Looking for First Birthday Ideas!

Make it very simple. Your little one will probably be tired and overstimulated AND not really know what's going on. Don't set yourself up for dissapointment by going all out for a first birthday.

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It sounds like you're overplanning a bit. We just do a quiet family thing, around scheduled nap times. A rule of thumb I've heard is 1 kid per year the kid is turning. At 1, she's not going to care. This last year for our littlest, we just had immediate family for the actual party and let our ds have at it with a brownie with frosting (older brother's idea). It was great fun and then he got a bath. Over the next few weeks, the family came a few at a time, so he never had more than 1 or 2 gifts at a time. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and the amount of gifts and family was not overwhelming. I think the family enjoyed being the star gift givers, as well.

I agree with Katie B. At that age it is all very confusing and over stimulating to have too big and exciting of a birthday. I always had a family party first for my kids, you know have Grandma and Grandpa over, plus Aunt's and Uncles', cousins, etc. Have a quiet fun dinner with fun decorations, and just a quiet birthday. You will have to help her open her presents and she will probably become easily distracted from them. My daughter had a first birthday for my grandchildren and they didn't even know what to do with the presents, they just wanted to get up and wander around with all of the family that was there. My daughter ended up being stressed out trying to get my grandkids to concentrate on the presents. So the first birthday will end up being for you and daddy, not for you beautiful baby girl. But, it can still be fun!

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Sorry to say that I agree with the other moms that you might want to tone it down a touch. It is perfectly understandable that YOU are excited about her first birthday, but she won't know the difference! We hosted a BBQ at home with some close friends after my hubby came back from his deployment (it wasn't even on her actual birthday, but a few weeks later so daddy could be there). I did go all out on the cake and even got a special little one from the bakery for her to smash to pieces, but we tried to keep everything else pretty simple. There were only a couple other kids there, nothing at all like you are talking about. Unless your daughter is used to being around tons of people and kids all the time, you might be setting yourself up for a cranky kid with a large crowd. Also, I think it might be fairly difficult to come up with a place that would cater activities to the range of ages you are talking about. That in itself might end up being a rather large headache you could have avoided! I am not trying to rain on your parade, but I also don't want you to end up being disappointed that things didn't turn out the way you had hoped. Even with the rather low-key party we had at home, my daughter was bored halfway through and pretty cranky towards the end because she was really over-stimulated with all the people and the presents and such. The first birthday really is about the parents, because the little one is too young to know what is going on. It isn't like my daughter had any clue why all those people were in our house or why I expected her to smush a cake so I could take pictures! :) But it really doesn't matter how many of us suggest that a big to-do might not be such a great idea. You are the only one that will know how your daughter will react to all the people and wherever you choose to hold it. She could be used to having lots of kids around and that wouldn't bother her in the least. Every kid is different, so if the big to-do is what you think is best, go for it. It only happens once. As far as suggestions for a location goes, my daughter attended a party at Pump It Up. She was two at the time, but there were a couple year olds at the party too. You could probably call and see what the age range would be and cost. There was pizza and soda/juice served, but I think the mom brought in her own cake. I know they do a toddler time there a few times a week, so they might have some kind of activities to cater toward a very young crowd. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.

a local park is always good- we had our older kids 1st birthday in our backyard, however our 3rd will be 1 in December, so it will probably be an indoor party. My nephew just turned a year in March and my brother and sister in law did a carnival themed party with cotton candy, hot dogs, and small carinval games( the games cost roughly $40 to rent for the day) They live in california so I wasnt able to attend, but from the pictures it looks like they had a great time! They also had kids ranging from two weeks to about 7, so there was something to do for everyone, including the adults! Good luck with your party!

C.,
I know how you feel, I waited my whole life to throw my daughter's first birthday party! I love birthdays and any reason to celebrate, but this was especially important! I picked a great local park, with a playground and near-by picnic tables. I wanted to keep it simple, but fun as well. Rather than mess with bbq and all the fixings I just went to Albertson's and bought a 50 piece bucket of fried chicken. My sister in law made some potatoe salad and maccoroni salad and I had some bags of chips. We had kids there from 1 to 10 years old, so I brought a couple of balls, a bag of yard toys, (I found it at Target it had horseshoes in it, a couple of catch games and some badmittion rackets) turned out the big adult kids played with these too! It was great to see parents and their kids all running around and just having a wonderful afternoon. It was so simple, and amazingly I did not stress. I still hear from my friends what a fun afternoon that was. Oh and I think between the decorations, food and everything I spent just a little under $150 and we had 20-30 guests! Very reasonable for such a large party!

