Your child’s first birthday is indeed a milestone worth celebrating. Not only has your precious bundle of joy turned a year old, but your baby’s first birthday also marks your first year in the roller-coaster journey that is parenthood.
If you have been racking your brains out for the perfect theme, unique party favors, or the best clown for hire there is in your city, it may be easy to feel overwhelmed with all the planning. And when you do, chances are your child’s first birthday bash can turn into a total wreck.
Be sure to make this special day memorable and tear-free (not just for your baby but also for you). Take note of these simple tips to prevent first-birthday-party disasters altogether!
1. Create an Intimate Guest List
While a huge children’s birthday party may be a tempting one to execute, you may want to keep your baby’s first birthday small and simple. Consider having a family-only affair, or keep the guest list within your best friends only.
Aside from the fact that your little one will probably not be able to remember even the major details of that day, a big crowd can easily overstimulate your toddler, especially if he or she is extra sensitive to big and noisy settings. And when this happens to the entire kiddie guest list, all hell will break loose, and you get a recipe for disaster.
2. Consider Your Baby’s Nap Time
Toddlers tend to get cranky when their nap schedules are disrupted, and you don’t want any forms of grumpy in your child’s first birthday party. If you’re inviting guests with their infants or toddlers, make sure to set the time earlier in the day as this is usually the time when most kids are at their best mood. A brunch party or an afternoon soiree should be the perfect times to host a birthday party—and make sure to limit it to only an hour or two long!
3. Be Creative with Your Theme—but Make Sure It’s Doable!
Planning for your baby’s first birthday can unleash the creative in you; you just want everything to be Pinterest inspired and Instagram worthy! But before you get all giddy in planning a circus-themed birthday bash, consider the availability of your resources first.
Do you have the perfect place to suit your theme? Can your suppliers execute your mood board perfectly? Make sure to pick a theme that not only suits your baby’s personality but also can be pulled off easily.
Anyone can do a DIY birthday party as most moms do, but if you think doing so can lead to a mediocre result, might as well look for events places or agencies that offer birthday packages. That should easily get a handful of stress off your plate and keep you sane during the event.
4. Prepare Food for All Ages
Remember—you’re serving not only your adult guests but also their little ones! Prepare a menu that will accommodate all ages. For kids, tasty finger foods such as chicken strips, pasta spirals, or mini sandwiches should fill their tummies easily. For the parents, a light serving of burger slides, pasta, or chicken wings should do the trick.
While you’re at it, you can also make the menu extra special by coinciding it with your theme. For a unicorn-themed party, you can secure unicorn party supplies that include paper plates and cups and fill them with colorful cupcakes and drinks. The possibilities are endless!
5. Take Lots of Pictures Early On
The best time to take photos is hours before the party starts when everything is still perfectly set up and the decorations are yet to be ransacked by little rascals. Take one or two photos of the birthday boy or girl in the venue before your guests arrive because once they do, you will probably be busy hosting and may not be able to get another good shot for the entire duration of the party.
While these tips should prevent your child’s first birthday from turning into a ruckus, don’t place too much pressure on yourself if it does. Some things are just out of your control—and the more you stress about them, the more they can set off your mood and ruin the moment. If push comes to shove, just go with the flow.
After all, the most important part of every celebration concerning your kids is not the perfectly choreographed pictures that might make their way to social media but how you and your family remember it in the future.
Photo URL: https://www.pexels.com/photo/action-activity-boy-children-296301/
