies. I was born a couple days past Christmas, and lemme tell ya, get born close to Christmas and you'll spend your life feeling cheated on your birthday. If your birthday is right before Christmas, everyone'll tell you they're "saving up for your Christmas present", and you get bupkus for your birthday. If you're born right after Christmas, they'll tell you "I spent everything on everyone's Christmas presents", and again you get bupkus. You'll never get anything wrapped in birthday paper, either: leftover Santa paper is considered good enough for us. My four siblings once jointly got me a 26-cent box of candy for my birthday --- they left the price tag on it! --- which they prompty ate; that was the same year my parents gave me a new hairbrush and a package of underwear. There's a reason my birthday means very, very little to me.
All in all, I wish *I* had a fall birthday.
posted by easily confused at 5:47 PM on August 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
Spring is nice, but you and Baby would spend your first summer hot and sweaty. Summer babies, as so many people have said, miss out on their school friends at their birthday parties.
Winter babies..... oh heck, winter babies. I was born a couple days past Christmas, and lemme tell ya, get born close to Christmas and you'll spend your life feeling cheated on your birthday. If your birthday is right before Christmas, everyone'll tell you they're "saving up for your Christmas present", and you get bupkus for your birthday. If you're born right after Christmas, they'll tell you "I spent everything on everyone's Christmas presents", and again you get bupkus. You'll never get anything wrapped in birthday paper, either: leftover Santa paper is considered good enough for us. My four siblings once jointly got me a 26-cent box of candy for my birthday --- they left the price tag on it! --- which they prompty ate; that was the same year my parents gave me a new hairbrush and a package of underwear. There's a reason my birthday means very, very little to me.
All in all, I wish *I* had a fall birthday.
posted by easily confused at 5:47 PM on August 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
As someone with the birthday of April 1st who has an aunt with the birthday of Dec 25th, you and your child should be glad that it will be any other day of the year.
posted by Leenie at 5:59 PM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Leenie at 5:59 PM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
Nov 7 birthday here. The only thing timing wise I've ever noted about my birthday is that it always seemed to fall during midterms week at college, which kind of sucked.
But I don't think there's anything wrong with fall birthdays in general. Especially if they're really close to Halloween- that sounds super fun.
posted by geegollygosh at 6:09 PM on August 7, 2013
But I don't think there's anything wrong with fall birthdays in general. Especially if they're really close to Halloween- that sounds super fun.
posted by geegollygosh at 6:09 PM on August 7, 2013
My birthday falls around Thanksgiving. It's great! Time off from school/work, and juuuuuuust far enough away from Christmas that I never got combo birthday/Xmas presents as a kid.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 6:53 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by mon-ma-tron at 6:53 PM on August 7, 2013
October 23 for me, and I never really thought about it one way or another as a kid. I think autumn has always been my favourite season, there's all the lovely smells of leaves and trees and smoke. It's an exciting time, with so much change happening, and a time of things coming to fruition. But it's also a cozy time, with those crisp autumn days and clear, cold nights. Halloween was definitely exciting!
When I moved to Australia, it seriously threw me to suddenly have my birthday in the spring. I mean, I like spring an awful lot; even here where there's flowers all year round and winter is more of a respite from the killing heat of the summer, it's still exciting to see things budding and blooming and coming to life again. But that's not my birthday. Autumn is even more treasured for me now, since it means the end of the nasty hot disgusting summer. For me, autumn is very much part of my personality which I think gives me an appreciation of the beauty but also the transience of the world.
Which is all very poetic, so have Keats's To Autumn.
Congratulations, it will be great to have your baby and that will matter so much more than the season in which she's born!
posted by Athanassiel at 7:35 PM on August 7, 2013
When I moved to Australia, it seriously threw me to suddenly have my birthday in the spring. I mean, I like spring an awful lot; even here where there's flowers all year round and winter is more of a respite from the killing heat of the summer, it's still exciting to see things budding and blooming and coming to life again. But that's not my birthday. Autumn is even more treasured for me now, since it means the end of the nasty hot disgusting summer. For me, autumn is very much part of my personality which I think gives me an appreciation of the beauty but also the transience of the world.
Which is all very poetic, so have Keats's To Autumn.
