Time to celebrate: Your baby is turning one — and you made it through the first year! Make the occasion feel extra special with our planning guide.
Invitation: Schedule the time of the party around the birthday baby’s naps and limit the length of the party to one to two hours (any longer and babies tend to get cranky). Send out invitations about three weeks ahead of time so guests can save the date. You may want to throw an intimate party just for family and close friends, or you may prefer to throw a big event to share your bundle of joy with a larger group. Just remember that some babies can get overwhelmed with big crowds, so even if you invite a lot of people, be sure your little one still gets plenty of attention from you.
Get the party started with a paid premium Evite invitation:
Theme & Decorations: Consider your baby’s favorite animal or activity and base the theme around that, or simply choose a bright, happy color palette in lieu of a specific theme. Either way, keep the decorations simple. Party hats and noise makers are always a big hit (make sure they are safe for young children). We even made DIY party cups with tissue paper festooning and paper straws. Beware of balloons, however: Kids love them, but they are a choking hazard for little ones.
Activities: One-year-olds are still too young for structured activities; instead, we recommend the 2 B’s –balls and bubbles — to keep kids entertained for hours. Older kids attending? Keep coloring books on hand to keep them happy too.
Food: Keep it simple with finger foods for both kids and adults, including the birthday boy or girl’s favorite snack. In addition to the birthday cake, get or make a smash cake — a mini cake your child can dig into (often quite literally), smush and smash– for photos. Or just serve cupcakes to everyone, including your baby.
Presents: Decide on a designated place for guests to drop off gifts when they arrive. If you’re hosting a large gathering, we recommend waiting until after the party to open the gifts. If you do decide to open presents at the party, be sure to ask someone to keep track of who gave what so you can send everyone a thank-you note, such as this paid premium thank-you card from Evite:
Favors: Print this simple DIY free printable tag on label paper, position it on a clear plastic box, and fill the box with animal crackers. Or just print the tag on card stock, hole-punch the tag and tie it onto a store-bought box of animal crackers.
Happy Birthday, baby — and many more!
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