Birthday plannings
There are many big milestones in your baby’s life, and their first birthday is the one you need to celebrate. Many parents “don’t see the point” or think that because their child won’t remember it, there’s no point going over the top, and I can totally see that, but you may have others that want to mark your child’s first birthday, like the grandparents. So, throwing a party is usually the way to please everyone. What’s the best way to make it a nice celebration without causing you too much stress?
Firstly, location matters. If you have lots of children attending that are of different ages, you may want to rent out a church hall or small venue because that will cut down on the amount of stress (and mess) of potential damage. If you can’t afford to host it in a hall, then you may want to think about doing it outdoors in the garden. In having it outside, you can minimize the indoor damage, and all the mess is contained to one place. Keeping children entertained outside can be more of a challenge. You can purchase outdoor play equipment as a good distraction. Keeping all the children entertained is the priority during a birthday party, and make sure you’ve got plenty of toys lying around. A ball pool is always a very successful choice for babies’ parties.
Food choices can give you a headache, so in the invite, you can make a request for parents to make some dietary choices for their children ahead of time, for example, if they’re lactose intolerant. But most parents will bring food and water for their babies anyway. Finger foods are the best choice for children and parents, because the food may end up on the floor. Of course, providing a varied supply of meat and vegetarian foods for those that don’t eat certain foodstuffs is a wise choice.
The running time of a children’s party is, thankfully, much shorter than most. But you know the best time of day to have it, as your baby will have certain sleeping patterns. Although you can’t be certain of other babies, it’s best to have the party run for about 2 or 2 and a half hours. That way, every parent has the option to duck out if their baby is getting cranky and they’ve still been able to spend a little bit of time with your child on their special day. But to optimize the amount of people, the most ideal time is between 2 and 5 in the afternoon. After 5 pm, the evening routines need to begin, so you don’t want to disrupt anyone’s babies, least of all, your own!
It’s always nice to have a little gift bag for all the visitors but keep it simple, maybe a slice of cake or a medium-sized toy. It’s a special day for your baby, and it’s worth making the most of this milestone, if only for the lovely pictures you’ll have of the day, so you’ll be reminded that you made the most of it.
