How to Throw the Perfect First Birthday Party

Watching your baby grow older in a span of one year is quite an achievement. From the long sleepless nights trying to pacify her needs, to the first time that she gets sick and not knowing what to do, to the moment when you saw her smile or to the day when you saw her respond to your voice – it seemed like such a long journey. And yet, as you look into her face every day, you also feel like time is flying by so fast – suddenly she’s turning a year old.

Who To Invite

Your child’s first birthday should be the first of the many special events that you’re going to hold in your family life. The baby might be too young to remember everything, but the focus is to gather select friends and loved ones who have been there throughout your journey into parenthood. It is all about creating memories – moments that all of you will look back on later in life, with fondness and affection.

Planning a birthday party is always crucial – you both have to please the celebrant and the guests. It’s even harder when the person celebrating their birthday is a baby, because technically she is still quite too young to understand what’s going on around her. The trick is to invite guests who are familiar to your baby – faces that she often sees during her first days, such as her grandparents, aunts and uncles, godmothers and godfathers. These people should also be special to your heart – celebrating your child’s first birthday is not about social networking but creating an intimate occasion to appreciate a milestone. It is also to give thanks for having reached a full year of your baby’s existence, and that she is, to that day, healthy and happy and full of life.

At What Time

Babies are known to have really short attention span. They are also prone to tantrum fits and crying bouts when they feel tired, sleepy or uncomfortable. To avoid such scenario during the special day, make sure that you consider your baby’s sleeping schedule into the time of the party. It is best to gather everyone in the afternoon, after your child has had a nap, so that she is fully awake and responsive to guests who have come to see her.

Party Activities

To inspire a festive and youthful atmosphere, you can also invite friends and loved ones who have children. You can prepare a separate table for them, and then mingle with the adults on another. An outdoor setting would be nice, so everybody can enjoy the fresh air, and the large space would make the baby more comfortable. While you chat with the adults, the kids can run around and play, or you can keep them behaved yet entertained by providing them with art materials and little toys, or by just popping in a DVD of a cartoon movie.

Assign somebody to be in charge of the picture-taking, as you will surely be busy handling the baby and engaging the guests. Photos are very important because you are creating tangible memories for everybody – make sure that everyone gets their picture taken, and that they also have a shot with the baby. Another idea is to have your guests write a birthday message on a large piece of paper, and have their photo taken while holding it in front of the camera. Finally, follow the rule of the three Keep’s: keep the party to a maximum of two hours as your baby will likely be exhausted, keep tabs on the gifts so you’ll know who to send a thank you card after, and keep the photos on a scrapbook so you can share later on when your child is older memories of this special event saved on pictures.