Parenting

After nine long months of pregnancy the first twelve months of your new baby's life seem to fly by at an astonishing rate.  Before you know it, the first birthday has arrived, along with a barrage of questions about what the party is going to be like.

While this first birthday is definitely an event to be celebrated it is important that you remember not to get too carried away.  For as much as little Johnny (or Suzy) is going to love clawing at the beautiful cake you spent hours slaving over in the kitchen a big birthday bash is going to be a little overwhelming for your youngster.

The old KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid, applies here more than ever. Your child is probably not really going to be aware of why this is such a special day and it is easy to overwhelm them at this tender young age. For the most part the celebrations are for the parents and as such, this should be kept in mind during the preparations.

Here are a few handy tips to get you through the day.

Keep the guest list small
There is no need to invite the entire playgroup. By the time family members and close friends are invited the list of people vying for your child's attention is probably long enough. Instead of having everyone your baby has ever met round on the one day try and break it up. For example, take a cake, or a platter of small cup cakes round to the playgroup on the session closest to the child birthday. This gives everyone a chance to celebrate without it being too much for the youngsters

Party Games
As fun as musical prams might sound it is not very practical! If there are a few children present at the party a simple game of pass the parcel could be arranged. Unfortunately though most one year olds are not yet up to playing party games.

Keep it short
All the excitement of a birthday can be very tiring for little ones, as much as you want the celebrations to last all day, two hours is more than enough at this age.

Timing
When planning the party choose a time of the day when your child is at their happiest. For some this may be mid morning for others it could be after their afternoon sleep.

Food
Just because it is a party there is no need to fill your child up with sugar and sweets. Make pin wheel sandwiches, fairy bread and crazy fruit sticks as a slightly healthy, yet fun alternative. Have some food that the adults present will enjoy eating.

Balloons
Of course a party is not a party without a balloon or two. However beware if you plan on letting the children play with the balloons. For as fun as they can be, once they pop it can be very upsetting! Children of this age tend to put everything near their mouths, even balloons, so ensure that there is close supervision while playing with the balloons.

The most important tip to remember all day is to relax and enjoy this very special day with those that you love.

Tags: celebrations, happiness