The First Birthday Party: 5 Things to Get Right

Are you planning your child’s first birthday party? Congratulations! That’s definitely an occasion worth celebrating.

A first birthday party isn’t like other children’s parties because your little celebrant won’t remember anything at all.

Your child’s first birthday party is a chance to gather your family and friends to celebrate this milestone, but since your child won’t remember anything yet, don’t wring your brains out trying to figure out what will make your baby happy. The baby won’t expect much.

Keep these things in mind when planning for your little one’s first birthday party so you know where to focus your energies on.

Keep the Program Short

Children have a short attention span, so an hour-long program should be good enough to keep them entertained. Don’t tire the children too much. More importantly, make sure they enjoy the full program by scheduling the party around their nap times. After nap time is good so they’re running on a full tank of energy.

Photo via Happy Hooligans

Give the children ample time to play on their own and socialize with other children too. An hour’s worth of activities for the children (and adults, if you wish) should be enough to get their spirits up and get your guests comfortable with each other.

Small and Intimate is Best

As parents, especially the first-timers, it’s difficult to suppress your feelings of pride and joy when your child turns one. It’s not only the kid’s milestone – it’s your journey as a family too. If you’re tempted to invite the whole world to your party – don’t.

Even the most gregarious child still has a small energy tank. Too many unfamiliar faces might overwhelm your one-year-old. If you want one big party, make sure your child has enough downtime to recharge. Secure a separate room where your child can rest or play with a few familiar faces while you entertain your other guests.

Pick a theme

Themes aren’t just for the obsessive party planners. Having one actually makes the first birthday party planning easier as it will save you time from deciding on the little things – invitations, cake, decorations, and party favors.

Photo via Little Wish Parties

You don’t need to turn your whole place into Disneyland if your child fancies Disney characters. Themed parties can still happen without going overboard. Use color palettes to guide you and choose one or two party elements that you want to concentrate on.

Invitations & Mementos

These are really important since your kid won’t have any memory of the first birthday party. Memorable invitations don’t necessarily have to be expensive. Exercise a little creativity and surprise yourself. Keep these items in an album or a memory box together with the souvenir, décor, gift cards from well-wishers, and other mementos you wish to keep.

Make sure the highlights of the first birthday are captured by photo and video: the blowing of the candles, your child laughing at the games, guests catching up with one another, etc. You’ll only walk away with memories of the party, so make sure they’re well-documented.

Kid-friendly Food

A lot of parents fuss over the décor, games, cake, and theme but give very little attention to food. Your guests’ kids might have food preferences and restrictions. For first birthday parties, play it safe with the food – sandwiches, breadsticks, crackers, pizza, vegetable sticks with dip, and fruit kebab. Parents and guardians will appreciate finger food on the less messy side.

Photo via Erin Fetherson

Serve meatball spaghetti, fish and chips, and chicken tenders for a heavier meal. Don’t forget to ask the adults for allergies and food restriction. Most of all, feed them too!

Cover all these five main areas of the first birthday party for a hassle-free event. Most of all, don’t forget to make your little one smile on the big day!