When To Start Planning Baby’s First Birthday Party

Many moms wait until the last minute to start planning for Baby’s First Birthday Party.  Unfortunately people’s social calendar’s fill up, and last minute S&H add up quick.   This is why organized moms start weeks, or even months, in advance!  We suggest you start thinking about your baby’s first birthday party when your baby is about 44 weeks old.  By 48 weeks, you should have most of the details ironed out so you aren’t scrambling in the 11th hour.  Keep reading, we’ll tell you what you should be thinking about.

Party Time

What time is the best time to invite everyone over for your baby’s party? You want to make sure your baby is not going to be cranky, so you should pick a time when your baby will be well rested and not hungry. If your baby is on a schedule and you know when he should be napping, try to schedule the party between naps. Don’t make the party last too long. Your baby has a short attention span and after too much festivity is likely to begin getting fussy.

Invitation List

Invitation lists vary from house to house. If your main focus is your baby’s birthday don’t invite so many people that he gets easily overwhelmed. Just a couple of family members would be enough to celebrate the big day. If you want to use your baby’s birthday as a time to have a family get together try having an outdoor barbeque so that your baby doesn’t feel closed in, or inviting a few family members early to celebrate the birthday and have the rest come at the end of the party.

Decorations

Everybody loves balloons, especially babies! There is nothing silly about decorating for your baby’s first birthday party, but remember if you make it too “busy” your maybe may get stressed or overwhelmed by it and not be able to relax and enjoy his day. Try keeping the decorations low key, and in bright colors that will catch your baby’s eye. Stick to one birthday party theme and have fun with it!

Cakes

Yes, we said “cakes”.  Plural.  The best part of a first birthday is watching your baby put cake all over his face. No one really wants to eat a cake though that has been in a baby’s face! Many stores will make mini cakes, just for your baby, or you can make a little cake to decorate just for your baby’s birthday. This way your baby has his own cake that he can enjoy making a mess out of, while you and your family have a cake you can enjoy eating.

Pictures

Be sure to take lots of pictures and video! This occasion commences the end of your baby’s first year of life and will only happen once. You will definitely want pictures of every moment to look back on and to share with friends and family members that were not able to make it.  Be sure you designate a photographer, though, so you’re able to enjoy the experience without a camera lens between you and the action.

See Taking Pictures of Your Baby for tips on how to take photos like a pro!

Presents

Let your baby open his presents at his own pace, which means, this process may take hours!  For this reason, you may want to wait to open baby’s presents until your guests leave.  Most people will understand if you choose to wait till it is quieter and less active in the house to have your baby sit down and try his hand at unwrapping packages. It might be that your baby needs a nap before he is able to tackle the task of tearing off wrapping paper.

Be sure to keep a list (as you’re opening presents) of what everyone gives your baby for your thank you notes.

Thank You Notes

It is always good manners to send thank you notes for the gifts your baby receives from his first birthday party. Use the list you made as your baby opened his presents so you don’t forget anyone. You can even enclose a picture of your baby with that gift, or other pictures from your baby’s first birthday party. This is a good way to send out baby’s one year pictures to family members, without having to use an extra stamp.

Birthday Party Supply Stores

You can make preparing for Baby’s First Birthday super easy with one-stop shopping at birthday supply stores like Birthday Express and Birthday In A Box.  The concept is brilliant – invitations, party hats, plates, napkins, decorations, thank you cards – everything you can think of … all themed and relevant to today’s fads, in one convenient package.

Do You Have a Suggestion?

Share your tips and advice for how to have a successful first birthday party with other Babies Online moms in the comments below!

Once your baby is over a year old, she begins to understand more about life. She is probably able to follow simple instructions, such as, “Please put this on the shelf.” Most babies at this age enjoy reading books — especially books with pictures of real babies. You can use this love of books to help you encourage your baby to sleep through the night. You can do this by writing your baby his own book about sleep. Here’s how:

Use poster board or very heavy paper. Your book should be large — 8 ½” X 11″ or bigger. Tape the pages together with heavy tape.

Title your book All About [insert baby's name]. It will depict the story of your baby’s life, with the focus on sleeping — and/or weaning, if you want to use this idea to help wean baby from the breast or bottle. You can also use this idea to wean baby from the pacifier, or for that matter, to help baby adjust to any major change in her life, such as introducing a new pregnancy, or dealing with divorce.

Gather pictures of your baby right from the time of birth. Start with a shot of her as a newborn, and progress through her life, finishing up with those that feature actions and items in your bedtime routine. Pictures of baby breastfeeding, taking a bottle, using a pacifier, wearing pajamas, reading a book, lying in bed, and sleeping, are the most helpful. If possible, get a new roll of film and take photos of your baby during every step of your current bedtime routine — including several of him sleeping soundly. In one of the sleeping photos, have Mommy or Daddy in the background smiling and looking at baby.

Don’t make the book so long that your little one will lose interest, since the ending is, after all, the real goal of the book. You know your own baby and how long of a book she enjoys. The last section of the book will be your bedtime and sleep (and/or weaning) goals, outlined very clearly and specifically.

Read this book every night. (Your baby may like it so much that she wants to read it during the day, too — and that’s perfectly fine!) Talk about what you read. Help your little one do the things you talk about in the book.

As you use this homemade book, also put into action a complete sleep plan for your baby. Step-by-step, and night-by-night your baby will move closer to sleeping all night long.

About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

Pick Your Time
The best time to cut your baby’s nails is when he is most calm. Many people suggest doing it while your baby is in a deep sleep because they will hopefully not move. Sometimes however a baby will wake up or flex making it a close call with the clippers. Others attempt to cut their babies nails while they are distracted, for instance when they are nursing. If your baby is intent on eating his meal, he may not care so much that you are playing with his hand. Your baby’s already soft nails will be softest right after a bath, so cutting them during a nursing session after their bath, before bed may work for some.

Pick Your Tool
There are many different items you can use to cut your baby’s nails. There are small clippers that were invented just for your baby; there are also small, round-tipped scissors that were created to easily cut a baby’s nails. You can even use a file to file down your baby’s nails. It is really an issue of trial and error. You try out each option and figure out which one works best for you and your baby.

Biting Your Baby’s Nails
One way many people “cut” their baby’s nails is by biting them off. Some people say this is easier and safer, reducing all risk of accidentally cutting your baby. It is something that can be done most conveniently during feeding when you can hold your baby’s hand in yours and take care of the task while they are otherwise occupied.

Accidents Happen
Chances are, at least once in your young baby’s life, you will accidentally cut him. He will move right as you are snipping and it will get his skin, or cut the nail too close to the quick. When this happens don’t feel bad about it. Remember, it isn’t the first time this has happened to a baby and it won’t be the last. Babies get over pain very quickly and with a little kissing from you, the cut will be forgotten by your little one. You will probably feel bad about cutting your baby, much longer than your baby will hurt from the cut.

Ask For Help
If you have a particularly wiggly worm, don’t be afraid to wait to cut your baby’s nails until you have someone around to help you with it. You may need someone there to help hold down your baby or distract him while you cut his nails. Keeping your baby’s nails short is important so they don’t hurt themselves, so doing whatever it takes, even if it means waiting for help, is what matters in the end.