Your baby only turns one once. That’s what I kept telling myself as I planned and perfected my son’s first birthday bash last November, while my husband kept telling me to rein the party in. His rationale? That our son wouldn’t remember his first birthday anyway. Such a party pooper! While that may have been (ok, most definitely was) true, it was a celebration I knew I’d remember forever and tell our little man all about someday.
That being said, if MTV had a Super Sweet Sixteen spinoff called Fabulous First Fiestas, we most definitely would have been featured. Did I go overboard? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not one bit. Would I change anything now looking back? Ehh maybe. Did I learn a thing or two about the world of baby birthday parties? You betcha. And I’m here to share those things with you.
Lesson Learned #1 – Pick a theme and stick to it.
Pinterest is both a blessing and a curse, especially when looking for ideas for your little’s first birthday party. Just when I thought I’d settled on a theme, I’d find something I liked even better. Think of it this way – the sooner you pick a theme, the sooner you can get to the fun part… the planning! P.S. For those of you dying to know, I went with a modern superhero theme for my little man’s party, so think lots of lightning bolts and a classic white and black color scheme with pops of neon colors👌
Lesson Learned #2 – It’s only as big as you make it.
There’s no right or wrong way to throw a first birthday party. Whether you decide to keep the invite list small or invite everyone you’ve ever met (🙋), the day is really all about you and your babe – to celebrate all of the highs and lows, triumphs and defeats, dirty diapers and spit up-clad clothes (you get the picture) of their first year of life. And word to the wise, don’t invite more people than the party location accommodates – otherwise, you’ll spend the morning of praying people that RSVP’ed yes don’t actually show up (again🙋)…
Lesson Learned #3 – Unwrap, store away, repeat.
The toys in our house used to be neatly organized and put away every night. Now, we have balls, things with wheels and stuffed animals coming out the wazoo. And the toys we have out aren’t even half of what our little man received for his birthday. Before his party, we were given some great advice – unwrap the gifts at the party, keep a few out when you get home and put the rest away for later. That way, you can bring out the new toys slowly and rotate some of the old ones out. This way, you’ll be celebrating your little’s birthday year round!
Lesson Learned #4 – Smile pretty.
After you’ve tackled the party setup, take pictures to capture “the before” – the decorations, the display table, the smash cake area, the food, etc. Then HAND OVER the camera! Ask a close friend or family member to be in charge of taking pictures during the party. That way, you can focus on your little and helping them make the rounds to see all of the guests, open presents and clean the icing out of their hair. And it’s ok to ask your “photographer” to make sure they get certain shots, like of the birthday babe with certain family members or opening a particular gift.
Lesson Learned #5 – It’ll be perfectly imperfect.
No matter how much you plan, no matter how many hours you spend crafting, cooking or baking, no matter how late you stay up the night before prepping, the party won’t be perfect. There’s bound to be a guest that arrives late. You might run out of food or have wayyy too much leftover. Your little one’s attention span probably won’t last the amount of time it takes to open all of the gifts. And they may or may not dig the idea of digging into their smash cake. Regardless, the amount of love and energy you put into planning your baby’s first birthday party will shine through, and it’ll be perfectly imperfect!
Of all of these, what’s the most important lesson I learned? To enjoy the day. To take a step back and soak it all in. To eat the cake. After all, your baby only turns one once ❤