Hi C.,
First birthday parties really are for the parents. A good picture of your baby smashing cake in his/her face will be something to look back on and is funny but as far as a memory it is all about the parents. Don't over do as the babies get cranky, the ones you invite are probably on different nap times. I recommend a party that you and your husband would enjoy with a special cake for your baby. Invite friends and family that you would normally to a BBQ or party and don't try and have tons of activities with the kids, let them play together and take their naps while you all sit back and enjoy each others company and the accomplishment of the first birthday. You have a lot more birthdays to come where you will be spending money, going places, buying cool things for all the kids but this one truly is for you and your husband.
Have fun,
SarahMM

try Fountain creek regional park or Metcalf park in fountain. both places have little grills right by the pavillions so you can grill hot dogs or burgers. Plus, the playgrounds are right there, so the kids can play in between doing the food, cake and presents.Hope this helps.

My lo just turned 1 yesterday! We didn't do anything to huge (we had a party at the park a few weeks ago when I was in another state visiting my parents) but we had some family over. One of the hits of the day was when we took him out into the yard and blew bubbles. We got one of the big huge multiple bubbles wands and he had a blast trying to grab bubbles and watch them dance around him. It was sooo fun! At his party at the park we had about 12 kids (most of which were between 18 months and 6 years) and we had big multiple bubble wands there too. The kids loved running in the bubbles and the older kids loved making the bubbles! DOn't forget to take loads of pics too! We bought one of those hand molds kids but as soon as we stuck his hand in it he made a fist and wanted to play in it so that didn't work well. for the park party I took cupcakes (better portions than cake peices I think) and apple, carrot and celery slices and grapes. I also took animal crackers for the smaller ones not eating lots of food yet. My mom bought shiney paper crowns for all the kids to wear and they were a hit too. Good luck with your party! Just remember that they only have one first birthday and even if they get messy or covered in icing or aren't all that interested in whatever present they got, just relaxe and have fun and have someone take tons of pics. You will have so much fun looking back and the pics (and video maybe?). Good luck!

I have to agree with the other posts. For my DD's first, I invited a lot of family and friends and picked a cupcake theme - had my older two stepdaughters decorate the cupcakes (the morning of the party, which was a great idea) and had cupcakes for all the guests versus a cake - we put all the cupcakes on a cupcake tree and the others on cake stands - had a cake for my DD (a small cake with a cupcake on it with the candle in it from King Soopers for her to tackle on her high chair). I planned the party for the afternoon - after her nap - thinking that would be best. You can begin to see how detail oriented I was and that I was probably working too hard... :)

Well, there were so many people there and so much going on, she was pretty overwhelmed from the start. When we all sang her "Happy Birthday", she started crying - it scared her to have everyone looking at her and the volume of all those voices was a lot. Then she didn't want to have anything to do with her cake or anything. I ended up being disappointed that we didn't get "good pictures" of her with her birthday cake, etc. I realized at that point that it was more about me and my wanting to create the perfect 1st birthday, and that I needed to just let go. Opening presents took way too long (she really did have WAY too many) - and my DD didn't really understand opening gifts anyway. I kind of wish I would have put on the invite "no gifts please." That's tricky though - some people do it anyway and then those who didn't feel bad. Who knows.. Maybe plan on just opening a few or save them until after the party to open.

Try to keep it simple - ultimately, the pics I love the most are of her in her high chair with the cake in front of her (crying) and of her opening presents with the help of her older two sisters. I realized the next day that not any of the cupcake decorations I bought or of the balloons and streamers and ribbons all over the kitchen, or the huge spread of food that I made for all the guests, or any of the other details ended up being as important as I thought they would be. There are many more birthdays in my child's future that warrant a lot more attention to detail - that's for sure!

Do a theme if you want - decorate - have fun... that makes the day seem very special for sure. But have realistic expectations - meaning, have no expectations! You'll have a much better time, and with a less stressed hostess, your guests and child will have more fun too!

As far as other ideas go... a friend of mine had her DD's 1st birthday at Monkey Bizness since there were many other children of various ages - they had a blast! That place isn't great for those kiddos 12 months and younger, but for the older kids it's a lot of fun. Low key organizing, don't have to get your house ready, kids all had a great time, definite beginning and ending time for the party, and things went very smoothly. If it's a summer birthday, you could also have it at your neighborhood pool or a rec center pool - that could be fun too.

Deck or no deck - you could also have it at home... it's nice to be in a familiar environment, and your daughter is most comfortable there. Think about it, even if the deck isn't finished!

