It’s
hard to believe that one short year ago your precious child was born!
Now it’s time to celebrate your baby being another year older, and you
making it through that whole year, with a first birthday party!
Let’s be realistic—your baby isn’t going to remember this bash, so it
won’t matter if you have a small family gathering at the house or a big
blowout at a local event venue.
As long as your baby is feelin’ the love, they will have a great first
birthday! So have fun with it! Here are some ideas for planning your
baby’s first birthday party to ensure that there are no tears at your
celebration—from the babies or you!
First Birthday Party Location
The
easiest place to throw a first birthday party is obviously in the
comfort of your own home. Your child is most comfortable there, there
are plenty of toys available and the area is already baby friendly. If
the weather is in your favor, move all of the guests to the backyard for
some fun and games in the sunshine. The best part about outdoor parties
is the minimal amount of cleanup required, which is perfect for a bunch
of messy babies! If your home isn’t large enough to accommodate all of
your guests, some other great options are the park, zoo, restaurants or a local community center.
First Birthday Party Invitations
You will primarily be inviting family to your baby’s birthday party, so make the invitations
special by crafting them yourself. One creative option is to make
copies of a blank birth certificate and then fill them in with all of
the party details. Another possibility is to write the information on
the back of a fairly recent picture of your baby so the guests that
aren’t able to come to the party will still get to see how big your
child has gotten. Don’t think that handmade invitations are the only
option though! You do have a one-year-old at home that you have to deal
with! A very quick and easy alternative is to make the invites online
and send them via email. A quick tip to keep in mind when you are
making the invites, keep the party brief (an hour or so) and plan the
time in the late morning or late afternoon in order to prevent
interfering with your baby’s napping schedule. Nobody enjoys a cranky
baby!
First Birthday Party Themes
One-year-olds
don’t necessarily have an opinion on what they’d like their party theme
to be, so make it easy on yourself and choose something simple! You
might want to aim for a color coordinated look or maybe the baby’s first
initial. A few easy, yet attractive, decorations to include are:
- Rainbow streamers hanging from the doorways
- An archway of balloons strung together in the backyard
- Photos of the birthday child
- Large cutouts of the number one made from brightly colored paper and hung around the room
- Pinwheels stuck throughout the yard or in flowerpots. You can even make them yourself and then send them home with the kids as party favors after the party is over!
First Birthday Party Activities
Babies
don’t need much stimulation to be entertained, so there’s no need to
fret about planned activities. A bunch of toys placed in the middle of
the room, some light music for dancing, or a ball to roll back and forth
might be all they need. Just opening up the presents will be an
exciting activity for your baby! The adults can join in on the fun and
games as well! Have everybody bring in a baby picture of themself. Then
you can all try to guess which baby picture belongs to which guest!
First Birthday Party Foods
Two words—Finger. Foods. Serving babies will limit your menu options so stick to some simple finger foods in order to please everybody. Tiny sandwiches with cheese spread (you can cut them into fun shapes), cubes of mild cheese, pasta spirals, a fruit rainbow platter
and mini yogurts are good options. You can also try animal crackers or
graham crackers broken into small pieces. The key is to keep it simple
since it will all end up on the ground in the end. Try to avoid serving
foods that could be choking hazards, such as nuts and small candies.
Don’t forget the birthday cake! It might be best to get a separate,
smaller cake specifically for the birthday baby since they will be
demolishing it anyway!
The
most important thing to remember during your child’s first birthday
party is to relax, enjoy your time with your family and celebrate the
fact that you and your baby have made it through an entire year. To make
it easy on yourself, consider hiring an event planner or throwing the party at a local venue. If you have any first birthday party stories or ideas share them with us on Facebook or Twitter! For more birthday party inspiration check out our Birthday Party Bliss board on Pinterest!