How to Throw a Great First Birthday Party?

Your baby turning one is a major milestone in your life. It is a time for celebrating accomplishments-he may have started taking solid food, learnt to sleep undisturbed in the night, achieved some teething and may have graduated from crawling to walking.

So you might want to hold a great first birthday party to celebrate your little miss sunshine.  A first birthday party may be a bit overwhelming for the little birthday boy or girl. But with proper planning, you can host a memorable first birthday party for your tiny tot.

Planning the Event:

• Timing: You must plan the event in such a way that the guests have a good time. For this, first thing is timing; you don’t want a cake cutting ceremony with the birthday baby screaming away. Plan the event around the napping time of the baby, when she is in a good mood. Host a small party before she falls asleep or bring in the cake when she wakes up.

You must also decide guest list: usually close friends and family associated with your baby need only to be invited. You may also invite other new mothers and their babies.

• Venue: The best place for a baby is your home where she is secure and familiar. But for a big party, consider a local hall, restaurant with play area, a relatives’ home or the outdoors (park or zoo).

• Theme: Babies cannot appreciate any themes of their party. So, it is up to you to choose something you like- a colour coordinated or a cartoon theme- it is only for photos and videos for memory’s sake.
• Food: Keep food simple. Most of it will be spread all over with a bunch of tiny tots in action. Finger foods are ideal for the newly teething baby. These include tiny sandwiches, cup cakes, cut-up fruit, mini yogurt or Graham crackers served in broken bits. Avoid popcorn, hard candy, nuts, marshmallows, and raisins-anything that can potentially choke your young ones.

Keep water, milk and juice handy for the little ones.

• Decorations: You can hang up cute photos of your baby, hanging from streamers. Avoid balloons and other plastic materials that are dangerous for babies lest they choke on them. Babies appreciate colour, so go colourful with your decorations.

• Activities and games: Bursting balloons and party poppers may frighten your little baby. Instead, organize some dancing with nursery rhymes playing in the background.
• Birthday presents: Babies will love opening up gifts and may love playing with the wrapping paper rather than the gifts. If some gifts are too complicated for a one year old, stow them away for use in future. Babies love lights, sounds and colours. Touching toys are ideal for a baby with growing tactile skills. Bath toys and push along toys are also likely to be a great hit.

• The cake: The first birthday cake provides unlimited photo opportunities. Every toddler has the right to a ‘smash cake’. Those concerned with nutrition can opt for healthy cakes like banana muffins or low fat ice cream cake. You can order cakes by post in UK if you are unable to go to local bakery. Buying online would be better as online stores have more variety than local bakeries.

These are some tips on how to organize a first birthday party for your toddler.

from http://monalisaofblogging.com/how-to-throw-a-great-first-birthday-party