For my son's first birthday party, we had a theme. It was "I can't believe we survived one year of parenting." I'm pretty sure we had cupcakes and then I took a long nap. The rest is kind of a blur. Clearly, I'm not a master party planner.
While you are more than welcome to steal my theme — all you need is a messy house and a strong desire to eat carbs — you're probably looking for ideas to make your little one's big day memorable for your guests. And what's interesting yet complicated about first birthdays is that the guests aren't usually the same age as the birthday boy or girl. In fact, you might be hitting a whole spectrum of age ranges.
Because of the special nature of hosting a kid's party for all ages, we asked parents who threw successful, wildly fun first birthday parties for their best ideas. With any of these 12 awesomely creative (and mostly easy) ideas, you too can throw a party your baby will never remember, but your guests certainly will!
Hold Mini Photo Shoots
“We hired a professional photographer to set up a photo area in our backyard and take pictures. So many of our guests were families, and their party favor was a five-minute photo shoot! We paid the photographer and she gave everyone access to the digital prints. It was a hit, and we captured some great memories of the party.” — Alexis P., Toronto, Ontario
Pick a Fun Theme
“We did a Dr. Seuss party for our twins. The decor was inspired by ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’ and I dressed them as Thing One and Thing Two. It was really cute and it was easy to find fun and colorful decorations.” — Janice V., Maple Grove, Minnesota
Make It a Karaoke Party
“A mixed-ages karaoke party is crazy fun! The birthday boy slept through most of his party but the adults and bigger kids loved singing karaoke. We went with a ‘baby’ theme so everyone had to find a song with the word baby in it. Seeing my father-in-law belt out ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ is an amazing life memory!” — Fiona D., Las Vegas, Nevada
Host a Book Swap
“We asked all of our guests to skip a present and to bring a gently used book instead. Then we set up an exchange table and everyone got to choose a book to take home. We had everything from board books to murder mysteries. It totally fit with our lives, since my husband and I are both English teachers!” — Kate W., Cary, North Carolina
More from CafeMom: 10 Tips for Throwing a Kid’s Birthday Party Adults Will Love (PHOTOS)
Ask Guests to Dress Up
“We threw a Stayin’ Alive party. We went full disco — complete with costumes!” — Leah M., Oakland, California
Plan a Boozy Brunch
“The guest list for my daughter’s party was more adults than kids and most of the kids were pretty young. We settled on a nap-time-friendly Sunday brunch party, complete with a monster make-your-own Bloody Mary bar. That was a hit!” — Kari E., Atlanta, Georgia
Stick to Finger Foods
“We went with a finger foods theme because we figured it would be easier for parents and kids to not have to deal with silverware and stuff. We had one table of kid-friendly apps — brownie bites, strawberries, Goldfish crackers. Then we did a grown-up table with lots of yummy savory things. People could graze, and most kids could feed themselves. Easy!” — Sarah S., Saint Paul, Minnesota
Serve Smash Cakes to All
“We got ALL the kids under 5 years old their own smash cakes, not just the birthday boy. We set them up outside and let them go crazy. It was messy and hilarious. We hosed them off afterwards and set up a slip-‘n’-slide for getting all the crumbs off.” — Tara G., Eugene, Oregon
Set Up Activities for All Ages
“One piñata is fun. Five piñatas is a PARTY. We did one piñata for the littles, one for bigger kids, one for teens, and two for parents. The parent one had lotto tickets and little plastic bottles of booze. It was so fun and everyone got to take a swing, even the baby, with Dad’s help!” — Gloria V., Tucson, Arizona
Make It a 'Thank You' Party
“My daughter was born six weeks early and had a lot of complications. The first year was SO HARD, especially since we had a 3-year-old to also take care of. We were so blessed with friends and family that did so much to help us. So we turned her first birthday party into a ‘thank you’ party and gave each of the guests a gift and a letter about how much they meant to us and how grateful we were. It was very meaningful to us.” — Lori R., Oakdale, Minnesota
Host a Saturday Morning PJ Party
“We had the party at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning (hello, nap schedules!) and made it a pajama party. All the guests wore jammies, including adults, and we made pancakes and had a showing of some awesome retro cartoons. It was low-key and fun. Some other parents said it was awesome to not have to fight to get the kids dressed to come!” — Annie T., Tucson, Arizona
Have the Cake Smash in a Kiddie Pool
“I highly recommend having the cake smash in a kiddie pool! We stripped him down and it kept the cake mess contained. He was naked, covered in frosting, and happy as can be!” — Mary N., Saint Paul, Minnesota
More from CafeMom: 11 Photos to Capture at Baby’s First Birthday Party
