1st Birthday Party Tips!
Party Supplies and Party Ideas for planning a First Birthday party!

Plan your child's 1st Birthday Party with these free ideas, planning tips, and party themes.

First Birthday Party Ideas

1st Birthday Invitation Ideas

First Birthday Party Suggested Shopping List

1st Birthday Party Favors

Other Fun Activities and Food for Baby's First Birthday!

Fun First Birthday Party Food!

Selecting a First Birthday Theme

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When planning your baby's 1stbirthday, plan a fairly short party. No more than 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Plan around your child's naptime. Too many people and too many activities will only result in an unhappy birthday child. Tie some balloons on the back of his/her chair, give your child a frosted cupcake (or small individual cake for themselves) and plenty of hugs and kisses. It's that easy!

If possible, hold the party in your own home or in an environment the birthday boy/girl is familiar and comfortable with.

Keep the party guests to a minimum. Close family and friends is enough to help you celebrate - Too many people is  too much commotion and stimulation.

Some great ideas for your baby's 1st birthday:

Get a large picture mat that would fit a 5x7 photo in it and have it out on a table at the party--have all of the guests write a little message to the birthday boy/girl on it and let the little ones scribble on it and then write below who drew it it. The you can put a picture of the Birthday child eating his/her birthday cake in it and frame it for their room.

Make a small, special cake just for the Birthday Child. Make a second cake to serve to your guests.

If older children will be there, be sure to plan some games/activities for them. If you play something like Pin The Tail on the Donkey (or a version to match your selected theme), you can hold the Birthday boy/girl and let them try too.

Show about 10 minutes of Baby's 1st year on video.

1st Birthday Party Invitations

Make large #1s out of construction paper and write your child's name on the front and the party details on the back.

Blow up a balloon that matches your theme or color and write the party details on it with a permanent marker. Then deflate the balloon and mail it to guests. They have to blow up the balloon to get the party details!

Create your own invitations using a picture of your birthday boy/girl. Tape one birthday candle to the invite.

First Birthday Party Suggested Shopping List

Invitations
Thank You Notes
Partyware:
Cake Plates
Dinner Plates
Cups
Luncheon or Dinner Napkins
Beverage Napkins
Cutlery (spoons, forks, & knives)
Tablecloth
Decorations:
Streamers
Balloons*
Banners
Yard Sign
Centerpiece
Confetti
Favor Bags and Favor Items (traditionally 3-5 items, plus candy or another treat)**
Food:
Cake
Ice Cream
Drinks & Ice
Snacks
Food for a Meal
Activities/Games:
Craft Items
Activity Items
Prizes
Miscellaneous:
Cake Platter & Serving Knife
Cake Candles & Matches
Serving Dishes/Bowls
Video Camera & Video Tape
Regular Camera & Film/Digital Camera & Memory Card
AA, AAA, C, and/or D Batteries (for your camera and any presents that may require batteries)
Ice Bucket
Extra Table & Chairs

*Be aware that latex balloons can pose a choking hazard for young children. Mylar balloons are a safe alternative that, if punctured, do not break into small, potentially hazardous pieces. Additionally, fewer people are allergic to Mylar material than to latex.

**People often ask if it is necessary to give party favors. The answer is 'yes' if you are planning to invite children age 4+ since, unfortunately, many older children are conditioned to expect them. However, the favor bags certainly do not need to be expensive or junk-filled. A take-home craft such as a decorated flowerpot with a seed packet or a "jewel"-encrusted treasure box can double as an activity and a favor. You can also purchase age-appropriate party favor sets.
 

See BirthdayinABox for more great Planning Ideas for baby's First Birthday!

Other Fun Activities and Food for Baby's First Birthday!

Ball Rolls - have children sit in circle with legs apart and roll large ball to each other.

Have a Free Play area setup with blocks, pull toys, stacking toys, etc

Create a Box Yard - Take several large cardboard boxes and decorate to match your theme. All the children to climb in and through them - tons of fun for this age group!

Story time - read or tell Guest of Honor's favorite story

Bubble time - all children love to chase bubbles. Have an adult or older child help with this activity and everyone will smile!

Create memories by creating handprints in plaster - great keepsakes!

Finger Paints - makes 3/4 cup of each color

1 envelope of unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup of cornstarch
1/2 cup of soap flakes
21/2 cups of cold water
Small pea size amount of 4 colors of food coloring paste.
(Food coloring paste is available at most baking supply and large craft stores.)