Congratulations, it will be great to have your baby and that will matter so much more than the season in which she's born!
posted by Athanassiel at 7:35 PM on August 7, 2013
October 11 for me and I concur with what's been said by everyone here. I love autumn so much I chose it for when to have my wedding. And in the Bay Area, October is pretty much the best weather of the whole year. But its not really peak travel season either, so birthday vacations are easy.
posted by Failure31 at 7:45 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by Failure31 at 7:45 PM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: First of all - I am so sorry for your loss. I don't doubt that its quite painful to contemplate all of the differences between the 2 pregnancies. I hope that bringing your health baby into the world in a few weeks will bring you much healing.
My daughter will turn 5 on October 24th, which is also the due date for my current pregnancy.
What I LOVED most about having a newborn during this time period was that I could fully nest at home with my tiny little thing. We walked around with her in a sling on Halloween. I'd bundle her up into a carrier for short strolls throughout late autumn and it felt very cozy and warm. It was a hassle getting around in the snow but frankly, I consciously enjoyed the excuse to stay close to home for her first few months.
She's starting kindergarten this year and she'll have enough time to settle into school before having another AMAZING autumn birthday party. She loves feeling like the excitement of Halloween is partly "hers".
Good luck and congrats!
posted by waterisfinite at 8:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
My daughter will turn 5 on October 24th, which is also the due date for my current pregnancy.
What I LOVED most about having a newborn during this time period was that I could fully nest at home with my tiny little thing. We walked around with her in a sling on Halloween. I'd bundle her up into a carrier for short strolls throughout late autumn and it felt very cozy and warm. It was a hassle getting around in the snow but frankly, I consciously enjoyed the excuse to stay close to home for her first few months.
She's starting kindergarten this year and she'll have enough time to settle into school before having another AMAZING autumn birthday party. She loves feeling like the excitement of Halloween is partly "hers".
Good luck and congrats!
posted by waterisfinite at 8:04 PM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Just chiming in to say that I love my October (17th!) birthday! It's such a beautiful time of year and all my school friends are around and there's a high availability of pumpkin pie instead of cakes! Also I enjoyed being older than some of my classmates because I was, by comparison, a stronger reader and better tag-player.
posted by hepta at 8:12 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by hepta at 8:12 PM on August 7, 2013
Also an October 27th baby here. I love when my birthday is. I grew up in a school district where I was one of the youngest in my cohort, but I actually kinda loved that, because I always secretly felt it made me super extra smart. As for all the things I had to look forward to re: a late Oct birthday:
- amazingly fun Halloween themed parties; my dad used to dress up like a pirate and make spooky special effects with dry ice. I still occasionally have pumpkin-carving parties even now.
- as others have noted, all your school friends are around, so you get the maximum amount of attention and cupcakey celebrations in class, plus another well-attended party at home!
- all of the best fall-related activities are options: bobbing for apples, haunted hayrides, carving pumpkins, etc.
posted by catch as catch can at 12:49 AM on August 8, 2013
- amazingly fun Halloween themed parties; my dad used to dress up like a pirate and make spooky special effects with dry ice. I still occasionally have pumpkin-carving parties even now.
- as others have noted, all your school friends are around, so you get the maximum amount of attention and cupcakey celebrations in class, plus another well-attended party at home!
- all of the best fall-related activities are options: bobbing for apples, haunted hayrides, carving pumpkins, etc.
posted by catch as catch can at 12:49 AM on August 8, 2013
The nickname "Punkin" will roll off your tongue naturally.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:12 AM on August 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:12 AM on August 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
In a couple years I would however check with the local school system and see when the age cut-off for school is. Ours changed from October 19 to August 31 between the time my granddaughter was born until she was 4. That really made things difficult for us because we were sure she was going to school as she turned 5, but then had to wait another year until she was turning 6. Very frustrating because the October 19 cut-off had been around since I was a kid.
For the good part though, look on Pintrest and go through the kids photography sections. The fall pictures are always the best.
posted by PJMoore at 6:33 AM on August 8, 2013
For the good part though, look on Pintrest and go through the kids photography sections. The fall pictures are always the best.
posted by PJMoore at 6:33 AM on August 8, 2013
School year birthdays are way better than vacation time birthdays. Way more friends to invite!
