First Birthday Celebration

We did a party at Gymboree...it was a lot of fun. 11 one year olds running around playing w/ the toys and climbing on things. They do music and activities for 90 minutes. You provide cake and juice (I used juice boxes) and they provide the paper products.

As a general rule, for kids this age, less is better. I know we moms have a tendency to go all out for this important birthday, but the kids seem to have a hard time if there are too many people and too many activities. When each of my 4 turned one, we just had 2 or 3 other toddlers (and their parents) and a family that is as close to us as our real family (since our family is so far away). We kept activities to a minimum, just simple food (hot dogs for kids and hamburgers/hot dogs for adults), and chips. And of course, cake and ice cream. Too much activity and too much fuss will make for a very fussy baby, you want to make it a happy time for her AND mom and dad.

Make it huge! This one will be the happiest and most fun for you. Make sure she has her own cake to bathe in. It is a blast! I had 52 people at my first daughter's first birthday. Have lots of food and take lots of pictures and video. I just watched my little girl's yesterday. Start planning now, you only have 3 months!

Keeping it short & sweet is the approach we took to my son's 1st birthday party. Cake, Ice cream, chips for the adults, Cheesy puffs for the kids. We tried to make it smoothe as possible & didnt really have games. We had it in our church's fellowship hall so there was enough room for ppl & it was easy cleanup. I know i learned through friend's birthday experiences before we had ours lol the longer the party is, the more you risk having a cranky birthday boy or girl. We got everyone in, My son had his moment in the spotlight, Everyone ate while he was piggin out on his cake LOL & then he got cleaned up & we opened gifts. People could also still eat during that time. From start to finish (including cleanup time) it took about 2 hrs. he had a ball & was only cranky the last 10 mins of gift opening lol mostly because he wanted to play w/ everything & there were so many flippin things! Good luck with her first birthday! I hope it's a wonderful experience!

I would suggest something small and low key. When my son turned one he cried most of the "party" because it was just too loud....and we only had family over! I made hamburgers/hot dogs, chips, crackers, a few appetizers(dips, veggie tray) and cake and ice cream. Good Luck!

I had a Kindermusik party for my daughter's first birthday. It was fantastic. I was a bit skeptical that any activity would really interest 1 year olds, but it did. The instructor came over to my house and did about 45 minutes worth of music and activities, it totally captivated the little ones. My daughter smiled and laughed the whole time. It was so much fun! She brought shakers, music sticks, tons and tons of colorful scarves, etc. She even taught the moms and babies a dance to do together. I had never actually been to a Kindermusik class, but I had a friend who is an instructor back in Ohio and she was the one who suggested it. The other kids attending the party were right around 1- 1and 1/2, there was a 2 year old in the group though too... and he had fun as well. For snacks for the kiddos I had the traditional 1 year old snacky foods... puffs, cheerios, tiny cut up fruit, and I bought those take and toss sippie cups so that each kid could have a drink. I highly recomend cupcakes for the kids instead of pieces of cake. At age 1 it is so much easier for them to handle. And ask the moms to bring their portable high chair seats. It is nice when the other babies can sit and enjoy their cake with the birthday girl. But seriously, I highly, highly recomend the Kindermusik thing. She does all the work, and the kids have so much fun! The pictures I have from that day were great. Ali and all her little buddies laughing and enjoying the day.
I had her party in the late afternoon. You may want to think about the dinnertime thing, b/c a lot of kids that age go to sleep early... or get cranky in the evening.

The best birthday gift you can give a one year old is a box of tissue. Nothing is more fun than pulling them out, one by one! (I know you were asking more for party ideas than gift ideas, sorry)

You can have fries, chicken nuggets, cake or a brownie cake, ice cream, and cheetos puffs. You can rent one of those moonwalks or you could have it at a place that has one (I forget the name of it, but it is off Page Rd in Morrisville-when I think of it, I'll email you again). You could also have a theme, like kings and queens and they could dress up. Or you could let them dress up like their favorite person or character. You could play musical chairs (with the parents help). Or hire a face painter, kids of all ages love that. I don't know if it's necessary to make "dinner" for the parents. As a parent, we don't usually mind eating whatever the kids are having or eating before the party. We know that it is about the kids, not us. It is great that you are planning in advance.