Pour 1/2 cup water into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Combine soap flakes, cornstarch and the remaining 2 cups water in a sauce pan. Stir in dissolved gelatin mixture and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into four one cup size containers. Cool mixture for at least an hour. Use the food coloring paste to make a different color in each container. Note: The undiluted food coloring paste is very concentrated and can easily stain hands or clothing.

Musical Birthday Bear - Select a bag of treats and a stuffed bear for the game. Seat everyone in a circle, and put on some lively music. Guests pass around the bear while music plays. When music stops, the player holding the bear wins a treat and steps out of the game. Continue until everyone has won a prize.

Storytime - Select a picture book with toys in the story. Seat everyone in a circle to hear the tale. Toddlers may not understand the words, but they’ll enjoy looking at the pictures.

Sing-Along - Ask volunteers to lead their favorite kids’ tune in a sing-along. Encourage everyone to clap and dance along too. You can also put on a children’s CD and invite guests to form a human train that moves from room to room, in time to the music.

Tape the Tail on the Donkey - This classic game is perfect for a 1st birthday party. Follow the instructions below, or simply purchase our “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” game (which uses safe adhesive strips, rather than pins). The game can be purchased through the Party Store by typing “donkey” in the search field, then clicking on the appropriate icon.

Or, follow these instructions: Draw a picture of a donkey on a large piece of cardboard. Cut tail shapes out of construction paper for each guest. Put each guest’s name on a tail. Add a strip of double-sided tape to the back, and hand guests their tail when it’s their turn. Have a volunteer hold the donkey at height levels suitable to each player. Blindfold guests one by one and gently spin them around. Direct each player toward the donkey, and invite him or her to tape the tail on the appropriate spot. The player whose tail ends up closest wins!

Guess Who? - Ask your guests to bring a baby photo from when they were about 1 year old. Put the photographs in a large envelope until all guests have arrived. Then attach photos to a board or wall and ask everyone to match pictures to the correct guests!

Baby Food Wonder - It may have been a long time since some of the guests at your party have tried baby food. Test their bravery and curiosity with this fun taste test.

Purchase 5-10 jars of baby food in different flavors. Cover the labels with paper and number the jars. Give each guest a paper, pen and spoon. Invite everyone to taste a little from each jar and write down their guesses as to what the correct flavors are. The person with the most correct guesses wins!

Baby Trivia - See how well your guests know the birthday child. Pass out paper and pens, then ask questions. Good ones might be time of birth, middle name, birth height and weight, first word, favorite toy, dates child first started to crawl or walk, etc. Be creative and see who knows your baby best!

Time Capsule - Select a future age for your birthday baby, and ask guests to write a letter to him or her at that age. Provide colored paper, envelopes and pens. Use a shoebox or popcorn tin as the time capsule. Collect all letters, as well as the day’s newspaper clippings and photos from the party. Put everything in the time capsule and seal it up, to be opened at a birthday party years in the future.

Fun First Birthday Party Food and Recipes!

Baby Burgers - Fire up the grill (or use a frying pan) for these tiny turkey burgers. With your hands, mix 2 lbs. of ground turkey meat with 4 tbsp. of ketchup. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Roll into 16 balls (for 16 burgers), and press to form patties that are about a half-inch thick. Grill each side for about 5-7 minutes. Invite everyone to top burgers with tiny squares of cheese, sweet pickles, cherry tomato slices, lettuce, etc.

Hand Print Sandwiches - Using clean cardboard, trace an outline around your baby’s hand. Cut out the tracing so you have a template. Place it on top of the first 2 slices of bread and, using a knife, cut around the outside of the template to create a cute little hand shape from the bread. Next, spread a layer of natural peanut butter on the 2 slices of bread. (Spread very thin for kids under 4.) Sprinkle 1 side with raisins, then sandwich the 2 layers together. Provide additional filling options for a fun variety. Kids and adults will find these hard to resist!

Little Smoothies - Since your little one will probably want what everyone else is having, serve something healthy, like this tasty concoction.
Ingredients:
6 fresh strawberries (or 1 cup frozen)
1 sliced banana
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup regular milk or almond milk
For each serving, place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and frothy. Serve in a frosty glass, and garnish with a strawberry on the rim.