Sorry about your loss. Congratulations on this pregnancy!
PS: there is nothing better about previous baby than this baby.
posted by Neekee at 6:49 AM on August 8, 2013
Sorry about your loss. Congratulations on this pregnancy!
PS: there is nothing better about previous baby than this baby.
posted by Neekee at 6:49 AM on August 8, 2013
Best answer: I live in Chicagoland, have an October 30 baby, and am now expecting an October 16 baby. When they're newborns you can put them in the front pack carrier and wear a big coat over both of you (borrow one of Dad's). It's super snuggly! When they're a little bigger, and it's really getting cold, get a car seat bunting. If you don't know what that is, go to Amazon and search "car seat bunting". When baby 1 was in his infant carseat, we used a snap in stroller frame plus carseat as our stroller (much easier for moving baby from car to stroller, especially if you have a baby that sleeps in the carseat). Then when you go out, you zip up the bunting and while you may be freezing your butt off, baby is snug as a bug in a rug. (Stick a hand down in there every once in a while to be sure.) I got some looks for taking him out in really cold weather, but he never got cold. Just be sure you get the kind that fits over the top of the carseat like a shower cap, since you're not supposed to put anything between baby and carseat. Edit: I got my bunting secondhand at a garage sale or a consignment sale and it didn't cost much at all. It wasn't a fancy brand name or anything.
posted by telepanda at 8:27 AM on August 8, 2013
posted by telepanda at 8:27 AM on August 8, 2013
Best answer: I'd never liked fall either. Not as a kid, not as an adult. Until my daughter was born right in the middle of it. Like Nyx's mom, my daughter was born on a crisp, blue fall day, with brilliant leaves on the trees. And once I associated that with my daughter, I actually started liking the season. So there's a chance you may as well. (And definitely look into a light for SAD, so you're not fighting your brain chemistry over this too.)
Like many of the others here, my daughter loves having a fuss made at school (neither my husband nor I were in school for our birthdays), and being able to choose Halloween themes some years for here birthday. (And yes, having vast number of kids over for the Kindergarten party was a great way to meet lots of kids.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:37 AM on August 8, 2013
Like many of the others here, my daughter loves having a fuss made at school (neither my husband nor I were in school for our birthdays), and being able to choose Halloween themes some years for here birthday. (And yes, having vast number of kids over for the Kindergarten party was a great way to meet lots of kids.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 10:37 AM on August 8, 2013
My birthday is November 15 and I get to tease my parents about being born 9 months after Valentine's Day.
posted by TheClonusHorror at 12:16 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by TheClonusHorror at 12:16 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you all so much for all the wonderful responses. Lots of people IRL have told me how lucky she'll be to potentially have the Halloween/birthday association, and as someone who's always been strangely apathetic about Halloween I kinda brushed them off, but I loved hearing all the stories from those who have actually experienced it. Extra gratitude goes out to everyone who weighed in with tips on how to make having a tiny baby both compatible and enjoyable in frigid climates.
I'm about to get a little best-answer-crazy here, but just about every comment made me smile or laugh or get really, really excited for what's to come, and many answers mentioned things I had not considered at all before. And I'm sure you're correct that I will develop tons of positive associations with fall once she's here.
(September 1 is indeed the cutoff in MN so unless something changes, she will be one of the oldest in her class. I was always one of the very youngest, so that'll be interesting to watch.)
posted by anderjen at 2:04 PM on August 8, 2013
I'm about to get a little best-answer-crazy here, but just about every comment made me smile or laugh or get really, really excited for what's to come, and many answers mentioned things I had not considered at all before. And I'm sure you're correct that I will develop tons of positive associations with fall once she's here.
