My son will be a year old at the beginning of May. I want to have a birthday party for him outside at my home with family and friends.. We have plenty of outside room (yard space). He is my first and I didnt know if I should have a theme or just do a first birthday theme. What did you guys do?
I would suggest a small cake and ice cream gathering of just a few. Little ones get tired and fussy with lots of comotion and people. I like themes. I like to make a home made cake and buy a small toy to put as a cake decoration and then get solid colored paper plates and napkins. Good luck.
I have to agree with the prior response. They get overstimulated/tired very easily. So make sure you plan whatever you decide to do around his nap/eating schedule!
We went all out with my daughter and she was CRANKY during most of it (just too many people all expecting her to 'perform'). With my Son we just went out to lunch with our extended family and had cake/icecream at the house. It was a much more relaxed and happy birthday.
We just did a cook out birthday party for our daughters first BDay. It was really more of gathering for the family. We started it at 11:00 am, since our daughter always napped at 1:00. We put her down for her nap and when she woke up we were still all gathered.. eating and having fun. She has no memory once when I was showing her the pictures, she once said while looking at that photo album, "it sure looks like all of the people at 'that' party look happy"...
While it is true that this birthday is for you and nyour family, as long as you have a quiet place for him to take his naps at a scheduled times, live it up. You could do a cute bug and ants at the picnic theme. Big ants made of black balloons, butter flys and caterpillers can all be made of balloons too.
Cute creapy crawly things- checkered table clothes, balloon buggs and picnic fair
Cowboys- red bandanas, ponies, rope decorations
Trains, planes, and automobiles
Blue #1- there are all kinds of simple decorations for this one
Country fair- any food on a stick or in a bun
Luau- and all that comes with it
Storytime- The adults can gift a favorite children's book. You can set up a quiet area to video record the adult reading the book to your little one. great and meaningful keepsake.
We had a luau and kept on our regular feeding and eating schedule, but the adults just went about their business. We wrote thank you letters to all of the people that helped us through our first year and each grandparent got a charm necklace or tie bar designed by my uncle, who was our family jeweler.
DD likes the pictures, but of course doesn't remember it. It is for you and your loved ones, so have fun with it.
We just had our son's first birthday party outside, and it was great. We got a small kiddie inflatable pool from Wal-Mart and these bags of balls (like the kind in ball jumpers) - 100 in a bag and we got two, and put them in the pool. the kids loved jumping in and out of them. Then for goody "bags" to take home we got sandpails form the dollar store and filled each one with 7 or 8 balls. The kids loved them, and it was so easy. Just remember to keep an eye on them and have fun!
Dear Sydney, I think it's great to have a b-day party for your little guy. We had one for our only son who is now 9, soon to be 10. The theme was first b-day and I had a small cake for him to blow out his candle and play with the icing and another cake for the rest of our guests. Please have someone video tape and take lots of pictures. You'll cherish the memories for life. Irma
I have two boys, 4 and almost 7. We did a first birthday theme. At that age themes didn't matter to my boys. I made cupcakes, put them in the shape of a one and then did the icing over all them with a star tip. Good idea to let them eat the cake in the yard, so you can hose them down afterward!
I think "First" Birthday should be the theme. Because, it is and that is a major milestone.
What is your 'flaw'? Trying to give your son the world? I think NOT !!! That is a good thing. I have traveled in your shoes. Give him all you can, regardless of father or not.
For our son's birthday, I used a "bug" theme. I made a caterpillar cake (make a bundt cake, cut it in half and line the two ends up so that it makes an "S" shape. I frosted it in green, used licorice for the legs and used all kinds of different candies to decorate. Jr. Mints for the eyes). I also made antennas by purchasing a bunch of cheap girl's headbands, pipe cleaners and that craft "foam paper." I wrapped two pipe cleaners around the top of the headbands, and glued cut out circles of the foam paper to the top of the pipe cleaners (use one on each side and glue them to one another. Then I used puff paint, glue and glitter to make designs (eyes, swirls, etc.). All of the men wore the antennas, believe it or not! ...and the older kids. You can also buy picnic (red and white checked) fabric to cover your table. It will probably only cost you a few dollars a yard. It was a very inexpensive theme and quite cute. Enjoy planning your son's birthday party. The first birthday is a huge deal for mom!
My son will be 1 in April and I am doing a theme. It will probably be one of the few times I get to pick it. We are having family and friends over for a simple backyard gathering. We are giving my son a barn yard set and I will put the animals on his cake for decoration. So the theme is farm. The only decorations will be some balloons.
