Tips for an Easy First Birthday Party

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First birthday parties are overwhelming.

It can be easy to get caught up in it all, especially the over powering emotions of your baby turning a year old!

I know I was overly anxious for the day. Luckily between my friends and mom, I ended up throwing a pretty easy first birthday party for my twins.

They gave me all of their best tips for putting together the most relaxed first birthday party that I could, and now I am sharing the tips with you!

I don’t think I could have done it without them.

Between the chaotic twins and twenty people to entertain, I would have been a nutcase on my own! But their tips really helped me from start to finish.

I have included the top 9 tips my friends and mom shared with me in this post. All of them made for a great and easy first birthday party! I will continue to use a lot of the tips for future parties, as well!

Invite people you want to see

When I first started planning, I came to this hard spot. Do I invite all of my old friends? People who haven’t even made an effort to be apart of their lives? It was a hard one for me. But I decided on no after speaking with my real friends. The best piece of advice I heard was “why would you invite someone who you haven’t seen? The birthday party isn’t a time to catch up, it is a time to celebrate.” That really hit home for me. It is true, why would I want to have to explain everything that has happened over the last year to someone who miiight show up.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what they need

Another great tip was to feel comfortable mentioning what you really need. People are bound to bring gifts to parties. Now, don’t expect it, but adding something to the invite along the lines of “gifts are not expected, however if you choose to bring a gift they wear size 12m and are in need of winter clothes”. It gives your invitees something to go off of rather than strolling around Target and gifting something you don’t actually need.

Host at home (if you can)

I am so grateful that I was able to host at home. It made the entire event THAT much easier. The twins napped until the party started, so they were well rested and ready to play. Then after the cake smash they were covered head to toe in cake and frosting so my mother law and I tag teamed the twins into the bath and out to get dressed without skipping a beat. That is something you cannot do at a rented location or someone else’s home!

Don’t forget activities for the kids

Luckily, since I hosted at home I already had a great deal of options for the littles at the party. I think the biggest hit, however, was our new play yard from Regalo. It is essentially an extra large round pack and play that you can stick kids inside of for controlled play time! I snagged some plastic balls off of Amazon in order to make it into a baby ball pit. Major hit!

Start a tradition that’ll last

This was something I only heard from one person, but I loved the idea. Start a tradition that will last throughout the various seasons of life. I opted for simple family t-shirts that will show their ages. I figure it is something they won’t mind over the years! At least for themselves, I guess my husband and I don’t have to match them every year.

Create a simple food menu

This was one of my favorite easy first birthday hacks. Instead of going alllll the way extra, keep the food part simple and make sure it is food that lasts. That way if you have left overs, you can easily pack it into the fridge and save for later!

Prep the night before

You never know what curveball babies will throw at you- so prepping ahead is key. If you are hosting at home, you can get however much done that you want! But if you are hosting elsewhere, I’d suggest putting together all of the decorations and such so that when you reach the venue you can simply pin up the items! Same goes for food. Prep in advance if you can!

Throw a cheap table cloth under the high chair

Oh man. This was an awesome hack, courtesy of my mom. Kendall and Caeden went wild with their smash cakes. The dollar store table cloth made it easy enough to brush all of the bits onto the floor in order to wrap up the table cloth and toss. Clean up was very easy!

Remember, they’re only one

This one is for you, worrying mama. They are turning one. As much as you want the party to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be. In all honesty, they aren’t going to remember it. Instead of throwing yourself into creating the perfect, Pinterest worthy party, focus on the celebration. You have made it through year one. Maybe even with twins, like me. That is a freakin accomplishment. That is something to be very proud of. It was hard, nights were long, emotions were all over the place. But you made it. Your little couple pound baby is now a personality filled toddler ready to rock and roll. Reminisce on it all and enjoy it.

I hope you found some great tips for throwing an easy first birthday party!

Have any other tips to share? I would love to hear them in the comments!