What do you do?

I send mine in, I pay whether they attend or not so I'm not wasting money! 🤣

@Rachel each to their own! My youngest is starting school in September so won't be spending anymore birthdays as a family until it falls on a weekend.

Our boy’s birthday was Friday and we took him out to go to the zoo. It’s his last birthday all together before second baby arrives in the summer and he starts school in September. So wanted to make the most of it.

My little boys birthday is tomorrow and he’s 100% going to the childminder. She always makes such a big thing of birthday so he will have way more fun there 😂

Luckily my son's birthday is in the Easter holidays this year, otherwise yes I probably would take him out. He starts school in Sep so it won't be a choice going forward. I don't you where OP is but my son gets his preschool fully funded so I don't pay. It won't be an issue with my daughter as she's an August baby

I think it depends on if I already have celebrations planned on the weekend for them. If I do, they can go to school and celebrate there with friends, if I don’t plan a weekend celebration then I’d make the day a special one.

You’ll still spend time together just not the whole day🤷🏼‍♀️

Send to daycare. Special dinner, cake and gifts on the day, then celebrations with family on the weekend!

I send mine in. I still need to work.

@Minna I'm lucky in that we haven't got the money to go on a proper holiday so I get to use my annual leave for special occasions like this and week long child illnesses 🥲

My wife used a pto day since our little ones bday is on a Thursday. If she didn't have pto to use then she would have went into work a few hours earlier to be home a few hours earlier.

Ah yes, my holiday days are for school holidays mainly nowadays. There's so many of those that I don't get to have "normal holiday".

@Minna how do you manage? I'm worried as I know my annual leave will not stretch to 14 weeks

We take it in turns with my partner. Also some days she goes to holiday clubs. And sometimes playdate with a friend. I changed jobs so I can work from home now, so that helps a lot.

I would buy a cake or cupcakes and give it to the nursery so they can have a little celebration there and have another one at home with friends and family