All those hours of suffering in the delivery room, which ultimately become some of the happiest days of your life, seem so close... And yet it's already been a year! Your eighth wonder of the world will soon be celebrating her first birthday, and you want to celebrate. Here are some tips from Good Goût to make this moment simple and enjoyable.
What type of birthday party should you organize?
To celebrate your baby's first year of life, the first questions that will probably cross your mind will be: "When am I going to organize this?" and "Where am I going to do this?" It goes without saying that the date will be your little one's birthday, or at least one very close to it, but what time of day is best? Lunch or Brunch? Snack? A cocktail party or dinner? It's up to you to make your choice based on your own requirements and the availability of your guests. Moreover, whatever the event, it will necessarily include food. While babies will always have the choice between our mini rosemary baguettes or round biscuits depending on the time of day, what do we do for adults? Sit-down meal or nibble buffet?
Currently, the trend is more towards buffets. Note that this type of reception remains the easiest to manage when you have a young baby to watch over. Indeed, you can prepare most of the dishes in advance and on the big day, you will be entirely available for your little one and your guests. And then, a sit-down meal is perhaps a little too formal for an event that you want to be simple and "good-natured"...
As for the ideal time, a cocktail party is ideal if you're celebrating your child's birthday during the week. Indeed, your guests (and you) will probably be more available in the evening. On the other hand, your baby may get tired quickly, and it would be a shame to celebrate this first year of happiness without him... If you want to be able to show your guests how much he's grown, the most appropriate time will be lunchtime (or brunch) or snack time. Choose a weekend so your guests are available. Plus, on weekends, everyone is more relaxed, and your baby will feel it.
In any case, keep your child's pace in mind. If they're tired, they might be a little grumpy, and the party might not be as enjoyable for everyone. Ideally, they should be able to sleep before the party and keep it short.
Where to celebrate your birthday?
Your baby is still young... If you want him to fully enjoy the moment, choose a quiet place where he's already settled in. Your little cocoon remains ideal, provided you have enough space. At this age, our little ones are quite sensitive to noise and surrounding hustle and bustle. So avoid restaurant dining rooms, which are often too noisy. And if your little wonder is lucky enough to be born during a mild season, you can organize this little party in a park during a picnic, for example (if you don't have a garden). It's original and will delight the children.
Who will be the guests for baby's first candle?
A year seems like a huge milestone when it comes to our little one, but in reality, it's still very young. Just as we saw with the choice of venue, keep in mind that your baby will be more comfortable in a calm and familiar environment. So avoid crowds, even if it's tempting to make this unique event seem like a national holiday.
Should we invite other children?
The answer may seem obvious, because "children's birthday" means "children to invite." And yet... it's not so simple. It's not just any birthday, it's the very first. And it's not certain that your very young baby will be ready to play with many other children. Moreover, this is an age when baby needs a lot... a lot of attention. So we advise you not to invite too many children. Only those your baby knows well.
Please note that for the well-being of your young guests and your own little one, it is recommended to follow a few precautions. This may seem obvious to you, but in the frenzy of preparation, these details are likely to be quickly forgotten.
You probably have young breastfeeding mothers around you, so plan a quiet room so they can breastfeed their little ones in complete peace.
Also consider preparing a small area for changing the little ones.
There will be a lot of people around and with children playing all over the place, it's safer to put away any valuables that might be lying around.
Finally, and most importantly, for the safety of everyone, remove small objects that could be swallowed, sharp objects (knives), and remember to secure cupboard doors to prevent minor accidents. And in case a minor injury occurs, remember to prepare a small first aid kit that is quickly accessible.
How to make this event unique?
Now that you know when, where, and with whom this little party in honor of your baby will take place, the next step is to figure out what to do to decorate and liven things up a bit.
Decor: No need to go overboard, but children's birthday party decorations are so adorable that we wo n't blame you if you go wild. And to avoid breaking the bank, here are some little tutorials to learn how to make super stylish tissue paper pom poms and super cute little fabric bunting banners yourself. Guaranteed effect. And for those with two left hands, many children's e-shops and toy stores offer ready-made decoration kits.
If you plan to use balloons for decoration, hang them up high so that they won't be popped by younger children: they could choke on the rubber bits that fall to the floor.
How to keep children busy?
Here, two schools of thought clash: those who prefer to go directly through a babysitter or an activity leader (we don't all have their talent) and those who swear by small "homemade" activities.
You can therefore use a babysitter or even an entertainer to keep this lovely little one busy. Many websites allow you to quickly find one near you (Yoopies.fr, Yoopala.com, Babychou.fr, etc.).
And for those who love to do it "by myself", there's no need to rack your brains, just plan a range of games suitable for everyone's age (coloring pages, board games, cartoons, a ball if you're outside, etc.) and that's it!
How to keep adults busy?
Not everyone has had the chance to see your little wonder grow up during this incredible year, so what better way to catch up than with a nice slideshow of the most adorable photos of your little one? Your baby has certainly been bombarded with photos during this year, like a Hollywood star, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find some pretty shots. And for the more experienced among you, why not make a short film including photos and videos of your baby? To do this, there's no need to invest in professional software; computers all contain a video editing program by default. So if you have a PC, you can use Windows Movie Maker, and if you have a Mac, you can use iMovie.
If you want something more interactive, prepare a short quiz revolving around baby's first year: "when did he get his first tooth?", "where did he start crawling?", etc.
And for some truly memorable memories of this lovely little celebration, ask someone to take a few photos for you. You'll definitely have your mind and arms busy with something else...
That's it, all you have to do now is happily sing "happy anni-ver-saiiiiire"!
