Baby's First Birthday


MommaFinds Baby's First Birthday

Quote of the Week
“I knew when I met you,
An adventure was going to happen.”
– Winnie the Pooh

The Stress of Baby’s First Birthday

When I threw my twins their first birthday party I got so overwhelmed with the perfection of Pinterest and all the ideas that I basically threw a very small party with decorations from Target and cupcakes from the store. There was very little planning that went into it and the outcome was enough. I watched my daughter enjoy a cupcake for the first time and watched my son basically just look at his hands as he flung them around trying to get the icing off them. It was uneventful. The pictures are fun to look at but nothing wall worthy.

This past weekend our friends threw their little girl a first birthday party and it was the EPITOME of happy medium.

Something to note, it was during the summer and outdoor parties immediately make it easier, less expensive, and better for photos.

However I think there are some helpful tips and tricks to take away from this party.


1. Pick a Theme

Their party theme was Watermelon. It really gave the feeling of a summer party and gave them something to then focus on in terms of how to present the party. I really liked that it wasn’t a Party City standard birthday theme.

Last year for the twins turning three we had a Little Mermaid/PJ Masks clash theme and it was expensive and not really cute. It just met the criteria of theme and made my kids happy because it’s things they like.

The 1st Birthday party is all about you, Momma. Kids don’t get a say yet. You and your partner survived the first year and this is your time to celebrate in whatever theme strikes your fancy.

Just keep it simple because the theme sets the tone.


2. Decorate Simply

They held her party at our nearby park, under a pavilion which only had two long tables.

They used red table clothes to cover the tables (and make clean up cake). They used little berry baskets filled with watermelon candy and a blowup watermelon beachball (not blownup ) spread through the middle of the table as the center pieces. Then they had a little sign on the birthday girls chair and some little watermelon cut outs hung from string tied around a tree or two.

The theme set the colors, party favors, and a hand full of decorations including plates, napkins, and utensils.


3. Just Eat

This was the best part I think…. Pizza and chicken nuggets. I come from a family where when you throw a party all the food has to come from our kitchen. It is SO MUCH WORK. Between the prep, cooking, continuous serving, and cleanup. It’s insane. I do it because it’s what I know. But when I saw that Papa Johns car pull up I was like this is brilliant. They used all compost materials and they did take out. Cleanup looked to be a breeze! The chicken nuggets also looked to be a big hit.

For drinks they did a cooler on wheels full of juice boxes and water.


4. Nom Away

Use your network. Our friends had a friend who does baking on the side and she made all the cupcakes and cake for them. The beauty… sugar free.

She made them this awesome watermelon cake for their daughter’s cake smash. And let me tell you. This little one did NOT mess around. She went for it!

One of the biggest stressors for me at these events or throwing these parties is all the sweets. My daughter LOVES sweets and with all the current information out there on what Sugar does to the body and brain, watching my children eat a ton of it sends me into an anxiety spiral to which there feels like no return. So knowing that things are straight up sugar free and still yummy takes all the worry out of it and keeps the fun and joy in it.

Find Your Happy Medium

I’m not saying you’re not welcome to go Pinterest on it. There are some AMAZING ideas out there. For those who, like me, don’t have the energy for those awesome ideas there’s middle ground.

You do you and keep finding your happy medium one candle blow out at a time.

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HAPPY AWAITS