Birthdays

Did you know there was more to CBeebies birthdays than just a card on TV?

Birthdays are always very popular on CBeebies and so we have made three ways to celebrate birthdays with CBeebies: You could:

Have your birthday greeting on Interactive TV (this is the red button service); or
Send in a birthday card to CBeebies to possibly be shown on TV
Generate an online birthday greeting personalised for your child

A birthday message on Interactive TV (BBC Red Button)
To see birthday messages on Interactive TV, press the Red Button whilst watching the CBeebies channel. Choose Birthdays and use the Left and Right arrows to scroll between messages.

We'll always try to feature as many birthday messages as we can, but we can't guarantee that everyone's will be shown. Please note, we have limited space so your message may be shortened to fit. An example of a message could be: "James, 5 years old, from Mummy, Daddy & Jack".
You can improve the chances of your message appearing by including the following details:

Send in your greeting at least a week before the big day.
Make sure the subject line of your email reads 'Birthdays mm/dd'
Include your child's name, age and who the message is from.

You can email your birthday message to: cbeebies.bdaystar@bbc.co.uk, writing 'Birthdays mm/dd' (the child's birthday) in the subject field.

Or you can post details to:

CBeebies Red Button Birthdays
PO Box 1234
Salford
M5 0DN

Please note that this service is currently only available to Sky and Freeview digital viewers

A birthday card on TV
Birthday cards on TV are very popular. We receive many more birthday cards than we have time to show. We are currently only able to feature around half the cards we receive so we apologise in advance for any disappointment this may cause. This is why we have other birthday options available.

As we record messages in advance, we need cards at least 4 weeks before the birthday. This period may increase at busy times of the year like Christmas.

Postage restrictions on the size of parcels have recently changed. From now on, unfortunately we cannot accept cards that exceed the dimensions of a Medium Parcel. Your package or envelope must be no longer than 61cm, and no wider than 46cm.

Don't forget, if you've missed birthdays there's another chance to catch up! Watch the presenters read a selection of cards on CBeebies iPlayer. The birthday cards will be available for ONE week from the date they are shown television, and will be available to view from midday on the date of transmission (removed at midday one week later).

To have the best chance of seeing your card on TV, we advise the following:

Send your card so that it arrives at least four weeks before the birthday.
If possible do not roll the card into a postage tube.
Put the first name only and age of the child on the front of your birthday card.
Put your message and the date of the birthday on the back, (to avoid personal information being shown on camera).
Do not send cards bigger than A2 size.
Make sure the card is landscape shape (wide) as opposed to portrait (tall) as this is better for TV.
If you decorate the cards with TV characters, please make sure that you only use CBeebies ones as commercial images cannot be used for copyright reasons.
Please make sure that there are no logos or anything identifiable on the child's clothes (such as a school jumper).

Post your card to:

CBeebies
PO Box 1234
Salford
M5 0DN

We're sorry but we can not return cards or provide recordings.

When cards are read out on TV:

If you are recording CBeebies birthdays, please allow an extra ten minutes on either side from the times stated.

Online Birthday Message Generator:

You can also create a personal message from the Presenters for your little one with the help of our Birthday Message Generator. You can select either Cerrie or Alex to read out a Happy Birthday message directly to your child!

Weekdays on CBeebies Channel

6.55am
10.30am repeat 2.30pm
12.15pm
4.15pm

Weekends on CBeebies Channel

6.55am
10.30am repeat 2.20pm
12.15pm
4.20pm