A First Birthday Party is not just a celebration of the first year of your child’s life, but of the first year of parenthood, of family and the fact that any parent who makes it to this point with sleep deprivation is worthy of an almighty party! The party truly is really for the memories, and how you choose to mark this occasion is as individual as the birthday child themselves. Whether you throw a catered party, complete with entertainment and a three tier cake, or a simple High Tea with close friends and family in the backyard, make it fun and enjoy celebrating your little cherub’s first birthday!
Planning:
Any party needs a bit of foresight and planning to run well. Saturday or Sunday afternoons are obviously the popular choice – try and choose a day not just convenient to you but for family and friends that may need to travel. Give a good two weeks for people to RSVP and provide detailed directions on where to go.
Themes:
What is your little one interested in? Keep the themes simple and easy. Ideas include:
- Circus Party
- Cowboy Party
- Ladybug Party
- Animal Parade
- Construction Party
- Cupcake Party
- Dinosaur Party
- Rubber Ducky
Invitations
I’m a fan of using themed invitations to match the tableware and that is what you get when you order from Ready to Party. Choosing the time of day to have the party is important when your birthday child and their guests still have daytime sleeps. It is also a good idea to state both the start and finish times on the invitation and a traditional first birthday party should go for no longer than two hours. Try to schedule the start time for just after your child usually wakes from their nap so they’ll be fresh and awake for longer and able to enjoy the attention. Also state on the invitation whether gifts are expected or not – it’s becoming more common now for parents to bring a plate of food rather than add another toy to the collection.
Decorations
A first birthday party should be vibrant and colourful with lots of primary colours to stimulate the littlest guests. Balloons are an inexpensive traditional favourite. Blow up a few balloons for the kids to play with, and send one home with each child. Bunting is also a beautiful addition to a first birthday party. Keep the decorations simple.
Snacks
Food is just as much about the adults at a first birthday, so try to make things that both the kids and the grown-ups like. Adults love reminiscing with chocolate crackles, party pies and frog in the pond. Give them permission and they’ll enjoy tucking in alongside their kids! Most one year olds haven’t yet been introduced to lollies, cakes and sugar so have some healthy alternatives like fruit skewers, tubs of yoghurt and jugs of water available for kids and adults alike. Platters of finger sandwiches are an easy and inexpensive way to feed the hordes on a budget.
Games
You don’t need to run games at a first birthday party unless you have older siblings/ friends at the party. Pass the parcel is fun and a one year old might be able to play if assisted. If you have a play rug set this up with some toys if younger kids want to play quietly for a while to escape the party chaos. A ball pit is fun for one year olds and can be easily set up in a sandpit area (out of the sun). Keep music to a low hum and include a selection everyone will enjoy – two hours of Wiggles may get on a grown up’s nerves if they don’t have kids themselves!
Birthday Cake
Using a pre-bought slab of sponge cake from one of the big supermarkets is a great way to ‘cheat’ a little – of course if you know and can afford a cake decorator – go for it. Just make sure you cater to the whole party so everyone can have a slice!
Party Favours
There is always the concern about young kids choking on small toy parts or lollies so keep this in mind with party favours. You can use the party favours to add a bit of flair to your kids party by matching the contents with the theme. For example if you are having a Wild West Party, include a bandanna and a sheriff’s badge which the kids have to wear during the party. No choking hazards, sugar headaches or worries for the parents – and they get to keep a memento of the party.
Ready to Party are offering 15% off until the end of August for all Stay at Home Mum readers simply by using the discount code ‘partyweek’ when checking out.
Ready to Party has just about every thing you could possibly want when you are throwing a party. From a first birthday party to parties for kids or adults no one is left out with all the wonderful themes that are available. Some of the most popular kids’ themes include Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, Pirate and Ladybug. If your party princess or prince isn’t into the pretty colours, flowers and rainbows, they have basic colours available as well.
All of the products are available online, at Ready to Party and with their wide range they are the one stop shop for organising your whole party – from invitations, decorations and tableware right through to favour bags and thank you cards. So you just click and select what you want and it is delivered to your door. That is one less worry for you when trying to organise a party. They have the latest popular party trends, including a new dessert table range so that you can setup a beautiful snack or sweets table that guests will love.
If you don’t want to miss out on any of the fantastic party goodies here, then they have regular offers and exclusive discounts to their subscribers through their newsletter and Facebook page.
