Baby's First Birthday
Party
By Jessica Hartshorn @
www.americanbaby.com
 Fun ideas and survival tips for baby's first birthday
party.
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.
Birthday Party Theme Ideas for a First Birthday Party
By Ellen Neuborne
@ www.americanbaby.com
Hard to believe it's been a year! And so much has changed. Your
enthralling and mysterious infant is now sitting, crawling, maybe even walking and full of
personality. As the big Oh-One approaches, your family may begin to ask what you've got
planned for the festivities. Keep in mind the tender age of the guest of honor and any
similarly sized guests who may attend. Stick with familiar situations and themes to avoid
an unintended fright.
Fireman First Birthday Party
 Many a baby loves the big red noisy fire truck and will thrill to see a birthday bash in
this theme. A firefighter party is easy to put together. And firefighters appeal to a
broad age range, so this is a good pick for a party that will have older siblings in
attendance.
Party favor: Red plastic firefighter hats.
New plastic fire hat is priced right for those little firefighters.
First Birthday Parties from Birthday in a Box
Firetruck Favor
Use pails for loot bags. Fill with stickers, beach ball
or rubber ducks.
Game: Firefighter's Parade. In addition to rushing to fires, fire trucks are
known to roll through town in holiday parades. Enlist the parents and older kids to don
fire hats, ring bells, and toot horns for a firefighter's parade. It can be around the
block or around the living room, depending on your guests' enthusiasm.
Party Favor: Magnet picture frames, suitable for use on a
refrigerator or other
first birthday.
Making a Band Party
Be sure to invite the neighbors -- this party is a noisy one! Babies love to make music
and you can plan a party around that activity that'll be a blast. To make sure everyone
has fun, have duplicates of some favorite instruments, such as drums, tambourines, and
maracas. Use caution if instruments have small parts.
Giggle Rattle
Party favor: Musical instruments. Keep it simple. A maraca or bell or mini drum
works just fine. So long as it can stand up to a good banging from baby.
You could even use sturdy plastic
fun plastic plates.
Game: Music performance. Get your future rock stars out into the middle of the
room. Put on some
party music and encourage the little ones to play along. Pick some
favorite
kids sing-a-long music for the background so kids will recognize it and
want to join in.
First Birthday Party Queen for a Day
This makes a good choice for an event where many of the guests will be too tiny to truly
party. The mood will be festive and the party favors fun, but the little ones won't have
to do much more than sit around and be cute.
Cake: Make your own princess Castle
Cake
Party Favor: Picture frame,
princess crowns
Game: Photo opportunity wearing robe and crown. Use a Polaroid
instant camera and set up a "throne" in a safe, comfy easy chair. Use
tiaras to capture a Kodak moment of the princess and
her court.
An easy baby/toddler favorite. Sesame Street provides baby's first celebrities, and a
party devoted to Elmo and friends is sure to be a hit. Place a "Welcome to Sesame
Street" banner on your front door and have the birthday boy or girl
wear a
personalized first birthday bib.
Party Favor: Elmo and other character stickers. Look for big stickers that make
a big impression (use stickers with caution).
Game: Sesame Street sing-along. Switch on the VCR or fire up the CD player
and encourage big and small party-goers to belt out their favorite Sesame Street tunes.
Set aside
treats for the adult who has best command of Sesame Street lyrics.
First
Birthday Party Planning Timeline:
One month before first birthday party day:
Make guest list, plan menu, send
invitations.
Two weeks before first birthday party day:
Shop for:
First Birthday Party Supplies
Decide on
First Birthday Cake and get
Cake Decorating
supplies and
First Birthday Cake Decorating Ideas.
Ask a friend or
relative who has RSVP'd to act as your assistant on party day.
One week before first birthday party day:
Shop for birthday gifts.
Get favors bags ready.
Day of Party
Hang Birthday Banner
and
foil balloons
Set the table
Pick up cake if you ordered a custom cake
Let the birthday boy or girl have a nap
Set out appetizers or snacks
Enjoy a stress-free party!
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