C.:

The simpler, the better. No more than 3 games/activities to keep the other kids entertained. Set a specific budget so you don't overspend (it's easy to do). If you have it outside, they can entertain themselves by imaginary and outside play while the adults socialize. If not your home, a local/small park with a shelter (just in case) is a good choice.
If you haven't done so already, I would visit Oriental Trading's website. They have some good party themes and items and you can buy in bulk and order online! It is usually reasonable pricing and they have sales as well. I think a Luau or beach party theme would be a fun...OR for a little girl's party with boys coming as well-you could do butterflies and bugs. I did this for my 5 yr old daughter and it turned out really cute. If you want any further ideas, feel free to send me a personal note.

I'm all for a big b-day at one. It is such a huge accomplishment to get them a year old. I did my sons at The Little Gym. They took care of everything from invitations to b-day cake and all the fun in the middle. They cater to all ages, so no matter if they are one or six they'll have a good time. Plus I got to spend the whole time talking to people which if I had it at my house I'd be serving and watching kids. They have great games and tons of safe gym equipment to play on. It costs around $150 and is worth every cent. They even serve the cake, bring the gifts and clean up everything after.
Everyone that came thought it was so fun.

I think that the best thing to do is what your baby really likes

that could bee a swim party at a rec center it could be as simple as mc donalds. My kids love that and i feel more safe there than at the park with a one year old. Lakeside is very kid friendly . Even if you don't have the dack you could rent a bounce house and get a slip n slipe not a pool this way ther is no worry of drowning in a ny kind of water you could also rent a tent --tables and chairs for a minimal charge. Bubble machines are sold at the party stores and i think at discount stores.

Check out Family Fun (website and magazine). They have a TON of ideas :)

We did Jasmin's Jungle Safari for our babe's first. WE decorated each room and area witha different assortment of stuffed animals ( helps if you have a lot of these of family with it to borrow ) like the fish area was set up on a blue blanket, the big cats room was on green blankets, etc.. For her second we did a princess party and made flags out of material to hang, and a huge cardboard castle that was around our doorway. My husband drew the fairies godmothers from sleeping beauty and we hung them from the ceiling fan. We like to d oit ourselves, so it works if you are that way.

Do it at home, even if the deck isn't finished. Have SIMPLE foods (PM me if you want some ideas) and let people help you by bringing something. Also enlist a trusted friend/relative to hold baby while you are prepping; she'll most likely be way off her napping schedule all day with you fluttering about getting ready (mine always are). As for activities, since it's such a range of kids, keep it simple and generic. My personal favs are stations of Play-dough, sandbox, sidewalk chalk, sidewalk paint, nerf balls, sprinkler,finger paint (hang butcher paper on the fence). Oh, and one last thing: on my oldest's first birthday, I tried to let him open things by himself (it was after Christmas, he had the concept), but it took WAY too long and he wanted to play with the first toy and wouldn't focus. SO, I would advise you to "help" him open (read: just do it), your guests will appreciate it.
Best of luck!

I just wanted to share that I purchased the cutest 1st birthday decorations on Target online for my daughter's birthday. I did a Parisian theme that contained little pink poodles and an Eiffel Tower. Everything said 1st birthday on it and the look of it was definitely a step above anything I would have found in a local party store. Also, we had one cake for everyone to enjoy and then we had a small cake just for my daughter to enjoy and destroy. It was precious.
Have fun with your daughter's party and congratulations!

My son just turned one at the beginning of May. We had a mixed age birthday party as well and one of THE funnest things we did was a baby crawling race for the babies who crawl. We had other activities for the older kids but when we did the baby crawling race we had told all the parents and older siblings that they needed to cheer for their baby. I was suprized how much the older kids ( and parents ) got into it! The babies just sat there for a long time but the parents and siblings just kept screaming and encouraging and cheering. Eventually one or two babies made it across the finish line. It was a good time!

I also have to agree that for the 1st birthday it should be kept low key. I was a freak about my daughter's "first" everything (had to get photos, mementos, etc). Her bday was no exception - we meant for it to be low key but we invited so many people that it turned out HUGE. We did it at my mom's house and all the other (older) kids loved it because we had balloons, a big kiddie pool, etc. Looking back at the pictuers, my daughter just sat there and looked overwhelmed. Now, we just had her 2 year bday party last night - again it was huge as we know lots of people and she had THE BEST time!!! You ought to consider a small family gathering or maybe something at the zoo or some place like that - that way the other kids can go burn energy without dragging your little one down. Good luck!

