My Baby’s First Birthday Party
The first birthday party is almost a right of passage for new moms. And I like many mothers before me, may have gone a little over the top for my son’s first birthday party. Let’s be honest, the first birthday party is for the parents. We survived the first year of parenting, and we want to celebrate. Our babies aren’t interested in opening presents, they aren’t excited about the prospect of having sweet treats, and they would rather not have an extra audience when eating their first piece of cake. We on the other hand want to show off, this is our opportunity to say look how cute my kid is and the milestones he is reaching now without necessarily being that parents that just talks about their kid.
The Theme
Our theme for his nursery and my baby shower were both animals, so of course we went with the “Wild One” theme for his first birthday party. This was even more appropriate as his grandpa loves sending him stuffed animals periodically, so an animal theme really has been the theme of his first year of life. I went with a combination of DIY and items brought from Amazon to decorate my house/yard with.
To decorate we used this Wild One banner and we made our own balloon arch using this pump, balloons bought in various colors, and 260s to attach them to eachother. We got all our streamers, the character balloons, and other miscellaneous supplies from target or HEB. We of course had to also get matching “wild one” shirts for mom, dad, and bubba to sport for the party. I went with these more neutral ones rather than birthday themed ones so that I could wear it again and not look like it was his birthday necessarily.
The Food
As a hobby before I had a kid I loved to bake, so I decided to make all my own desserts on top of making most of the food. Again, I went a little over the top here. We had sugar cookies decorated with royal icing which my husband decorated, 2 flavors of macarons, chocolate chip cookies, and the smash cake. I also made cupcakes, but something went wrong with the recipe I made, and they collapsed. We served pigs in a blanket, fruit salad, hummus sandwich wraps, and pasta salad. I am by no means a perfect Instagram mom so we tossed all the food on our dinning room table and called it a day really.
The Fun
Our main gift and really our birthday party investment was his Little Tykes Bounce House. This small bounce house was perfect for a few kids to jump around and play in. To rent a bounce house in our area it’s a few hundred bucks, and while they are a bit bigger than the one we got this one was perfect for us. Super easy to set up and it came with a carry bag, so we’ve already used it a few times! We also had a bubble machine, set his playpen outside to corral the smaller kiddos, and filled a baby pool with balls for the kids to play with.
Some things we did this time that I am probably going to continue for his next birthday include. Keep the party short. We had a 3-hour window for the party and honestly it was more than enough. Plan the party for right after nap time. He napped while we set things up and when he woke up for the party he was in a great mood. I am definetly the mom who does not mess with the nap time! Its just rarely worth it. Finger food and portable desserts. Especially at a kid’s party parents and other party guests just don’t have the time or desire to sit down to a meal, serve portable snacks and sweets and everyone can grab and munch as they mingle. Lastly and this one might be a little controversial, don’t open the presents during the party. We chose this because our son while appreciative of the gifts (I assume) has zero desire to open them. I have watched too many moms struggle to include their kid in the unwrapping and it never goes well, takes forever, and is kind of boring. Also, until kids get older the gift givers don’t really understand why they can’t get in the mix and open stuff too, so we just skipped it. Overall, his birthday seemed to be a hit. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and the kids had fun and I am excited to do it all again next year.