Congratulations! Your sweet little baby is about to be one year old. For many parents, a child’s first birthday means the end of babyhood and the beginning of toddlerhood. Your baby probably won’t remember anything about his/her first birthday, but why not make is special for your close family and friends to remember? This is a great way to celebrate how far you have come in just one year. For planning the party, from invitations to first birthday cake ideas, here are some tips that will help you create an amazing first birthday celebration for your bundle of joy.

Planning- For your own peace of mind, you want to start planning six to eight weeks in advance. This will give you plenty of time to get supplies line up details. This will also give you time to make arrangements for family who might be coming in from out of town. One thing you need to start thinking about is what kind of party you want to have. A good suggestion is to build the party theme around things that you child is interested in. If your child loves trains, have a party themed around trains. Popular themes are Sesame Street, farm animals, and Winnie the Poo. After you choose a theme, you can move forward with decorations and invitations.

Who to Invite- You should limit the number of young children when planning your child’s first birthday party. Too many children can be distracting, and take away from your child’s special day. I recommend you invite 3-4 of his/her little friends. Don’t forget to invite your close family and friends.

Party Time- Make sure you schedule the party around your child’s naptime. You want them to be awake and alert during their party. I would schedule the party about an hour after they wake up from their nap. Babies tend to be most alert during that time. You will want to wind the party down about a half hour before the baby starts to doze off.

Decorations- After you have chosen a theme, the rest should be fairly easy. Go to your local party store and rack up on decorations related to the theme you have chosen. Remember, you child is turning one and will not remember anything so don’t feel like you have to go crazy with decorations.

Food/Cake- You can do something simple like ordering pizza or having a barbecue. You can even have the party around 2-3 in the afternoon and have light snacks. Make sure you have an assortment of kid friendly snacks. Don’t forget the most important thing at the birthday….THE CAKE. Have one big cake for everyone, then have one special little cake (or cupcake) for the birthday boy/girl. This makes for great photo and video opportunities.

I hope some of these ideas will be of help for you while planning your little one’s first birthday party. It’s a good idea to video as much as you can since they won’t remember the party. They will be able to look back and enjoy their first birthday years later.

Author Bio: Lindsay Crawford is a writer for Wholesale Event Solutions, a company offering discount wedding and event planning supplies including eiffel tower vases, ostrich plumes, battery operated candles wholesale, and much more!

Category: Parenting
Keywords: birthdays, kids, parenting, parties, babies, event planning, party planning, centerpieces, decor