Boys First Birthday Party
By Jessica Hartshorn @ www.americanbaby.com

Fun ideas and survival tips for baby's first birthday party.

First Birthday Theme Parties

It won't matter to your baby whether you throw a catered party for the neighborhood or just have the grandparents over for pizza. How much you do is up to you--do only what feels fun and festive, and cut back if you get stressed out. Here are some tips to get you through this event.

Make or buy a creative cake. Your baby will love looking at the cake as much as eating it.

First Birthday Cake Decorating Ideas

If there will be other young kids, keep the party short--an hour or two is plenty.
If you want to decorate with balloons, opt for the silver helium-filled kind. Latex balloons are a choking hazard to kids under the age of 4.
If you're serving food, do yourself a favor and don't try to make everything. For instance, bake the cake but buy deli sandwiches. Or grill burgers and have a bakery do the cake.
Take pictures of the cake and of baby in his birthday outfit before the guests arrive.
Don't force baby to be social. With all the attention, your little one may need to retreat for a bit.
Consider hiring a sitter or asking a young relative to stay with the birthday baby when he needs a break.
Consider doing the fun part the night before. Strip baby down to a diaper and let her experience her first piece of cake. Then, if he's too thrown off during the party to enjoy the "real" cake, you won't feel disappointed.

First Birthday Cake Decorating Tip

Foil Balloons

Don't have time to decorate? Here is an easy way to decorate a store bought or homemade cake. Purchase an extra Balloon that matches the theme of your party. Cut out the design, spray the back with vegetable oil and place on top of the cake.