You brought home your newborn just months ago, and now you have a smiling, active bundle of curiosity! Your child's birthday marks the end of this remarkable first year, and the party you throw, complete with cake and gifts and the presence of those who love your baby, will create a memory you'll keep for a lifetime.

• Trace your baby’s handprint onto colored paper. Cut out the handprint and glue it to another piece of paper. At this point you can print the party invitation wording around the handprint yourself, or you can scan the handprint into your computer and add the words using a cute font. Above the handprint write “Little [your baby’s name] is One!” and below the handprint write “Come Join the Fun!” Include all the party details underneath. Print enough copies to send to all your guests, or take the original to a copy shop and make multiple copies for the invitations.
• Another option is to create a small paper diaper with the party invitation written inside! To do this, fold a square piece of paper in half on the diagonal and cut it to create a triangle. Then fold all three corners of the triangle to the center so that the ends touch or slightly overlap. It should now look like a folded diaper. Open up the diaper and write your party invitation inside, then fold the corners back into place and hold them together with a safety pin.
• A third option is to cut a large number 1 from colored cardstock and attach a small photo of your child to the front. Print your child’s name underneath the photo and write the party information on the back side. Remember to measure your envelopes first to get the right length and width for your cutouts.

• Perhaps the most popular decorations for this age group are helium balloons! Floating balloons are often the favorite item to play with during the party, so be sure to have more than enough for every child! Let most of the balloons float freely with the attached ribbon hanging down low enough for the children to reach. You can also tie groups of helium balloons together and anchor them in place with balloon weights. For greater impact, combine first birthday balloons with colorful latex balloons. Remember that small children can choke on broken pieces of balloons, so be sure to pick up any popped balloons immediately.
• Make a height chart for all the guests to sign and hang it just inside your door. Cut a five foot long piece of white paper and draw a design along one side from bottom to top. For a girl’s party you might draw a long green stem with a large flower at the top, and for a boy’s party you might draw train tracks with a train chugging off the top corner. Print the words “I Am This Tall” across the bottom. This decoration doubles as an activity! As guests arrive, have them stand against the chart and label their name and height. This will keep guests busy until everyone arrives.
• Make the birthday boy or girl really stand out by decorating their high chair with one of our adorable highchair kits.
• Make a banner that says “Happy 1st Birthday [child’s name]” and hang it behind your baby’s high chair. It will make a terrific background for photos of your child with the cake. See our selection of first birthday banners and let us do the work for you!
• Lay a blanket in one corner of the room to hold stuffed animals, picture books, dolls, plastic trucks, or other toys for the children to play with as they arrive.
• Place your favorite photos of the birthday child on tables in the party space.
• Set out the baby book or a photo album from the past year.
• Display a newborn outfit and a clothing item in your child’s current size to show how much your baby has grown over the past twelve months.
• Spell out your child’s name in building blocks and place it on a shelf or table. To make your own building blocks, cover a variety of empty boxes with solid colored wrapping paper and add one letter from your child’s name to each box. You can either cut the letters yourself or purchase die-cut letters from a craft store.
• Hang a pull-string pinata in the birthday area that will serve as a decoration before the activity begins. We offer a selection of both traditional and pull-string pinatas, but any traditional pinata can be converted to a pull-string using our easy instructions. Fill the pinata with small stuffed animals, rubber duckies, chocolates, and gummies!
• Consider using one of our First Birthday Party Boxes, which come filled with themed partyware, streamers, balloons, and more.
• See our first birthday decorations for more quick and easy decorating choices!

• Adapt traditional party games to match your theme. For instance, at an Elmo party, play "Pin the Nose on Elmo" and "Elmo Says" (instead of "Simon Says").
• Create a tower from toy blocks and let the kids knock it down…again…and again!
• Play a few rounds of “Ring Around the Rosy” with the guests and their parents.
• Chasing bubbles is a favorite toddler activity! Turn on a bubble machine or have other adults help blow bubbles and let the children catch them.
• Create two or three separate play stations by laying blankets on the floor or in the yard. Put a different type of toy on each blanket, such as balls on one and blocks on another. You could also use stuffed animals, dolls, cars, or picture books. Let the children move from one blanket to another.
• Leader of the Band - Stage a music parade with you and the birthday child leading the way! Play some fun music in the background and hand out toy musical instruments to the children. Then lead them in a parade around the room as they make music together.
• Bean Bag toss - Make five bean bags by filling baby socks with dry beans and tying the ends closed. Set out a plastic bucket, a toy grocery cart or a laundry basket for a target. Show the children how to toss the bean bags into the target, or simply walk up and drop them in. Make sure every child is a winner by allowing them to walk as close to the target as necessary.
• Clothespin Search Game - Before the party, attach clothespins to sofa cushions, curtains, and other places in the room at toddler height. Then let the children search for all the clothespins.
• Wagon Rides - Place a colorful blanket and a variety of stuffed animals in a child’s wagon. Tie balloons to the back and pull the guests around the room or yard for rides. If throwing a theme party, make sure the stuffed animals fit the theme (a Tickle-Me-Elmo for an Elmo theme, for example).
• Baby Art - Set out paper or white paper plates and child safe paint. Dip each child’s hand into the paint and press it onto the paper, leaving a little handprint. Label each paper with the child’s name and let guests take them home at the end of the party.

• For Winter Babies... holly, flowering jasmine, or crocus.
• For Spring… flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, lilac bushes, or tree peonies.
• For Summer… roses, iris, or hydrangea.
• For Autumn… Clematis, Japanese Maple, or Crape Myrtle.