A simple party is ideal for young children.
Birthday celebrations for infants are an opportunity to gather with close friends and family to reflect on the first stage of your baby's life. Though older children may start demanding elaborate affairs with all the fixings, an infant is a bit easier to please and a simple party is usually best. When planning your baby's birthday party, keep in mind the needs of a small child in order to plan a manageable party. Does this Spark an idea?
Guest List
Even the most socialized infants may demonstrate some discomfort around strangers, especially adult strangers. For a first birthday party, limit the guest list to family members and close friends who have already met the baby. An adult party allows you to devote your time and attention to managing your child rather than a group of children. If you want to have a more kid-oriented party, host a play-date style party. Invite three to five parents and their young children to attend and arrange several child-friendly activities throughout the day to keep babies occupied.
Party Themes
A party theme enables you to coordinate all of the various decisions that go into hosting an infant's birthday party, including decorations, food and games. Choose an age-appropriate theme that doesn't involve overstimulating colors or decorations. A simple ABC or 123 theme may include pastel building block decorations and a carved alphabet cake. If you have a treasured book of nursery rhymes, host a Mother Goose party that uses books as table centerpieces and features marshmallow chick sweets on a dessert table. If your child is beginning to develop a preference for a favorite childhood television show, decorate your house in colorful cutouts of the main character.
Food and Drink
An infant will likely be receiving her own special menu of baby food or formula. If you are hosting an adult party, provide adult-friendly finger foods like sandwiches, quiche or pizza. To avoid trouble around bedtime, host a brunch party and serve a buffet of breakfast foods like sausage, pancakes and scrambled eggs. Another food option is an "inner child" theme: serve guests childhood favorites like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese or animal crackers. When it comes time for dessert, be sure to include a separate smash cake for the birthday child. A smash cake is usually a smaller, individually sized version of the larger cake that is reserved for the birthday baby to eat with her hands.
Special Dates
Celebrate your infant's birthday with a special family date rather than an elaborate party. Gather immediate family members for a family portrait session at a local photography studio. Many local libraries host read-aloud story times for young children; visit the event and then have a family picnic on the green complete with birthday cupcakes. Take your baby on his first trip to a zoo or farm; stop at a bakery afterward and pick out a small custard to celebrate.
Tags: birthday party, young children, your baby, adult party, close friends, family members