How to Plan Baby’s First Birthday Party

Planning to throw a party in honor of your baby’s first birthday? Wondering who should be invited, where to host and how long should the party last? Here are the instructions on how to plan baby’s first birthday party.

Where to host?

If you want to save some money and your house is big enough, it would be a great option to throw the party at your home. Throwing a party at home means that guests can stay longer. This also means that baby will have a familiar and comfortable place to nap, get changed and eat.

If you don’t want to host a party at your home, it’s a great option to book a kids play space or a restaurant. It can cost a bit more, but you won’t have to entertain your guests or clean after the party.

Depending on a weather, you should also think about throwing a party at a local park. There is a playground to keep the kids occupied. You can put food and party decorations on a picnic table. Ask the local authorities do you need a reservation and should you have a permit.

No matter where you decide to throw a party, be sure that there’s a space for babies and kids to safely play and crawl around. Also, there should be a space where both you and the guests can nurse or change diapers.

How long should the party last?

Keep the party short. Plan for the party to last a couple of hours, not the whole day. Babies and small kids can be overwhelmed with party that lasts long. It would be the best to throw the party after naptime, in the afternoon. This ensures that your baby will be rested and won’t get fussy.

Number of guests

This depends on your budget. The more guests you have, the more space, food and beverages you’ll need. If you’re going to make a small, intimate celebration, invite aunts, uncles, grandparents and a couple of friends from playgroups or daycare. If you want a huge birthday bash, also invite family friends, extended family and coworkers.

Choose a theme

Whether you choose a particular color, story character or animal, you can design everything for the party around that theme – from invitations to birthday cake. Does your baby have a favorite stuffed bear? Have a woodland/forest animals theme. If your little one loves dinosaurs, throw a prehistoric-themed birthday party. Or make a first birthday party for your wild one with jungle and safari themed decoration.

Food

When making a menu, you should consider if the guests are going to be mostly adults or if there will also be kids. For babies, you should serve age-appropriate finger foods and solids (soft fruit, steamed veggies, smoothies, dry cereal, yogurt). Great choice for older kids are chicken or turkey fingers and cheese sandwiches. For adults, have cheese and meat platters, sandwiches, veggies and dip. Make sure to double-check for food allergies and eating restrictions.

On the birthday invitation, you should state if you’ll be serving a full meal or just cake and snacks. You should also state that there will be snacks available for kids – so the parents could plan accordingly.

Cake smash

Cake smash is a cute tradition that can result in some amazing photos. But a floor covered with cake is not something you want to deal with in the middle of a birthday party. It’s a great idea to set up the cake smash on another day, so you can hang a photo backdrop, protect the floors and take pictures without distractions.

Party games

Hire a performer who can entertain the kids with age-appropriate activities, like dancing, singing and story telling. If the party will have kids of various ages, you should have activities and toys to suit them all (crafts table, board games, bounce house, face painting).

You should also have a quiet, private space, if some babies get fussy. This space should be separated from the party. Fill it with cozy furnishings and toys, so the little ones can emotionally regulate and relax.

Party favors

Thank the guests for coming with a small gift – cookies, chocolates, small toys… Don’t forget to add a cute favor tag!

What are your thoughts on how to plan baby’s first birthday party?

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