Planning your baby’s 1st Birthday Party

Where did the past 12 months go?! After months of sleepless nights, countless dirty diapers, and endless bottle-cleaning, it’s finally time to celebrate our baby’s 1st birthday party! Of course, the birthday bash is really a party for the parents and the extremely excited grandparents. We know that our little Rigel won’t remember her big day, but we surely will.

Your baby’s 1st Birthday is a milestone worthy of a grand celebration!

Throwing a party can be very overwhelming, even stressful. But, with enough planning and preparation, your child’s big day can become the perfect occasion to share with family and friends!

Here’s a Birthday Party Planning Checklist to help you prepare for your little one’s big day:

General Tips:

• You want your family and friends to be able to attend the party. So, if your baby’s birthday falls on a weekday, the weekend before or after is a good alternative.
• If you don’t want to spend a fortune on your baby’s birthday, DIY is your best bet! On Rigel’s birthday, her headband, crown, shoes, and flower decor are all handcrafted by yours truly. Saved me a lot of cha-ching!
• Choosing a theme can be tricky. Does your baby have a favorite toy? Like a toy car or a doll? Then, your theme can be inspired by that. But, let’s face it, at this age, your baby won’t care. So, this is an opportunity for the parents to have their dream themed party. Lol!

 

General Tips:

• If your home has enough space to host a party, throwing the party at your house can be a good option. Otherwise, you can book a restaurant or a function room.
• Your guests are busy too! Sending out invitations early will give them time to manage their schedule and give room for the event.
• Set the time of the party around your baby’s nap times. Say, if your baby’s usual nap time is 2 to 4 o’clock in the afternoon, then maybe you can set the party at 4:30.
• Inspirations for party costumes, decorations, cake, and party activities are all over Pinterest and Google – just waiting for you to discover.
• If you’re a working parent and have to request for a day off, do that now!

 

General tips:

• You can save a lot by going paperless on the invitations. Create multiple colorful invites and send them out via email, facebook, instagram, etc.
• If you have a gift registry, don’t forget to indicate it on the invitation.
• List down all the details of the party and decorations so you won’t forget to discuss it with the party planners (include pictures).

 

General Tips:

• Carefully pick out the choices on the menu. Be sure to have food for both adults and children.
• Be very detailed in giving instructions for the birthday cake. Better yet, give them a photo or sketch of what’s on your mind.
• A professional photographer and a pre-birthday shoot is the craze right now. You wouldn’t want to miss out! Besides, your baby’s pictures before and during the party are priceless!

 

General Tips:

• It’s true! My husband and I were so busy with the preparations and meeting with suppliers that we completely forgot to shop for our outfits. #stressed
• This is the time to review all the items above and make sure that everything is checked out!

 

General Tips:

• You know those adorable photos and videos of your baby when he/she was just 5 days old? You’re going to need them. If you’re a parent, especially if you’re a mom, set at least 2 hours for collecting your baby’s pictures – maybe even more! Why? Because moms tend to reminisce and adore their baby’s photo/video. I caught myself one time playing my baby’s video like 10 times!
• Look for  thrift stores or stores which give wholesale prices. You’ll save a lot on giveaways, prizes, and loot bag items.

 

General Tips:

• Have a meeting with your entertainers (magician, clown, party host). Agree to exclude props/games which create a loud noise like party poppers or balloon popping contest. It may frighten your baby.
• If possible go over your checklist when having an update with the party planners.

 

General Tips:

• If you will rent a projector for your AVP, test the compatibility with the laptop which you will use. In our experience, we had to use another laptop because the projector didn’t have an HDMI port.
• Give your playlist to the DJ. Give specific instructions, if necessary.
• GO over the party program and give the names of family and friends who will participate in the program (i.e., well-wishers, prayer, song number, etc.)

 

General Tip:

• A Gift Tracker is a sheet you can use to help you list down all the gifts received as well as the person who gave it. Keep it ready when you start opening the gifts, so you can properly write down everything and even check if you’ve already sent your “Thank You” note. Here’s a copy of the GIFT TRACKER SHEET YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT for your baby’s birthday.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE GIFT TRACKER SHEET

 

General Tips:

• If something’s not perfect, settle with the next best alternative and JUST LET IT GO!
• Identify a clean and dry area where you can change your baby’s diaper. Put all the things you need there like diapers, wipes, etc.
• For breastfeeding moms, don’t forget your feeding covers! You’ll need a quiet and private place to nurse too.
• Just relax and enjoy your baby’s first birthday. You’ve worked so hard, you earned it!