Your baby is now reaching his or her first birthday – hard to believe. Like most parents, you look back at this one-year mark, marveling in how much has happened and changed. For most parents, it seems as if just yesterday, the birth of the child was the focus. Now, the baby is here, probably walking, trying to talk and your entire world has changed, for the better of course.
For your baby’s first birthday, you will need to decide if you want a big event to include other parents and like-age babies or a more intimate affair to include family and just a few close friends. Typically, the decision would be based on two main things – your budget and the child. For instance, if your baby is quiet, not liking a lot of noise or activity, then you should definitely keep the party small. However, if your child were eager to get his or her hands on everything, the larger party would be fine.
You will want to choose gifts according to the child’s age, making sure there are no small pieces that could be picked up and placed in the mouth. In addition, while guests will buy gifts marked for your baby’s age, you should still look each over after the party to be sure. Gifts such as activity books, learning tools such as a play piano, activity set with buttons, sounds, and colors, dolls, trucks, and other similar items are perfect.
For the cake, you have a multitude of possibilities. You might choose your baby’s favorite cartoon character and have a cake made to match. For instance, if your baby loves Barney, Big Bird, or Cookie Monster, you could have the bakery department at your local grocery store make a cake that features the character. Additionally, instead of going with standard icing, which is thick and exceptionally rich, consider a lighter, whipped topping type frosting, which will probably be handled better by the baby.
As far as decorations, you want to choose items that are colorful and fun, but also safe. Although balloons seem to go naturally with a party, if one should pop, it automatically becomes a danger. The same would be with streamers. If hung high and secure, they would be fine but if one should fall, it could accidentally become tangled around a child. Therefore, choose decorations that can be secured and of course, those that are safe.
Adding in some music and baby party games will complete this special day. Because your baby is little, he or she will tire out quickly. With all the excitement, the baby will probably run on pure excitement for a while but if you notice him or her becoming cranky, you know it’s too much. To prevent this, keep the party to just a few hours and plan on a good naptime. Finally, make sure you capture tons of pictures. After all, your baby will have just one birthday and if like my son who is now 24, he loves going back to look at his one-year party pictures. In fact, I kept some of the decorations, an invitation, and cards, which he still enjoys to this day.