Baby’s First Birthday Party Ideas!

CREATE YOUR OWN PARTY BABY’S 1ST PARTY THEME:

ABC & 123 Party – Use solid primary colored party supplies,
building blocks and children’s sing-a-long music to create
a baby friendly environment. Lead a “circle time” or ask a
preschool teacher to help.

Mommy and Baby Tea Party – Invite a few special friends
to celebrate your baby’s 1st birthday with a traditional tea party birthday.
Add this cupcake party pattern for a festive touch!

Take me to the Zoo – Animals, fresh air and so much to discover.
Celebrate the first year of your baby with a trip to the zoo.
Either go to the zoo with some special family friends, or set the stage
at home with stuffed animals, posters and solid colored party products. Make masks with paper plates, play animal charades.
Zoo Trip Party Guide >>

Mother Goose Party
Have your guests dress-up as their favorite Nursery Rhyme character.
Hang drawings or posters of Mother Goose Characters. Decorate a sheet cake to look like an open book.

A Color Party
Bright colors and simplicity is in order here. Decorate your home with solid brightly colored balloons, streamers, flowers etc. Ask your guests to dress in solid colors; all red, all yellow, orange etc.- Color rainbows- Have a rainbow cake – Children can decorate your walkway using sidewalk chalk. Give a coloring book and crayons as a party gift. Serve cupcakes made in colored ice cream cones.

Old Macdonald Had a Farm
Take your guests to visit a farm, or create one in your home with stuffed animals, toys, posters and this farm animal party pattern. Make farm animal caps for little guests, search for plastic chicken eggs, play duck, duck goose and of course sing an exuberant round of Old MacDonald Had a Farm!
Complete Farm Birthday Party Guide >>

One Is Fun
Baby bottle bowling, bubbles and a parade will celebrate being one…
plus our favorite baby is “1” party patterns…read more >>

BABY’S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY TIPS

When should I have my party?

• Keep the party short 1- 1/12 hours is about the
  most a one year old can handle without getting over
  stimulated and possibly cranky.
• Schedule around nap times. Late morning, allows for
  a morning nap or late afternoon to allow for an
  afternoon nap.
• Weekend parties usually work better for parents
  and other adults.

How many guest should I invite?

• Most first birthday parties are for the adults in
  your child’s life (family and friends). Invite the most
  special friends and relatives.
• Keep it to a manageable number of guests for you
  and your space. Keep in mind, that you will be
  caring for your little one at the same time.
• If you intend to invite other babies or toddlers
  1- 3 guests is ideal with a maximum of 5.
• Parents of little ones should be included as guests
  so they can assist their children and you if necessary.

Should I serve food?

• Although it is not necessary to provide a meal,
  finger foods are always nice. Especially with babies.
• Check with ALL parents regarding food allergies and
  safety. Keep packaging fun but safe.

What else should I keep in mind?

• Be flexible!!!! All parents know that children and their
  behaviors are not predictable. Un-scheduled rests,
  tears, accidents etc. are to be expected at a baby’s
  first birthday. Just relax and go with the flow.
• To help you be flexible…arrange for help from a reliable
  friend or family member who can watch your child or
  entertain while you change a diaper, pick up a spill etc.
• If you plan on having children at the party keep plenty
  of toys and activities available to keep them occupied.
• Baby-proof the party space.

REMEMBER – This is a day to celebrate the birth of your
child. Keep the party simple so you can do just that. Plan
some special quiet time at the end of the day just for Mom, Dad, and baby.

BABY’S FIRST BIRTHDAY GAMES & ACTIVITIES
Realistically, one year old parties are for the grown-ups to celebrate.
Here are some game ideas that adults can enjoy. That is, if they are a playful bunch! We also have some fun entertaining activities for the “not so playful group”.

Baby Bottle Bowling
Also a good baby shower game!
Fill ten baby bottles with water or rice to make them more stable.
Arrange the bottles on the floor like bowling pins.
Mark an “X” a reasonable distance from the “pins”.
Players will take turns trying to get a strike using a ball.

Baby Monitor Madness
Also a fun baby shower game!
This is similar to a treasure hunt.
You’ll need a a baby monitor that can travel some distance.
Admittedly, the instructions are a bit confusing, but the game
is too fun not to mention!

Before the party, write two lists of clues about areas, or items from
around your home, 5-10 objects per list; toaster, bathroom, crib, broom closet etc.
Hide a fun object or candy at each location.
Clue Example:
“POP” too, dark! “POP”, too light!
I never seem to get it right
(toaster)

To play: Divide your guests into two teams. One team is assigned to the the baby monitor transmitter and the other will carry the receiver.
The teams will begin the game in different locations. The transmitter team has a list of clues. They read the clues through the monitor to the “receiver” team. They have only 1-2 minutes to solve the clue and collect the object at that location before the next clue is read. When the clues have all been read, that round is over. The teams switch and there is a new list of clues. The team that solves the most clues wins!

You Are So Special
Place a current photo of your baby in a cardboard mat frame with a wide edge. Place the photo with acid-free markers or gel pens on a table. Throughout the party invite guests to write a message to the birthday child. You are special because…Happy birthday, Why we love you etc….After the party place this special keepsake in a
glass frame and hang it in baby’s room!

Take a Guess
Fill a jar with dry Cheerios cereal, a baby’s favorite! You’ll need to count
the cereal before placing it in the jar. Every guest will write their name on
a piece of paper and make their guess as to how many pieces of cereal there are in the jar. Closest guess wins a prize.

Baby Gym Relay
Have you ever noticed much moving your little one does.
Most adults would find this exhausting! This relay race will give your guests a workout. Place two baskets at one end of a room and a pile of toys at the other end. Divide the guests into teams. The game starts at the pile of toys. Players take turns picking up a toy, crawling (or walking on their knees) to the basket, drop the toy into the basket and return to their team. Next player takes their turn and so on. Until all of the toys are in the basket. First team to finish wins!

Baby Portrait Time
This is supposed to be fun and with no artistic pressure.
Give every guest some crayons, paper and a hard surface,
or play at a table. Hold your baby where everyone can see him/her.

When you say “Go” players have 30 seconds to draw the baby. When the time is up…switch drawings to the player next to you (clockwise).
Say, “GO” draw again. Keep this going for several rounds (or as long as your baby can handle sitting) the pictures are quite entertaining. Remember,
no artistic talent is necessary. Stick figures, abstract …anything goes.
After the party you may want to make a collage using all of the pictures and frame it – talk about an original work of art.

Baby’s First… Guessing Game:
Before the party, collect photos, mementos, and hand drawn pictures of your babies milestones. Tape them onto construction paper and then mount them on the wall chronologically, but without dates. Examples of milestones: left hospital, first shots, 1st bath, first trip, slept through the night, 1st smile, met grandma, first solid food, first babysitter.

Give the players some “sticky notes” and a pencil. Each player writes their initials and the date that they think the milestone occurred. Place the sticky note on the milestone picture. Whoever has the most correct guesses, wins a prize!

Baby Can Do…
Before the party, write a list of tasks your baby can and can’t do; clap, eat with a spoon, walk, use the potty, count to 20, throw a ball…Can your guests guess correctly. To play, designate one side of the room to be the “CAN” side and the other, the “CAN’T” side. All players start in the middle.
When you call out a task, if a player believes your baby CAN do it – they move to that side of the room and vise versa.

Messages to Baby
Before the party, decorate a plastic shoebox container. Provide pen and paper. Encourage your family and friends to write special notes for your child to read when they get older. Good topics are…
My hopes and dreams for you are…How you’ve touched my life.
What I like about you. I love you because…
Store the container to be opened at a later date.