That first birthday is approaching and you have no idea what to do! I’m going to help guide you through the tough questions you may have and hopefully steer you in the right direction.
It’s finally that time. Your child is turning one year old and you have no idea what to do. Do you celebrate it even though your child won’t remember it? Do you go big or small? Who do you invite? How do you go about planning? I’m going to help guide you through the tough questions you may have and hopefully steer you in the right direction.
Do you celebrate it at all?
The clear answer is YES!! It’s not just celebrating the day your child was born and commemorating the day. You are celebrating a year of parenthood. YOU MADE IT! You survived! You deserve some cake and drinks amongst friends. You will have the cake table photos for their memory books and the crying, freaked out pictures to make of fun of them when they’re older. But you should definitely do something for your child’s first birthday. Whether you’re going to have just a small intimate gathering at home or a big backyard BBQ. Have the food, cake and candles.
Go Big or Small?
This all depends on whether you can afford it and how many people you want to invite. Now that we’re 5 years post-covid, you probably feel obligated to invite everyone you know. Maybe the same people from the baby shower or whomever you know who has children since it’s technically a child birthday party.
If you go small, invite just close family and friends. Who cares if they have children or not, just think about the important people in your life. When there’s a lot of kids, then you need to entertain them. And how are you going to do that at a one year old birthday party? Do you hire a clown and entertainment business? If you don’t then you’re on your own for entertaining everyone. So what are you going to do to with these kids? Think really hard about that question. Start with grandparents, aunts and uncles, first cousins and friends who are family.
Before deciding to go big, think about where you can host your party. This is a major factor in determining the size of your party. Are you going to do it at home, grandparents house, backyard or park? One of those 2-hour party kid places? Can you rent a venue? Think about your budget and if you can do it outside your home. Do you even want to? Space will help you finalize your list and without remorse too because you literally don’t have the space to accommodate too many people.
Where do you begin?
You’ve decided how big or small, where to host your event and who to invite. Now the fun part – the party planning!
First, think about your theme. We’ve established this party is really for you so ask yourself what do you want it to be? Your child doesn’t really have much interest at this point. They might like certain shows or have a favorite toy, but come up with a cool and creative idea that you will be proud of. Disney, Sesame Street and Nickelodeon shows are always a safe choice. Whatever you decide, make sure to commit to that idea. For example: Don’t just buy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse favor bags if it doesn’t match the simple red, black and white theme you have for everything else.
Decorations are still important. You want to make this day special and lively. Buy balloons, centerpieces, goodie bags, favors, caketoppers, color coordinated utensils and send out invitations either by mail or image through text. The size of your invite list shouldn’t affect how you want the party to look like. Make the cake table fancy. Buy a backdrop that hopefully you can return later and a really cute first birthday outfit.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate this day, be proud of yourself that you survived the first year. Enjoy the day with family and friends. Spend it smiling with your child and giving them cake. Take the Pinterest inspired photos of smashing the cake and holding the number 1 balloon. Just remember to be happy even if you’re exhausted running around making the day perfect because it’ll be worth it.
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