1st Birthday Party Ideas

When it comes to celebrating baby’s first birthday, count on it to be a celebration filled with photo ops, an adorable outfit (that will likely get covered in cake) and it will end with the most triumphant nap time you’ve ever experienced—for both you and the birthday boy or girl.

The first thing to consider is a 1st birthday party theme. Themes with jungle or animal prints are classics for kids, or get inspired by popular movies and characters like Boss Baby and The Muppets, or even popular songs such as “Baby Shark.”

When it comes to food and drink for a children's birthday party, you have to cater to both kids and adults. For the kiddos, the best foods are easy finger foods that won’t contribute to sticky hands or messy spills. Think: finger sandwiches or mini hot dogs and fruit slices.

Don’t forget to provide a couple grown-up drink options—after all, even though it’s a birthday party for kids, most of the guest list will be adults. We recommend proper stemware for cocktails or wine and bottled beer, that way there’s no confusion over which drinks belong to the kids and which belong to the grown-ups.

The most overlooked party detail for a first birthday party is always entertainment. You’ll need a way to keep all those short attention spans in line, and an entertainer is a great way to accomplish that without having to do it yourself. Magicians, comedians or circus acts will entertain the whole crowd.

Last but not least, don’t forget baby’s birthday cake! This is the most important pillar of a first birthday party, and makes for the most important photo op.