Tiny Teddy Cupcakes Kids love cupcakes, and tiny ones are twice as fun. Buy or bake miniature cupcakes. If you bake them, use a chocolate cake mix and pink or blue frosting. (You’ll also need a miniature cupcake baking tin.) Then draw a bear face with colored gel, and add blueberries for ears.

Baby Cakes
With this special recipe, everyone gets a little cake that resembles a toy building block.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. sugar
decorating gel in a variety of colors
unfrosted white sheet cake
You’ll also need waxed paper (4-inch squares).

Make the frosting first by stirring first 3 ingredients together in mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate, along with the beaters, for at least 45 minutes. Beat until frosting forms stiff peaks. Trim sheet cake so it’s even on top. (If you baked the cake, be sure cake has cooled for at least 30 minutes.) Cut in half horizontally. To create cake filling, spread frosting on top of bottom half of cake, then place second cake layer on top. Cut cake into 3-inch squares (baby blocks) and place each on a separate square of waxed paper. Frost each block by dipping knife into hot water and spreading a very thin layer of frosting around the sides, then tops, of each block. Then add more frosting so cake doesn’t show through. Using decorating gel, trace lines around all edges. On top and sides of each block, draw a variety of baby block designs. One idea is to spell out a sentence using your baby’s name, with a separate capital letter on top of each block (example: “EVA MARIE IS 1”). Then line up blocks on a platter before serving. You can also design toy and animal shapes on the blocks (cat, teddy bear and wagon are easy examples). Be creative and have fun! Serves 12.

Fruit Sundaes

Adults and kids alike will delight in these sweet and healthy sundaes. Pour sliced fruit (berries, grapes, apples, peaches, kiwi, etc.) into separate bowls. Arrange banana slices around the outer edges. Add a couple dollops of whipped cream. Drizzle with warm chocolate and caramel. Then top with a maraschino cherry. Yum!

Click here to Shop for Gifts for Birthday Boy or Girl!

Selecting a First Birthday Theme:

1. "Wishing on a Star" - Using this theme, your party invites could read, "You're invited to celebrate! Our tiny star is 1 year old! Or try, "A Star was born...One year ago!" Decorate with tons of stars, helium filled Mylar stars, latex balloons with stars, shimmer stars to scatter everywhere, and even a star shaped cake. You could even try our easy Hollywood Square cake...little handprints on the cake would be adorable. Take photos of each of the guests with your little birthday star, and give them imprinted frames and then mail the souvenir photo with your thank you notes...family and close friends will cherish this forever!

2. Try one of the best selling party themes - Winnie the Pooh 1st birthday, Looney Tunes 1st birthday, or Sesame Street 1st birthday. Guaranteed to delight the birthday child, we have entire ensembles based around these themes. A simple "honey pot" cake would be perfect for the "Pooh" party. An adorable red circular "Elmo" head cake would be just right for the Sesame Street party. For the Looney Tunes party, make a balloon cake to match the party goods. Bake a large circular cake, frost it pink, purple or bright yellow, add a little frosted cake triangle to the bottom, and a curling ribbon streamer!

3. "Teddy Bears' Picnic" - Send labels (with all the details of your party) attached with ribbon to the neck of a little inexpensive teddy bear. Arrange to have a few of the grownups dress as Corduroy Bear, Paddington Bear, Little Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Yogi Bear, or even the Bear in the Big Blue House for entertainment and photo opportunities. How about the great inexpensive bear mask! Picnic on gingham tablecloths, with typical picnic food. If you are feeling adventurous, purchase little baskets for each family, and fill with individual picnics, complete with gingham napkins to match the tablecloth(s). Have everyone (even grandparents) bring their own teddy bear to join the fun, and attach helium filled balloons to all the bears--instant decorations! Make sure all the guests feel "beary" special, by pinning a large brown pompon to each person's "tail", and giving them bear ears to wear. The ears can be made easily by cutting brown fuzzy fur into oval shapes approximately 6" long by 3 ½ " wide (2 per person). Attach the fur ovals to inexpensive plastic hair bands (fold them in half lengthwise around the hair band) with a hot melt glue gun. What would the bears want to do at the party? Play hide and seek, tag, and hot potato (with a teddy bear as the hot potato), lead a kazoo band, open a treat filled piñata and sing fun songs. End with opening presents, singing happy birthday and letting the birthday girl or boy blow out the candles on a teddy bear cake.

