Stacy Mintzer Herlihy is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. When not writing for professional publication, she watches her six year old daughter, grades nationally standardized writing tests at home online and plays with her twenty pound Maine Coon cat, Lucy.
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Birthday PartyYour baby's first birthday party is a special occasion. Gone forever is the tiny infant who needed to be fed every three hours. In his place is an entirely new person taking steps into a brand-new world and perhaps beginning to utter simple sentences. You can make his first birthday even more extraordinary with a few simple and fun ideas.
Special Location
Hold the party in a restaurant. Many restaurants have specific rooms just for group occasions. Often the restaurants will provide all necessary party items, including food, drinks, decorations, cakes and even musical entertainment. Fast-food restaurants are particularly suited to first birthday parties. The bright colors used on the walls and easy-to-digest food are a treat for little ones.
Go all out, and take a trip. Maybe you've always wanted to visit Disneyland or that Caribbean island that holds such pleasant memories. Go back there and take your baby with you. Invite family and close friends for a vacation you'll always remember.
Exciting Entertainment
Bring in someone to entertain the guests. You can hire a magician to do magic tricks. Book a singer or a musical group. Have an artist paint children's faces and do balloon animals.
Put up visually captivating decorations. Hang crepe paper from the walls. Twist aluminum foil into creative shapes and dangle from chairs and even the ceiling. Place a piñata at every table and have guests estimate how many candies are inside. Design fun favors with interesting miniature puzzles and games in front of every seat.
Put up a collage of pictures in one area. Leave room for guests to sign in with their memories about Mommy's pregnancy and the baby's first year. Guests can write about what they were doing when they were informed of the baby's birth.
Creative Cakes
Bake a cake in a shape your baby loves. Is your child captivated by Sesame Street or the characters on Teletubbies? Does she love Dora the Explorer? Then make her a Big Bird or Tinky Winky birthday cake. If your time is scarce, buy a cake. Many bakeries will custom design a cake for you in nearly any shape or color you like.
