Congrats! You have completed one glorious year of parenthood, and if you are a first time parent, this must have been a confusing time with pieces of advice flowing in from all sides, coupled with sleepless nights, and now your little ball of excitement is a year old and you are thinking of their very first birthday party. It is also understandable if you are at a loss as to what to do to make it happen smoothly. Thus, to help you a little, here are 10 tips for planning your little one’s first birthday party. Take the guide:
1. Go Simple
Any parent of a toddler would know how much they hate constricted spaces and that’s precisely what you’d be aiming at if you go for a theme party with lots of party poppers and extensive decorations. It is best to go for simple themes like summer themed party ruled by refreshing drinks of pink and orange colours or beach themed breezy blues.
2. Plan Around The Nap
We are all pretty acutely aware of the irregular sleep cycle of the tiny tots. However, by the end of one sleepless year, you must have become more or less aware of their sleeping patterns with an absolute need to take care of their happy existence. Use that knowledge to your advantage and plan the party based on that, even if the party starts at unusual times. You will be free to enjoy, and so will the baby without the crankiness of sleep time.
3. Have A Relaxation Corner
In the commotion of the party with the little armies of squealing babies, remember to keep aside a quiet area for wear and sleepy little ones, with non-electric toys for the kids who get disturbed by the moving LED lit toys.
4. Capsule Letters For Gifts
One cute idea which you can practice for your baby’s first birthday party is to have all the guests write a letter to them, a word of advice or anything they want to tell the baby. Put all these letters in a jar and decide a time later in life when you will give it out, say on their 21st birthday.
5. Pre Party Photo Op
The chances are high that your little one will get cranky around the guests in the house and will be in no flowery mood to have pretty pictures taken. How to avoid that? Order two 1st birthday cakes, the larger one for the party and the smaller one for a pre-party photo shoot, preferably for the day before the party. Get your baby ready and have a birthday photo shoot in a much happier mood and I bet, no one will be able to tell the difference.
6. Make Older Kids The Delegates
Older kids love to be given responsibilities. And with already having to take care of so much, you would like less burden on your shoulders. The strategy is to delegate and make the slightly older kids responsible for games and keep the baby entertained. You can also involve them for passing around food to their friends.
7. Go For Self Serve
As it has been said, you already have a lot in your kitty. Your baby will need a lot of your attention while you also need to have fun on this special day. Prepare the snacks in advance and lay it out for your guests to help themselves with whatever they need. Keep a check on it from afar while having a fun time with the baby.
8. Large & Open Spaces
Kids like to move around, and that’s no secret. Your best bet then is to have a backyard, terrace or children’s park party. Pick a large spot and put minimal decorations and balloons. However, if you cannot arrange an open space, move the furniture and create space for the little feet to move around freely. That’s also how you will save mishaps from happening like the precious food or cake being accidentally destroyed or artwork going to dust.
9. Special Cake
The first birthday of your child ought to be special and memorable. Make it exceptional by planning a theme cake. It could be a jungle theme cake or his favourite cartoon cake. You can also try small and separate alphabets of his name as the 1st birthday cakes, place them in sequence and have the kid cut them all. It will definitely be overwhelming for you, the child as well as the guests.
10. Keep It Short & Sweet
The last but also the most important tip is to not extend the party beyond 2 hours max because beyond that point you’re probably just scaling a dangerous territory with so many little kids around. Not only is there a high possibility of the star of the party losing their patience and interest, but there is also a chance that other kids will start growing cranky too. So wrap it up while it’s still fun.
With these 1stparty essentials for your tiny tot’s birthday, the party is sure to rock!