I am just planning my younger daughter's 1st bday next month right now. The theme is Elmo 1st Birthday and I just bought some decorations yesterday. We don't have any family here and are just inviting a few friends over for cake and ice cream so nothing big. With my older daughter, however, we went home to visit and had a huge first birthday party for her with all the relatives and friends. I made sure that she took her nap before the party and she did fantastic! I think you should choose whichever theme you want because honestly, he won't care since he is so young!
WEll i was so excited about planning my son's first birthday. We did the back yard get together with family and friends. I wanted to do the "First Birthday" theme but everything was so babyish with the pastel blues or baby type themed prints. I wanted something Big Boyish. I was on orientaltrading.com and they had the "I Dig Being One" theme and it had all the tractors, dump trucks and was in blue, red, yellow and green colors. I bought a few of the themed items along with a pack or two of the plates, napkins, cups. I then went to the dollar tree and bought red, blue, green and yellow plates, napkins, cups and plastic wear. I mixed all the colors up with the themed ones so that it would all match and go together. I had HEB scan the napkin and make him a cake so that it matched his theme. They also give you a free small cake for the first birthday. I set up a table with tonka trucks and tractors then had his cake in the middle, it was all so cute. Everyone said that everything looked nice and i was excited how it all turned out. With purchasing the papergoods, food and decorations i spent maybe $250.00. I started buying everything a few months in advance so it was not such an expense all at once. We had about 40+ people including kids at the party.
Good Luck, Have Fun and Take Lots of PIctures!!!!
We just had ours last weekend for my son, and we did the first birthday theme. We had a pinata, bubble machine, baby pool filled with balls, large balls in the yard, a tunnel in the grass, and a swing in the tree. This kept his age group pretty busy and happy. I hope that helps a bit.
I just had family and friends over. No big theme. Your child won't remember this except for pictures. He'll love getting the attention and the boxes. This party is really for the grown ups. So, do what is comfortable for them.
I did the first bday theme on both of my girls. I do a scrap book, so I wanted to have plates, candles, etc that said "1st bday." It is easy to keep it casual the first few years!!!!
We didn't do the 1st birthday theme, we did Disney. I did make him his own cake, a number 1. That is something that was most important to me. I bought the cake for the others to enjoy.
The first birthday party is really for the parents. The kid doesn't know what is going on. We got a moon walk for the older kids that were there. My son got in it with me and a couple of other people, for photo op.
My son is a May birthday too. We had it in our backyard. We had crawfish, then burgers and hot dogs for the non crawfish eaters.
If he is "into something" then make that the theme. Otherwise, just get solid color plates and such. My rule with party supplies is I don't get theme plates to eat from we just use regular paper plates, but I do buy the theme cake plates to have cake from.
When it is time for him to eat his cake, put him in his high chair, strip him down to diaper, and let him go! Some of the best pictures are of the mess he makes with the cake. Don't be surprised if he pukes after eating all that sugar! It's typical. My son didn't, but had to go straight inside for a bath!
Oh, and when you open the presents for him, make sure all of the kids are sitting down to watch. Don't let them crowd around, this will prevent them from seeing and will potentially scare the b-day boy. I always make the kids sit down to watch, and I don't let them mess with the presents.
Main thing is have fun and don't sweat the small stuff.
You have NO flaw!
First birthdays are wonderful but they really are more for the adult than the birthday kiddo. When my son turned one, we did do a "1" theme. There were 2 cakes, one small one for just him and another one for all of the guests. I've heard of some places that will give you the small cake for free when you purchase the larger cake there--try Randalls or HEB--I can't remember exactly where. There were a few babies his age at the party and mainly what we did was have his outside toys ready for them-very similar to what another Mommy already suggested. The bubbles are always a big hit and they love music and dancing so maybe have his favorite songs playing too.
Good luck!
Denise
http://www.4myhappyhealthyfamily.com
Someone asked this question a month or so ago, too. You can probably go back and find it in the previous posts.
I am in the camp of huge, big deal birthday parties for one, two and three year olds is silly. All the little ones don't remember anything---heck, they don't even know what is going on. Matter of fact, the more people you invite and the bigger the deal you make for a one year old, the more frightened they get.
Put energy instead into parties of later years: 8, 9, 10...when they have school and neighbor friends they want to play with.
My advice for one year olds: have very close friends and family over for a small cook out, throw together a cake and take a few pics. Spend a little money getting a nice photo taken to help remember your adorable son at the age of 1.
That's it.