We recently went to a birthday party for a one-year-old that had similar age ranges to what you are anticipating. They had a game that was enjoyed by all, so I thought I'd share. Everyone sits in a circle (little ones on parent's laps) and passes around a heavily wrapped present as music plays. When the music stops the person holding it gets to take off one layer of wrapping paper. Then the music starts and the present gets passed again. Whoever takes off the last layer of paper gets to keep the present. It is a fun game since no one knows how many layers there are (except you, of course). I think the present they had was a Play-Doh set of sorts, but things such as bubbles and sidewalk chalk sets (there are some fun ones these days) also seem to work well for all ages. That was really the only organized game (besides Simon Says), but they had a craft table with a bunch of foam cut-outs, pom poms, wiggly eyes, etc... for kids to create whatever they wanted. They also had a bunch of toys out like blocks, trikes, and toy pianos. It was enjoyed by all. Hope that helps!

I was amazed at my son's first birthday that all the kids were entertained with opening his gifts and then playing with them. We had about the same age range with about 50 people (very overwhelming for me, he LOVED it). We just could not return anything because everything was taken out of the box right away. Have fun.

She's too little to remember it, so you want to pick something that'll look great in pictures.

Definitely get (or make) a smash cake!

We just went to a 3 year old's birthday party last weekend. They had it at a park. There were kids from 4 years to 2 weeks old there! There were two playgrounds and a sandbox, plus they brought giant bubble wands and a bubble machine, and some balls and a frisbee. It was really simple and fun. The dads played with the kids and talked, and the moms just talked. It was great.
They also brought their gas grill and cooked hotdogs. Fruit salad, chips, and soda. Really simple and we all had a great time. The only decoration was a big bunch of balloons, which also helped us all find the party.

For my little ones, we just have family parties. Big shindigs are overwhelming for 1 year olds. If you can, take her high chair wherever you go and let her have a piece of cake. Take pictures of the mess. And then wipe it off and have her try to open some presents sitting in her chair. She'll stay more focused and feel more secure in her familiar chair.

We just had our little one's first birthday party at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was a blast...everyone from our little guy to his grandparents love it! As part of the package, we fed the giraffes, had a meerkat demonstration and the kids all got to ride the carousel. We also got to visit with an African millipeded up close, but he was sleepy. :) The zoo handled all the party favors, drinks and decorations. All I had to do was bake some cakes and make some ice cream to serve. It was great and if you're a zoo member it is pretty affordable given all that they do for you, too.

I love planning parties. first of all take a bottle that was his and tell him you are turning it into a game for his big boy party (this helps with getting him off the bottle at age one). Then put his favorite cereal inside of it and have people guess as they arrive on how many there are inside.
Another adorable thing is to get a poster board and put different pictures of him during his first year and as you are putting them on the board show him how he has changed (this will also help him with different changes like going into his big boy bed). Have papers with numbers from 1-10 and have the guests guess how old he was when he did that milestone.
One more thing give goodie bags but don't so them what you think the other kids will like but what is your childs favorite things. For example, if he likes yellow suckers put only yellow suckers; put a ball of his favorite, if he adores elephants when you go to the zoo put elephants. I think you get it. Have fun they are only one once. So enjoy!!! Always do a cupcake tower with little ones buy little figurines to put on them or have the baker put his first letter of his name on them. Get confetti and sprinkle below the tower. I keep thinking of things so sorry!!! I am a big thank you card person. I make them a big deal. when you give out invites put your childs newborn on the front and write come and see how i have changed over the year. Then for thank you's, pick a spot at your party and take a picture of your guests and your little boy to put on the front of your card. hope this makes sense to you. i was trying to hurry.

The 1st birthday is more about you than your baby...I did my daughters 1st birthday at home. You could do it at a park or another person's house who has a nice back yard.

I would just go to a party supply store and pick whatever you like...I believe I did cat in the hat for my daughter's birthday.

If you go to a park you don't need any activities. Even if you do it at home in a back yard you just need some toys to play with. Your child is too young to do much still and most kids just run around and free play...even 6 year olds aren't really into the planned activities yet.

We did a pool party for our daughter's first birthday which is in July. We had a very big guest list with people of all ages so we decided to rent the local pool which has a really cool "Wipe Out" slide. We also did pizza, drinks and cake. It was a huge success! We had a great turn out, and it was nice to see the parents and kids enjoy the water! Everyone said they had such a great time. We actually wanted it to be a tradition, but unfortunately I didn't call in time (have to start reserving in January). So for her second birthday, we're looking at renting a "jumping castle" and doing her party at the city park. I thought of also including some other things like a water balloon race and pinata. I hope whatever you decide ends up being a success. Good luck!
-K. C.