I am trying to help my best friend plan her little girl's 1st birthday party and need ideas. She was going to do it at the Botanical Gardens but the birthday person has to be 18 and older. (which is silly) She wanted it there because it would be very girlie and pretty. Does anybody have any ideas on where to have it or ideas that we could do at the house?
You do not want to over do it with a first party. I would stick very very close to home if not at home so she can get some down time of need. I had my son at the local park, and when he got fussy we came home and friends and family could still linger and enjoy themselves at the park.
One year olds like to play. We had my 3rd daughter's 1st birthday party at our house. The children were all free to play in our basement or outside in our backyard while the adults wandered, ate and socialized. A friend of ours liked how nice and simple it all was (fun) that she decided to do the same thing. It was fun for everyone!
The first birthday party is much for the parents/adults than it is for the child. They really have no concept of what's going on. It's great for photo opps, especially the first piece of cake.
At that age, they really haven't learned how to play with other kids - they play alongside them, and they'll have no memories of their own.
We WAY overdid it for our son's first birthday using it as an excuse to have people over we hadn't seen in a long time. I regret the hoopla as I really didn't get to enjoy the party because of being hostess.
Whatever you decide, make sure you get to spend some time with your daughter - it's just as important for you as it is for her.
Why not do a botanical garden theme at home? You can decorate the house with paper flowers.
At 1 remind your friend that her daughter will just want to play, will probably still need and want a nap, so try to make it simple playtime.
We had a pinata, of course our daughter held a small stick and tapped at it, It ended up every one else really hit it. The kids just played in the yard and we served burgers and hot dogs, Our daughter went down for her nap and we went on just visiting..
