Twelve months have passed and it's time to celebrate your baby's first birthday. An intimate family environment, decorated with streamers and balloons of all colours, will be the stars of his first party.
A baby's first birthday is more of a family occasion than for the baby, as he is hardly likely to realise that the celebration is in his honour. Even so, your baby will enjoy the happy environment and being the centre of attention and the adults will love spending time with family and friends while celebrating his first 12 months.
As the baby is still young, it's best to hold a small celebration that doesn't become overwhelming or too much to cope with. Hold the party in the afternoon, after nap time, so your baby is not tired before it even starts, and stick to his bath and dinner time routines. If your baby falls asleep during the party, that's fine, you have to remember he is still a baby after all. The best place to hold the party is your home, where your baby will feel in a familiar and safe environment. However, if you haven't got room for a party, hold it at a relative or friend's house or somewhere else nearby.
Ideas for a children's party
- Use bright and colourful decorations in your child's favourite colours. You don't need to hang much more than balloons and streamers as anything more will be lost on your child, although ultimately it's up to you.
- Tailor the food to the tastes of the adults as your baby is not likely to eat much. Still, serve things that your child can also try, like mini sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, fruit juices or milkshakes. You can prepare canapés or nibbles for the adults or anything else you can think of depending on your culinary skills.
- Don't forget the birthday cake. As your baby is still only 12 months old, it's best to use natural ingredients that don't contain things he can choke on (nuts or sweets), or chocolate and cream, other than for decoration. A home-made cake with a funny shape is an ideal option.
- If there are more children of the same age at the party, you should set up a small games area free of anything dangerous or that can be broken. There should be adults nearby and toys designed for one-year olds.
- It is also nice to play some children's music in the background to liven up the atmosphere and let the kids enjoy listening to their favourite songs.
- The best gifts are games that stimulate the development of motor skills, hand skills, creativity, vision or hearing, or any other fun, educational games.