Fun Ways to Celebrate Your Baby’s 1st Birthday

Celebrating your baby’s first birthday is so exciting. Not only are you celebrating a year of them being in the world, but it marks a year of you being a parent as well (possibly the most difficult yet incredible year of your life!) Having their very first birthday is a really good opportunity to start some traditions that you can do every year going forward, and this is what will give them incredible childhood memories for your little family to look back on. If their special day is approaching then here are some ideas to mark the occasion, and to set traditions for birthdays every year after. 

Birthday party

A birthday party is an obvious way to celebrate! Some people can feel put off doing a first birthday party thinking there’s no point if their baby won’t remember it and the cost. But just because they won’t remember doesnt mean it’s not worthwhile, it’s a chance for you to celebrate them with the people that love them and enjoy a special day together. It doesnt have to cost a bomb either, it can be as simple or complicated as you like. You could keep it super simple and do a tea party at home with some homemade sandwiches, shop bought cakes and a few party decorations. Or you could go all out and hire a soft play or bouncy castle, have food catered or anything in between. A good way to start if you’re not sure is to pick a theme, some fun first birthday ideas are things like ‘Berry First Birthday’ with strawberry and blueberry themed decorations, or a ‘Wild One’ safari theme. You could go with something niche like ‘One Happy Camper’ if you’re an outdoorsy type of family, or ‘One Silly Goose’ which is trending on social media in recent times. Then you can buy party decorations cheaply on places like Shein and there are always invitations and outfits to match on Etsy. 

Cake smash photoshoot

A cake smash photoshoot is another fun way to mark the occasion of your baby’s first birthday. Lots of family photographers offer this and are experienced in being able to get the best shots. They have props and backdrops ready to go, you simply supply a cake! The idea is you let your baby dig in with their hands and you can get some really cute photos of them covered in it. A lot of people like to use the same photographer each year on their childs birthday to get some professional pictures of them and you can put them in an album and see how they’ve grown. You could go with a different theme each year depending on what they’re into at the time and it’s a fantastic keepsake to have. If you like the idea of a cake smash but on a smaller budget you could always do your own at home. 

Special gifts

Babies tend to get lots of toys, clothes, books and other things for ‘now’ on their birthday from family members who love to spoil them. This is great but you might not want to spend money on more things like this that you already have or that your baby doesn’t need. So choosing a special gift instead could be an idea. Again you could choose something and make it a tradition and get something similar each year, or you could get something specifically for their first. Anything from a beautiful toy box that will last them for years to a personalised heirloom item would work well. You could go with an experience gift, like a bunch of lessons to a baby music or art class. Do some research into 1st birthday gift ideas, now is a great time to start a yearly tradition gift or do something special to mark the occasion. 

A day out

This could be a great alternative to a party or a gift, or as well as those things depending on what your budget is and how much you want to celebrate the day! A day out could be soft play, a farm, a childrens play centre, maybe there’s something local you want to go to but haven’t been to yet. Their first birthday is one of those occasions when sucking up the expensive ticket price feels worth it, and chances are you’ll have a fantastic day and make some memories. 

Time Capsule

Grab a sturdy shoebox or buy a cheap wooden crate from the craft aisle at Target and stuff it with highly specific artifacts from the year they turned one. Throw in a copy of the local newspaper from their exact birthday and a clean wrapper of the bizarre organic puff snack they were addicted to eating! Ask your relatives to write down predictions on random scraps of paper about what the kid will grow up. Put the box in a safe place until they turn eighteen and then you can go through and be reminded about what they were like on this day. You could put a memory card with some photos and videos on too. 

Journal

Having a birthday journal that you fill in every year is another great tradition to start on your baby’s first birthday! Every year fill in the things about them you might otherwise forget. What skills they’re working on, what their favourite food and song is and any other bits of information would be good to look back on in the future. Put it away with your party decorations and get it out each year to fill in on their birthday.