4. Nursery rhyme theme - Mother Goose, Humpty Dumpty, Little Bo Beep, Three Little Kittens, Little Red Riding Hood, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or Hey Diddle Diddle to name a few. Draw inspiration from the nursery rhyme to use in planning the decorations, favors, and cake.

5. "Three Ring Circus" - Simulate a circus environment, with the emphasis on clowns. Serve food you would purchase at the circus…corn dogs, hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, animal crackers, etc. See the complete Clownin' Around Ensemble, complete with a big top centerpiece. Make a clown cake, and decorate your room with tons of brightly colored balloons, streamers, and stuffed animals. Make balloon animals, and hire a clown to entertain your group. If you want to go all out, arrange pony rides for the little guests. Face painting would be great fun for this theme. To create a true circus environment, play calliope music. While a big red nose is a necessity for each guest as a favor…you can also give out giant balloons, whistles, bubbles, and fun hats!

6. Jungle or Safari Picnic" – Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY! Children love animals, and there are lots of props, cutouts, special balloons, favors and decorations for this theme…and check out the "Jungle Fun" ensemble. Try the Jungle birthday cake, and give all the guests safari hats as favors. A guaranteed winner!

7. Little Buckaroo" - Build your party around a western theme, which will appeal to both adults and children. There are hundreds of items you could use for this party in our Western Store. Check out our Western Party Tips for lots of great ideas, and for this one...pony rides are a must!

8. Book or favorite classic theme - Some ideas are "Goodnight Moon", "The Runaway Bunny", "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?", "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", or "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Choose colors from the book as your theme colors, and let yourself be inspired by the ideas in the book itself. For example, for a Goodnight Moon party, choose royal blue, green and orange as your decorating colors. Tie a red balloon to the back of each chair, and use real life props in your decorating...mittens, three little bears, a little toy house, a little stuffed mouse, etc. A game for the adults? A prize for the grownup who can recite the book from memory! For the cake, nothing but a huge golden moon, with stars sprinkled around it would be appropriate.

9. A "Garden Party" - great for a baby's 1^st birthday. This party works equally well for a boy or a girl. (Ladybugs is a great party theme!). Cover tabletops with indoor/outdoor grass (to resemble a garden). Clean the surface well, and use it as a "server". Make a ladybug cake to sit in the center of the garden, and serve other foods/snacks in well-washed plastic flowerpots of various sizes. Use garden trowels to serve the food. For place cards, write guest's names on little clay or plastic flowerpots with a paint pen. Either fill with potting soil and an individual blossom, or fill with something sweet! Try filling the pots with chocolate pudding, top with Oreo™ cookie crumbs (the soil), and finish with a silk or non-toxic flower. Serve punch or lemonade from a well-washed plastic watering can. If you are serving a light meal, add an adorable caterpillar or centipede sandwich! Make a variety of sandwiches (ham & cheese, chicken salad, peanut butter & jelly) on small buns or rolls, and add little tiny carrot and celery sticks for the legs. Complete the big edible bug using baby tomatoes or green olives, stuck with toothpicks into the front sandwich for the eyes. A scavenger hunt for plastic bugs is the perfect game for a wide variety of ages. For the perfect touch, and the most precious photo opportunity you could imagine, turn each of the little guests into either a ladybug or a buzzing bee.

10. "Beauty in the World I See...Rainbows, Butterflies, and Me!" - Build your child's birthday theme around rainbows and butterflies. Brightly colored balloons, butterflies hanging from the ceiling, and a butterfly or rainbow cake.  For a simple snack, layer six different colors of Jell-O™ in a clear plastic cup (one per guest), to resemble a rainbow. (Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple). Let each layer thicken slightly before adding the next layer. Use a butterfly net filled with goodies as a "treat bag".

11. "Time Capsule" Party Theme - A great theme to preserve special keepsakes and mementos from the first year of your child's life. Ask guests to bring items that represent the year in lieu of gifts. Some suggestions include: a collage of photos featuring your baby, newspaper and magazine covers from the year, state coins from the year, and other mementos that will evoke the year of your baby's birth. At the party, ask guests to write a special note or words of wisdom to your child. Place these notes into the Time Capsule, along with souvenirs from the party - a candle from the birthday cake, the bib your baby wears, and any photos taken at the party. Close up the Time Capsule at the end of the party and keep it in a safe place until your "baby" turns 18!

Food ideas for First Birthday party include:

Cupcakes
Applesauce
Ice Cream
Animal Crackers

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