The “Perfect” 1st Birthday Party

first birthday party planning

This month, my baby girl turns one. ONE. How has one whole year flown by? In some ways, it feels like an eternity, but in more ways, it has absolutely flown by and here I sit, contemplating every little detail for her first birthday party.

When I was a kid, we had small family get-togethers with a homemade, imperfect cake and maybe a pinata and some streamers. But now, thanks to Pinterest and Etsy, people are having more elaborate parties for babies that would be just as happy with Cheerios and a box to play with. Don’t get me wrong, I am in awe of those moms that have these extravagant, themed parties.  And sure, I’d love to rent a petting zoo or balloon artists and face painters. But I don’t quite have the time (or money) to plan such an event.

So my goal is to spend more time reflecting on the past year and how Kinley has blessed our family and changed our lives, and less time stressing about the “perfect” birthday party. And it will be perfect. Perfect for us.

Guide to a Perfect (Stress Free) Party:

  • Short guest list– Our guest list will consist of family and a few close friends. Some babies handle large crowds just fine, but I could see my Princess Fussypants getting overwhelmed, and this is her day, so I want to focus on her.
  • The cake – I plan on making the “smash cake” myself. There are plenty of DIY tutorials out there, and I like to think I am somewhat capable, after taking an introductory cake decorating class once upon a time.  And for the guests: either a sheet cake or cupcakes.
  • The theme/decor – Some might say to skimp on the invitations and just email invitations. But I’m still old-fashioned in some ways, so we will still do a snail mail invite. But because the guest list isn’t a mile long, it won’t be too much trouble.  And what little decor we do, it’ll be simple and homemade and will likely match the theme/color scheme of the outfit. Which brings me to…
  • The outfit – OK, so I splurged a tad on the outfit. But those of you who know me probably aren’t the least bit surprised. I’m into all things frilly, and I’ve truly enjoyed playing dress up with my life-size baby doll. So when thinking about the first birthday party, I knew that I could deal with skimping on other areas of the party as long as she had the frilly outfit. Because when you think back to the first birthday party, of course there will be…
  • The pictures – I love pictures. I love taking them (even though I’m not good at it), I love looking at them, I just love pictures. So I’m planning on asking someone else to take pictures (not professionally) during the party so that I can actually be in some of them and I am not stressing about getting the perfect shot.
  • The gift – I’m still struggling with this one. Part of me wants to get the perfect gift. A big one. After all, it’s her FIRST birthday. But the other, more realistic part of me knows that she has everything in the world than she needs and MORE. So, instead of racking my brain on what to get, we will get her something small to “open,” and start her college fund account.

I just need to remember – we ALL need to remember – that our version of “perfect” is different that the person next to us. That what works for me may not work for you.

So here’s to my daughter’s PERFECT first birthday!

What did you do that made your child’s first birthday “perfect”? We’d love to hear what makes birthdays special to you!

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Lindsay Hix
Lindsay was born and raised in the OKC Metro where she got her degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma. She met her husband, Steve, through a blind date set up by a mutual friend and after two years of marriage, welcomed their baby girl, Kinley in June of 2014. Lindsay works full-time at a local nonprofit organization where she enjoys the work she does every day but more than anything, enjoys coming home to flapping baby arms and a two-toothed grin.

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