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Helpful Tips for Celebrating a First Birthday
By: Laurie Katz, Ph.D.
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From sleepless nights with your little one to baby being on the move. The first year flies by so fast and you find your self saying "can you believe it's been one year already?" So much happens in the first year and your baby has grown into a little person. Celebrating this major milestone for your baby is fun and it's also a celebration for you as parents. You made it through the first year and you did an awesome job too! The planning process for a first birthday party can sometimes feel overwhelming. Here are some things to consider when celebrating your babies first birthday.
Consider the party budget
What is your party budget? This is an important question to ask before you start planning. Pick a realistic budget and write down everything you are having such as food, decorations, entertainment, etc…. in one note book. Keep track of the costs. Having the party at home doesn't necessarily save you money. Things add up quickly. You would be surprised how much balloons cost these days! If your having it catered how much do you want to spend? Remember if it's in your house you might want paper plates, utensils, decorations etc….. For budget conscious families there are definitely ways to save money. If you cook all the food and do things like blow up balloons yourself, make your own decorations such as happy birthday signs, then the extra work will save you money. Consider asking friends or family help you with the decorations and cooking as well.
Where to have the party
This is probably the first question to ask yourself once you have established a budget. Do you want the party at home or at a venue? This will depend on how many people you are having and if you want to have a party at your home or not. There are pluses and minuses to having the party at your house. If you have it at your house then you have to make space for everyone and clean up before and after. You also may have to worry about parking depending on where you live and how many people are coming. If you have it at a venue then you have to find one you like and decide on what works for the ages of kids that will be there. I had my son's first birthday party at our house but it was definitely a lot of work and planning involved. There is something to be said for someone who helps organize things for you at a venue.
If you want to have it at a venue consider a place where older and younger kids can run or crawl around and be safe. Many places will offer you food, a room, and activities included in one price. You can have it at a restaurant but make sure there are enough high chairs to accommodate the kids and if you have a private room this will be easier. If your little one was born during the spring or summer months or if you live in a warm climate, consider having the party outdoors at a local park. Some zoo's also have picnic bench areas that you can use as well which are in a spot that you don't have to pay to get into the zoo. Call your local park or zoo and reserve the space ahead of time. These areas are usually free to reserve and a fun place for adults and kids to go.
Time of day for the party
Pick the time of day for the party when your little one will hopefully be awake and ready to party! One option is to schedule the party around your child's nap time. Schedule the party by what works best for you and your baby. Think about putting an ending time on the invitation so that people get there on time. A party that is about 2 to 3 hours long would be appropriate for this age group. Most venues will schedule the party for about 2 hours. Dinner is usually best for this age group when it's early.
Picking a theme or having activities for the kids
Consider having a theme for the party. Themes can be done by color, activity, or animals etc. For example buy everything in yellow and blue or pink and purple. You could do a monkey theme for "your little monkey" or a princess theme. Pick up decorations, plates, napkins, and all party related things in this theme. This creates cohesion to the look of the party and can be fun for kids as well. There are many online party stores have packages where you can buy all the supplies you need in one theme. They will even create custom happy birthday signs for you to hang.
If you want to have activities for the kids consider the ages of the kids who are coming. If you have older kids you could have some arts and crafts to keep them entertained. Play some child friendly music in the background of the party to get it going. If you want to hire an entertainer you could have someone who sings songs, plays music, blows bubbles, or does a puppet show. These are all things a one year old can watch and enjoy.
Deciding on Food
The important thing here is to have something that adults and kids will like and can eat. Popular ideas are sandwiches, salad, and macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese is for the kids but the adults will be the first to go for it. Make sure you have enough food for everyone. For dessert you can do cupcakes or a cake. You can also bake cookies or have candy out for the older kids. You will also need to decide whether you will cook the food yourself or have the food made by someone from a venue or catering company. Some catering companies will provide people at your house that help serve and clean up. Many supermarkets will do catering and delivery of the food as well.
Party favors for kids and adults
Party favors are a great way to thank your friends and family for coming to the party and let them leave with a gift from you. Many people only do party favors for the kids but if you want to include the adults as well consider baking cookies and wrapping one or two for the adults to take with them. A friend of mine put candy and little toys from the dollar store in Chinese food take out boxes that were decorated. Another idea is to take a picture of all the guests with you and your little one and send it to them with the thank you card. Favors can be creative and don't have to be expensive. It's a special way of letting your guests know that you thought about them.
Guests and gifts
Do you want your guests to bring birthday gifts? My feeling is that your child only has their first birthday once so if guests want to bring gifts then go for it! If you are concerned about these tough economic times and your child already has so many toys consider asking guests to donate to the charity of your choice instead. If you don't want guests to bring gifts make sure you write this on the invitations so there is no confusion.
Pictures and/or taking video
If you want to enjoy your guests and not have to worry about capturing all the photos then ask a friend or family member to be in charge of photos and video. This will give you time to worry about other things and be more present at the party. Organizing this ahead of time will prevent any regrets later. Let the person who is taking the photos or video know what you want. (ie., candid shots or posed?) They will feel special that you trusted them such an important task at the party.
Enjoying the party
Usually when you're the host of a party you're running around so much that you practically miss the whole thing. Wouldn't it be nice to be more present at your baby's first birthday party and really enjoy this time with your baby and guests? Think about what you want to get out of the party and write this down ahead of time? Do you want to see the look on your babies face at certain moments? Do you want to enjoy baby eating cake? Do you want to enjoy opening presents? Do you want to take time to talk with guests more? If you want to be more present then you need a plan and help. Someone needs to help you with organizing the food and activities. It doesn't need to be a professional, ask a friend or family member to be in charge of making sure the cake gets put out at a certain time. Women tend to take on too much at once. The less you have to worry about at the party the more you will enjoy it. Remember this is a celebration for you as well!
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