When I was pregnant, one of the first things I did (after panicking or celebrating, depending on which pregnancy we’re talking about) was excitedly calculated about when I was due. My son, I figured, would be around sometime in September, and I nervously worried about a 9/11 birthday. My daughter would be by, probably in late spring, and I thought disdainfully of a bad ex’s June 5 birthday. We all have dates we’d probably like to avoid for our little one’s big debut, but what’s the worst birthday possible?
WhatToExpect.com has the answer.
The site surveyed 404 women ages 18 to 44 who were pregnant or had at least one child up to 5 years old earlier this year about the worst possible birthday dates. Their findings made a whole lot of sense.
Christmas
A full 40% of those surveyed felt Christmas would be the most unfortunate of birthdays. Jesus is kind of a hard person to share a birthday with: no matter how hard you shine, you’re not going to be able to hold a candle to someone a huge part of the world believes to be the son of God. For lots of people, particularly Americans, Christmas is probably the biggest holiday of the calendar year. Everyone has a lot going on so everyone forgets, is busy, traveling, or is just not in the mood for yet another party.
Honestly, speaking as someone born on December 27, I can confirm that Christmas kind of spoils any late December birthday. The week between Christmas and New Year basically exists outside of time itself. Yes, a Christmas season birthday sucks. But, honestly, in the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge deal. (And props to my mom for always throwing me un-birthdays in June.)
Leap Day
Considering this birthday only comes around once every four years, it makes sense that 38% of parents felt this was the worst possible birthday. You have to figure out if you’re going to celebrate on February 28 or March 1.
Though I will say, a family friend now in his 80s, was very proud earlier this year to be celebrating his “21st Birthday” on February 29 this year, and I thought it was pretty cute when he said he was finally old enough to drink. So… it’s a good birthday for the long-game.
Anniversary of a death
While I’m sure one could surely see a silver lining in a baby born on the anniversary of the day a loved one died, 26% of those surveyed felt they would rather keep those two big events separate.
New Year’s Day
Another casualty of the holiday season! Again: no one wants to celebrate yet another thing on New Year’s Day, particularly if they’re nursing a hangover from New Year’s Eve, and 23% of moms surveyed understand that.
Other crappy birthdays include…
- Any date close to the holidays (I feel seen…)
- Their siblings birthday (truly, I would never forgive any of my siblings for stealing my birthday from me)
- Halloween (I don’t know; I think this one would be pretty cool, but maybe that’s because I love Halloween)
So if you can schedule your baby’s birthday, maybe avoid these dates. But if you can’t help it, remember: if the worst thing your kid has to deal with is a subpar birth date, then they’re going to be just fine.