(September 1 is indeed the cutoff in MN so unless something changes, she will be one of the oldest in her class. I was always one of the very youngest, so that'll be interesting to watch.)
posted by anderjen at 2:04 PM on August 8, 2013
Best answer: My son, now 15 yrs., was born two weeks early, exactly one week before Halloween. One of my sweetest and most enduring memories of that time was of his first Halloween. My now ex-husband had brought our 2 year old daughter out to trick-or-treat, and I was left at home to give out candy. We lived on the 2nd floor of a 2-family house (a New England phenomenon, I think?), and I was still feeling a little sore and tired and didn't feel up to going up and down the stairs for each new arrival of trick-or-treaters. I decided to just sit on the front steps and give out candy as it wasn't too cold out. My neighbor had knitted a teeny little beanie for my son that looked like a pumpkin, orange with a green "stem". He was all bundled up with his special Halloween hat on and tucked inside my jacket. Every time a bunch of kids and their parents would come up the steps it took a minute for them to see my little hidden pumpkin bundle, then they would ooh and aah and exclaim over his lovely teeniness. A couple of neighbors came over to see him for the first time, and it was generally the best Halloween I ever had, though he, of course, has no memory of it. But he LOVES being a Halloween b'day guy.
posted by primate moon at 8:02 PM on August 8, 2013
posted by primate moon at 8:02 PM on August 8, 2013
Nov. 9
Once you are old enough not to have to celebrate on the actual day, it's easy and fun to just combine with a Halloween party. This works well into adulthood. And if your baby doesn't grow up to be the party planner type, then he or she can just grab some friends for someone else's Halloween party and turn that into the celebration. Win-win!
posted by elizeh at 8:31 PM on August 8, 2013
Once you are old enough not to have to celebrate on the actual day, it's easy and fun to just combine with a Halloween party. This works well into adulthood. And if your baby doesn't grow up to be the party planner type, then he or she can just grab some friends for someone else's Halloween party and turn that into the celebration. Win-win!
posted by elizeh at 8:31 PM on August 8, 2013
I was born on Halloween. As for being the oldest in school. I was. But realized it more clearly the other day when a bunch of high school facebook people were turning 40 this summer. I turned 40 last October. I'm closer in age to the class of 1990, than to most of my 1991 mates.
I'd say it's a mixed blessing. Academically I excelled, socially not so much.
Birthdays were a mess, because we went trick or treating and I never had any friends over for a party, because...they were out trick or treating. ( today that'd not be a problem as most places in Central PA hold trick or treat the Thursday before the 31st.)
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 8:39 PM on August 8, 2013
I'd say it's a mixed blessing. Academically I excelled, socially not so much.
Birthdays were a mess, because we went trick or treating and I never had any friends over for a party, because...they were out trick or treating. ( today that'd not be a problem as most places in Central PA hold trick or treat the Thursday before the 31st.)
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 8:39 PM on August 8, 2013
Born on October 24. The cutoff was December 1 when I started school, so I was always one of the youngest in my class. My dad's birthday is in June and my mom and sister have July birthdays, so it was nice to have my birthday kind of stand alone from the rest. I also liked bringing birthday treats to school and having the class sing to me - I always felt bad for the kids who had summer birthdays and didn't get to do this!
posted by SisterHavana at 12:04 AM on August 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by SisterHavana at 12:04 AM on August 9, 2013 [1 favorite]
Mid-October. Youngest in my classes, which was fine; I didn't have any problems academically or socially related to it. I was also the smallest kid in my class but that's because I am a really small person and a year wouldn't have made any difference. Like others here, I love fall and Halloween, so I enjoyed having my birthday in the middle of all that--although, to be honest, aside from the fact that I've always been annoyed I wasn't born on Halloween itself, I've given the timing of my birthday very little thought.
posted by tiger tiger at 10:59 AM on August 9, 2013
posted by tiger tiger at 10:59 AM on August 9, 2013
Response by poster: Just in case anyone is still checking and enjoys an epilogue, my daughter was born on November 3! And the month of October felt sweeter than it ever has, just from anticipating her arrival.
posted by anderjen at 11:59 AM on November 6, 2013 [10 favorites]
posted by anderjen at 11:59 AM on November 6, 2013 [10 favorites]
I know, from experience, that's an awesome birthday to have. Congrats to both of you!
posted by jph at 12:19 PM on November 6, 2013
posted by jph at 12:19 PM on November 6, 2013
Congratulations, Mom! Hope you and the whole family are recovering well!
So close to Guy Fawkes Day!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:22 AM on November 7, 2013
So close to Guy Fawkes Day!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:22 AM on November 7, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zsazsa at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]