Celebrating Birthdays >
Birthday Party Planning
Planning Your Baby's First Birthday Party
A first birthday party is something that all new parents eagerly
look forward to. Their tiny little bundle of joy is about to turn
into a one year old baby and it is certainly time to celebrate!
And like every other thing associated with your precious baby,
this one comes with its own set of anxieties. You neither want
your baby to be stressed out nor to miss out on all the fun. Here
are some true and tried tips from parents who have held successful
and memorable 1st Birthday parties that you might want to read
before plunging into the party planning process:
1. Choosing a Theme
Celebrating a Themed Birthday Party certainly has its own charm
and makes the planning more organized and interesting, but you can
also skip choosing a theme and simply plan a party that is a lot
of fun for your baby. Lots of colorful balloons, streamers,
cupcakes and finger foods is all that your baby needs to enjoy the
day.
But if you do want to go with a theme, look to your baby for the
choices. Your baby's favorite toys, cartoon character, animal or
any beloved object can provide you with an idea for a theme.
Doggies, Duckies, Tweety, Stars and bright colored butterflies and
flowers are liked by most 1 year olds. See what your baby prefers
and take some ideas from our
Themes for 1st Birthday Party.
2. Deciding Upon the Time and Place
Most of the other guides on this topic will suggest that you host
the party during daytime preferably from 12 to 3 pm when most kids
are at their active best. But we suggest that you take into
account the daily routine of your baby before you set any time.
Every baby has a different routine and most of them differ from
the timetables described in every baby book. Choose a time when
your baby is normally fresh after a nap and a good meal. If your
baby stays awake and fresh during the evening, there is no reason
why you cannot hold the party then. Give your guests a certain
timespan when they can come in along with their own kids
(according to their kids' daily timetables) but do mention a
specific time when you will cut the cake so that your baby does
not get desperate to dig into it after waiting for too long.
The party should be hosted ideally either in your home or some
hired place which provides rest rooms. Your baby might need to
rest before, after and even in between the party. Besides, your
guests are likely to include other new moms who might need to go a
rest room to breastfeed or rest their own babies.
3. Decorations
Bright colors please babies. Yellow is liked by almost all of
them. Turn to your theme for choosing colors. Most kids' favorite
objects have bright colors themselves. Use balloons and streamers
in your theme colors to decorate. Print out or buy a Happy
Birthday banner. If your budget allows you to, get enlarged prints
of the cartoon/animal made or you could even go ahead and
re-create some of the characters and their houses and create
'sets'. These can also be outsourced by hiring professional
decorators. Blow up characters and shapes are also great for
decoration and so are bubble machines. You could also use your
baby's photographs to create interesting decorations. Tables can
carry 3 or 4 sided 'photo tents' and banners can carry your baby's
photo on it.
4. Food and Refreshments
First Birthdays normally have a mix of guests of all ages since
your baby is too young to have his/her own friends invited. Your
menu for the party should also be a mix that will cater to
different age groups. Have something for the other parents and
your friends and family along with general party favorites for
older kids. Snacks like pizzas, burgers and hotdogs are eternal
favorites. And for the birthday boy/girl and other babies, have
easy and simple baby food turned into finger food items. Cupcakes
are also loved by all children and are considered a must for kids
parties these days.
The Birthday Cake is the high point of every birthday and a 1st
Birthday is no different. You can either get the cake made on your
theme or in the shape of "1" or use your baby's photo to create a
customized cake. See our '1st Birthday Cake Ideas'. Take your
baby's high chair and bib along and don't hold him back if he
wants to have his cake on his own. It's his day after all!
Continued on Next Page (Activities, Favors, More Tips)
|
