Ideas for Child's First Birthday

Your daughter won't remember her first birthday, but you will! My daughter just turned one & I was filled with emotion about the anniversary of the event that brought her into this world. It was really as much about me as it was about her, & that's OK. You worked hard to get her you desreve to celebrate the occasion throughly! We went all out. My husband is a musician & a promoter & he had the idea of having an outdoor music festival in her honor. Her name is Alchemy & the event was called Alchemy Fest. This will more than likley be an annual event. We had 5 bands, a clown doing baloon animals & face painting, a coloring table & bubbles. It was open to the public & marketed as a family event but we had an area in the back for family & friends. I had a blanket laid out for the babies with toys & I brought my changing pad & set it up in a private area with wipes, sanitizer etc. It was a wonderful celebration & I'm really happy that we put the effort into doing something special. My advice would be to consider the ages of the older children that will be attending & provide activities for them (even if it's just a table with some markers) and if you do anything outdoors bring as many comforts as you can think of & offer them to the other mom's. Everyone really appreciated my changing area. Also, the mom's seemed to appreciate the food that I provided. It was between meal times so I just needed to provide snacks & I kept it healthy but fun. I had; peanut butter & crackers, carrots & dip, apples, bananas, hummus & chips, juice & water. Most important, designate someone to take pictures & video. You won't have time! Have fun, I'm sure you'll have a great party.

Of course, the first bday is about you, the camera, and family memories. Of course your baby will never remember, but will love seeing the memories and thought you put into his/her special day! If you do at home, just bbq and maybe a moonwalk in the backyard for the older kids. Food, cake, gifts. Pick a theme and run with it! You can go online and search children's bday theme parties and come up with a TON of awesome ideas. You can always do it away from the house, makes cleaning before and after much easier and way less stress on you! I've got two little ones and done about 7 bdays combined and done them both ways! Online searches will get you tons of info!
Good luck and congrats on surviving the first year of motherhood!!
Smiles,
S.

My daugters first birthday was very simple, i dont think spending a ton of money is the answer. We went to party city got some 1st birthday plates and a few streamers and ballons, total cost $15.00, then at publix when you buy your childs first birthday cake (and make sure to mention its for a 1st birthday) they give you a free "smash" cake, which is really nice because its just for the baby and it ends up being really good entertainment, watching them dig into it.

My son turned one last Septmeber. I am not a big believer in big birthdays for little ones either. However, my sister's wedding was the day after my son's birthday so we ended having a ton of people over since everyone was in town. I was worried that my son would be overwhelmed but he did just great. We did not push hime at all and just took his lead. When he wanted to take an unscheduled nap after dinner we put him right down. He slept for an hour. When he woke up he ate his cake and had a ball going from new toy to new toy. He absolutley loved his birthday party.

We also had picked up take out from a nice Italian restaurant. Everyone raved about the food and we didn't have to cook!

Good Luck!!

D.