Baby’s First Birthday Party
When planning a birthday party for your baby, especially your first baby, things can feel a little stressful, but they don’t need to be. You’re probably wondering, “How do you plan a birthday party for a baby?” Well, don’t sweat it – the focus of the party is, of course, going to be the baby. There may or may not be another baby there, depending on your friend group, which could be a nice little reprieve for you as your child gets handed around to guests while “Baby Shark” is on repeat in the background. Chances are, if your baby could decide for themselves, they’d likely offer a few Baby Shark birthday party ideas themselves.
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Tips for Planning an Unforgettable Birthday Party for Your Baby
So let’s review everything you need to know about planning a birthday party for your baby, from Baby Shark party invitations to the designer baby clothes you’ll register for when your guests ask for a wish list. And remember, a baby birthday party idea is just that, an idea. Don’t get hung up with the small details because chances are, and most people are there for the opportunity to hold a sweet baby and eat some delicious food.
When to Throw Baby’s First Birthday Party
Well, this is pretty straightforward; you want to throw the baby’s first birthday around the time they’re turning one year old. Ideally, you throw the party on the weekend, so most people who are working can attend. You already know you can’t throw it after work hours during the week since your baby probably falls asleep early. You also want to keep in mind your child’s current nap routine and plan around that. So probably somewhere mid-afternoon, like two to four pm on a Saturday or Sunday, would work for most families.
Creating the Guest List
When it comes to creating your guest list, do what makes you most comfortable. If the idea of hosting 50+ people sounds daunting to you, keep it smaller. If you know you’re going to throw a large party (after all, it’s their first birthday), you need to keep that in mind as one of your factors to consider in venue selection. The bottom line – invite your closest friends and family and branch from there, children that may be in some music or playdate groups. Friends with babies around the same age or in toddlerhood are always a plus!
Invitations and Gifts
If you’ve racked your brain for baby boys 1st birthday party ideas for 1st birthday party themes for baby girls, you’ve probably come up with a theme. So, make sure you’ve got your theme before you create your invitations. If you’ve decided on a Baby Shark birthday, for example, you’ll be mailing out baby shark birthday party invitations. You also may want to include a link to a wishlist or gift registry on the invitations. That way, when guests arrive with gifts, you know your baby will love everything they receive.
Choosing the Venue
At this point, you’ve probably found yourself furiously searching “baby shower venues San Diego” and thankfully – a lot has come up! So it’s all about choosing the venue that works best for your amount of guests, the type of food you want to serve, and if they’ll allow you to put up your baby shark birthday party decorations. But seriously, will they allow you to bring your decorations is an important question to ask!
Choosing a Birthday Party Theme
When choosing the theme for your baby’s party, you want it to have something to do with their interests and what they love. Since they’re so young, it may be as simple as cats, Cat In The Hat, or the Baby Shark song. All of these are simple and easy to execute ideas. Thankfully, the market for baby party decorations is massive, so you’ll have no trouble finding decor that fits whatever theme you end up selecting. If you do end up going the shark route, get ready to play Baby Shark on repeat, you know, so that you can hear the song for the millionth time!
Shopping for Decorations
As mentioned above, a quick online search for decorations that fit the theme should turn up many results. If you did decide that your baby birthday party idea was for the hit song, consider placing Baby Shark toys on each of the tables for guests – not only in its decor, it’s also an easy party favor.
1st Birthday Party Outfits
Since you’re going all out on your Baby Shark themed birthday party , venue, and decorations, ideally, your child should also “match” the party. So, if you went with the Pinkfong baby shark birthday party idea, consider dressing your child in a shark costume. They may hate you for the photos as an adult, but it will ultimately be adorable to you and your guests!
Planning the Menu
You can go a couple of directions here. Depending on the venue you chose, you can leave the menu planning to them with a couple of caveats like vegan and baby-friendly. But, if it’s your baby’s first party, they’re likely barely eating solids; they’re just going to smash their baby shark cake. If you must plan the menu yourself because the venue doesn’t provide food, keep the food healthy and straightforward. Charcuterie boards, tossed salad, fresh fruit, and finger sandwiches. Things people can grab and walk with as they celebrate.
Games and Activities
Depending on the child’s age, they may not be interested in games and activities, but they will attend if other children are in attendance. If your venue is outdoors, ideally, there’s a way to set up something simple like croquet or badminton. If not, the classics are classics for a reason. Games like pin the tail on the donkey, and a candy-filled pinata will never go out of style. You may find yourself singing the baby shark lyrics over and over as the older children are smashing the shark pinata to pieces, but it’s a party, go crazy! While games and activities are one of the more challenging parts to pin down when coming up with a baby birthday party idea, you can go as straightforward or as creative as you want or your budget allows.
To Do’s and Recommended Supplies
You want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row when it comes to your baby shark birthday party supplies, or 101 Dalmatians, Blippie, you get the gist. It is important to have plates, napkins, cutlery, and cups that match your party.
You also need some balloons. You can go classic here with the basic helium balloons, but it’s in vogue right now to do the metallic number balloons representing your baby’s age. So a giant gold “One” or “Two” could suffice if you don’t want to go balloon overboard. You’ll also want tiny hats for people that choose to wear them and party blowers because babies get a kick out of those.
Some things to keep in mind when it comes to supplies – don’t let the babies pop the balloons. Don’t get any supplies small enough that a child could fit them into their mouth. Also, you don’t want to put the alcohol served to the adults to be at a level where children can reach it.
But your most important supply for the party is a calm and positive attitude. Children’s parties can get hectic, and they’re often loud! Hey, you chose to go with a Baby Shark birthday party! That song is beloved by many and will be played on repeat and sung along the entire time! So, if you expect the unexpected, know that things will go wrong, and be able to go with the flow, the party will be a smashing success!
Your child’s first birthday party is a huge milestone, in many ways more for you than for the baby. You’re going to have pictures and videos you’ll cherish for a lifetime. In the end, all your hard work will be worth it. Enjoy the ride because what they say is true; the years fly by, and celebrating each one is a gift in itself.
Named after Pearl Street in La Jolla, Pearl is the unofficial mascot of the various elves on the daily news desk at LaJolla.com. We’re writers, editors, and people who work on websites; sometimes so many people work on one project that no one feels like they should take the credit.
