Parenting is a lot of hard work, from sleepless nights with 3 am feeds to helping them with their homework as they get a little older – but it’s a lot of fun. After all, you get to share a lot of joy with your children as you watch them take the first steps or listen to their laughter as they watch their favourite TV show. You also get to celebrate each milestone in their lives with them – including that all-important first birthday.
While your little one will probably not remember this celebration as they get older – it’s the perfect opportunity to take plenty of photographs and spend time with friends and family.
Photo by Nixx Studio on Unsplash
With that in mind, here are some top tips for planning the perfect first birthday party for your child.
- Keep it simple. As your child gets older, they’ll also get more vocal – which means they’ll soon want to take over the reins when it comes to planning their parties. For example, they might want to celebrate at a local play area. However, when they are younger, you can afford to keep it simple. While there are plenty of venue options for your kid’s party, hosting the event at your home is a great way to keep the celebrations low-key and save money. It also means you can put them down for a nap if they need one!
- Choose an outfit. No party celebrations are complete without the perfect outfit – especially if you’re going to be snapping photographs throughout the day. There are plenty of types of first birthday outfit for girls and boys for you to choose from – whether you’re looking for something sleek and simple or bright and colourful.
- Stage a photo shoot. While candid photographs are great, you might also want to plan a mini-photoshoot on the big day so that you can make the magical memories last forever. For example, you could take a family portrait or even DIY a cake-smash photoshoot (it will still taste just as good after the photographs have been taken).
- Decorate the space. Whether you’ve hired out a venue or spent some time cleaning your home before guests arrived, decorating the space is a simple yet effective way to make the event more fun for everyone involved. This is particularly true for babies, who will respond to visual stimuli more than the actual event – meaning balloons, streamers, and other decorations will be a lot of fun for them to interact with. The more colourful – the better!
- Play some music. Music makes a great party – but do not forget who the party is for. While you may have many grown-ups in attendance, the best way to keep your younger guests happy and smiling is to choose the music you already know they love (apologies to anyone who will now have to listen to the dreaded baby-shark on repeat). Alternatively, you could put together a playlist that features a mixture of different songs and genres to give you and your older guests some reprieve.