{"id":950,"date":"2017-02-05T07:48:40","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T07:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.smilebox.com\/articles\/?p=950"},"modified":"2020-03-23T14:51:17","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T14:51:17","slug":"celebrate-babys-1st-birthday-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/celebrate-babys-1st-birthday-style\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Celebrate Your Baby’s 1st Birthday with Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think that a first-year birthday party is all about your young toddler \u2014 think again. Your baby isn\u2019t excited about the five-layer, chocolate swirl cake. He doesn\u2019t realize that you spent hours searching for elephant balloons. And he isn\u2019t especially eager to play with his new toys. Then again, he thinks those gift boxes are pretty awesome.<\/p>\n

When my little boy turned one, I remember thinking that it was actually a celebration for my husband and me. We had successfully gotten our once-7-pound-incredibly-fragile-baby to 12 months! So, it was definitely a reason to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Here are my tips for throwing a first-year birthday party with all of the most important ingredients: happy baby, stress-free parents, picture-perfect moments, and lots of style.<\/p>\n

Time Your Party Perfectly<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re all about a strict schedule or more go-with-the-flow, you are certain about one thing: your 12-month-old needs one if not two naps each day, or else\u2026 At one year, my baby still could only nap in someone\u2019s arms, and frankly, on the morning of his party, my arms were busy setting up. So, I enlisted my father-in-law to be the body against which my baby napped. We scheduled the party for 12pm, and I hoisted our son into his arms by 10am. My father-in-law, an expert nap-inducer with two sons and four grandchildren as of then, had no trouble getting our son into dreamland. And when he woke up, he was ready to party \u2014 or, at least, show off his gorgeous smile.<\/p>\n

Send an Invitation that\u2019s Both Classy and Simple<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To ensure that friends designate part of their weekend to your baby\u2019s party, create a birthday invitation<\/a> that features your baby\u2019s irresistible smile (you can check out our online birthday card maker<\/a> page for insperation). I recommend sending an online invitation. Not only does that make your job a lot easier \u2014 a few clicks and you\u2019re done \u2014 but guests will also be able to RSVP online, which means that there\u2019s even less work for you!<\/p>\n

Create Birthday Invitations<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/pre>\n
Wear Your Finest<\/strong><\/p>\n
Like many parents, my husband and I have mostly said goodbye (for now) to our out-on-the-town Saturday nights, and made Sunday afternoons our time to check out the museum, zoo, or new restaurant. Because we don\u2019t go to as many parties as we used to, I decided to take full advantage of our baby\u2019s first birthday party. I dug into my closet and found my little black dress. Oh, how I\u2019d missed it! I paired it with black heels and some red lipstick. And, of course, I dressed my little boy in his finest, too \u2014 slacks, a collared shirt, and a zip-up sweater. Precious.<\/p>\n
Designate Someone to be the Photographer<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"295\"<\/a><\/p>\n
One of the main reasons people throw first-year birthday parties is for the pictures! When my little boy no longer wants to cuddle in my arms, I\u2019ll be able to flip through the pictures from his party, and relive those sweet memories. We asked a friend to be the photographer for the day, and to take as many pictures as possible. Better to have too many options than not enough! After the party, I created a baby slideshow<\/a> with the photos and emailed it to everyone who had helped us celebrate.<\/p>\n
Serve Food that Will Make Your Guests Ooh and Aah <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"831\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Who says that you need to serve kid food at a baby\u2019s first birthday party? At this age, your baby doesn\u2019t know the difference, but your guests certainly will. At their daughter\u2019s first-year birthday party, my friends went all out by serving smoked salmon crostini, mini quiches, and homemade blini! I was inspired and delighted by their menu.<\/p>\n
Clean Up the Clutter<\/strong><\/h2>\n
New parents\u2019 homes are known for being covered in toys, huge baby contraptions, and bits of food. I refused to invite my guests to a home that looked like that. We splurged on a cleaning service the day before, and presented a home that was shiny, sparkling, and neat as could be. Of course that only lasted for a few hours, but those few hours were worth it.<\/p>\n
Celebrate Your Village<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It really does take a village to raise a child. From grandparents to babysitters to friends to neighbors \u2014 so many people have helped us care for our son. We paid tribute to many of these people with individual toasts. We also displayed a photobook<\/a> of our son\u2019s first year, which we had filled with photos of all of our loved ones, too. They loved flipping through it during the party, and seeing how present they\u2019d been during our son\u2019s first year.<\/p>\n
Take Cues from Your Little One<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"504\"<\/a><\/p>\n
Your 12-month-old may officially be a toddler, but let\u2019s be real \u2014 he\u2019s still a baby. He wants what he wants, he cries when he\u2019s tired, he gets easily overwhelmed, and he loves being in your arms most of all. Even though it\u2019s his party, don\u2019t force him to be the life of the party. If he pushes aside his cake (shocking, I know!), don\u2019t keep encouraging him eat it. If he doesn\u2019t want to be hot-potato passed around, don\u2019t make him. Keep the party short \u2014 two hours at most \u2014 and make sure he\u2019s your number one priority at all times. That way, he\u2019ll have a smile on his face the entire time, and so will everyone else!<\/p>\n
What are your tips for throwing a memorable and magnificent first-year birthday party?<\/p>\n
See Smilebox's Birthday Designs<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you think that a first-year birthday party is all about your young toddler \u2014 think again. Your baby isn\u2019t excited about the five-layer, chocolate swirl cake. He doesn\u2019t realize that you spent hours searching for elephant balloons. And he isn\u2019t especially eager to play with his new toys. Then again, he thinks those gift […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n