A baby's first birthday is an important milestone--so celebrate in style with a theme party. Planning your party around a theme makes it easier to plan decorations, food and activities. Be sure to keep your baby's temperament in mind when planning the party, as a baby who gets nervous with a lot of noise and activity might appreciate a quieter, more intimate celebration, while a baby who is more outgoing will enjoy more activities and attention. Does this Spark an idea?
Old MacDonald Had a Farm Birthday Party
Babies love to "moo" when they see cows or "oink" at pigs, so fill your one-year-old's birthday with lots of barnyard friends. Send sheep invitations that say, "(Name of birthday child) would like to invite 'ewe' to celebrate her first birthday." Decorate the party room with stuffed barnyard animals and colorful streamers. At BalloonManiacs.com, you can buy Mylar balloons in the shape of cows, pigs and other barnyard animals. Hang up a sign that says, "Welcome to Old MacDonald's Birthday Farm." Play simple animal games with the babies. Get the babies' attention by putting on a silly hat with animal ears, a pig nose, a furry tail or another costume prop and making animal noises. Have small hats with animal ears for the babies to try on and encourage them to make noises--tell them to "oink" like pigs or "baa" like sheep. Serve animal crackers and a cake decorated with plastic barnyard friends.
Noah's Ark Party
Let your one-year-old play with his favorite animals, two by two, at a Noah's Ark party. Send ark-shaped invitations to party guests. Use a variety of stuffed animals in your decorating. Play "Find the Animal" by hiding stuffed animals around the room--keep them in view and don't worry about the babies watching you hide the animals. Tell each child to find a different animal. One-year-olds might need some help differentiating animals, and it's okay to help them. Make a big deal when they find their animals. One-year-olds have short attention spans, so keep the activities brief. End the celebration with an ark-themed cake.
Wheels Party
If your baby loves to sit behind a steering wheel, celebrate his first birthday with a "wheels" party. Send truck invitations that say, "'Truck on over to (name of birthday child)'s house for a 'wheel'y fun birthday party." You can even make a photo invitation with a picture of your baby in the driver's seat of a toy car or truck. Decorate the party room with large posters or cardboard cutouts of cars, trucks and construction vehicles. Put out some large cars and trucks that the kids can push along the floor. Serve baby-friendly snacks, such as crackers, in the back of a clean toy dump truck. Make a car-shaped cake.
Rainbow Party
Stimulate your baby's sense of sight with a rainbow party. Lots of bright, bold colors will be the decorating scheme. Decorate with balloons in all the colors of the rainbow. Ask party guests to wear solid-colored outfits in rainbow colors. Hang rainbow mobiles from the ceiling. Drape colorful streamers around the party room. Get large balls of different colors and roll them back and forth with the babies. Serve a cake topped with a colorful rainbow. You can use different fruits for the rainbow colors, such as blueberries, sliced strawberries and bananas. Check with party guests, though, as berries can be an allergy hazard for young children.
Tags: your baby, first birthday, party guests, party room, animal ears, barnyard animals