Organising any birthday party can be a daunting task. But the first party you plan for your baby comes after many sleepless nights and a year of adjusting to parenthood, which isn’t always easy.
The key is to delegate!
Wherever possible, get the grandparents and other family members involved. If they’re able to contribute, this will help to keep them included. So spread the work between as many reliable friends and family as you can.
But what can you delegate?
Well, nearly everything from arranging the food and booking the entertainment to putting chairs and tables out on the day. Someone can buy the table decorations, cakes, and more. However, probably best that you stay in charge of the guest list. After all who knows their child better?
Remember that as well as celebrating the fact that you’ve successfully kept your new offspring alive for a year, it’s also a great opportunity for you to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while and get some lovely photos with family and friends.
Selecting a venue
Do you want to hold the party at home? If you are anything like us, your house cleaning schedule will be near the bottom of your priority list for the first couple of years. Or perhaps your house is on the small side and won’t quite fit everyone in.
Sometimes selecting a venue can be a lot easier and stress free, and a huge plus is that you don’t have to worry about the children creating mess in your house. No one needs to be finding bits of broken balloon and crumbs between the sofa cushions for weeks afterwards.
A venue it is then! It’s probably best to hire a medium sized hall, so that you have plenty of room. But watch out for the height of the hall as well, if you are hiring inflatables.
We’ve compiled a helpful list of halls with detailed descriptions, to help you to decide on the right venue for you in Warwickshire. Check out our top village halls for 2020.
It’s a good idea to find a venue with an outdoor space as well, if you can. Having the option if it’s a sunny day will most likely double the space you’ve hired. And if the weather is bad, ie. the wind speed is too high, you have a back-up plan.
As you can imagine we have hired to many halls since 2011, so feel free to ask for our opinion on the best ones.
Respect the nap!
The best time of day for a party will be shortly after their nap – although different babies nap at different times of day, of course! You'll want lots of pictures and grandparents will want cuddles. It's best if you can time it so they wake just as the party's about to begin. Or is this too much wishful thinking?!
Give yourself extra time
Having just 30 minutes either side of the party is the norm. But we would recommend having an hour either side for the first party.
Even with the best preparation something will be forgotten or change at the last minute. We have two children of our own so we know it can take time to get out of the house. You don't want to be juggling too many problems with minutes to go.
How long should your party be?
This depends on a few factors. How long have your friends and family travelled to get there?
To keep the stress low and your child happy for most of the party, we would recommend between an hour and a half to two hours maximum. We all know how little ones get when they’ve been busy concentrating and playing for a while so don’t overstretch them!
Theming your party?
With the number of themes available it can be easy to get side-tracked. Accessories you can get include plates, cups, table covers, balloons, party bags, party equipment, and more.
To be honest at this age your child won't care. So, we recommend keeping it simple with a few coloured balloons or helium balloons they’ll enjoy.
Click click
These days everyone has a camera on their mobile. But do you want them all over Facebook? Making this clear at the start is a great idea. A little note on the door when your guests enter will set out your wishes. You could also make a note on the invitations too.
If you are taking some pics for yourself, try to get them at the start of your party, when everything is fresh and new for your child and they’re not yet covered in food.
You'll also capture their excitement as they begin to realise the party's for them.
Keep food simple
A simple buffet of finger food is fine. Children are notoriously picky eaters so don't worry about doing a full spread. Maybe keep it to cut sandwiches, quartered grapes, raisins, bread sticks, cucumber, cut fruit, and drinks.
What about the parents?
If you regularly attend a play group or children's centre you might invite a few extra friends along to the party. Or maybe you’re still in touch with your antenatal group parents or NCT group.
Until children reach around the age of about 8, parents will stay with their children to watch over them at the party. So, bear in mind that there should be 1 to 2 adults per child present for the duration of the party,
You may want to provide nibbles for them, like crisps, biscuits, and tea.
Toddler or nearly toddler entertainment
Have you taken a look at our Party Play Zone? It has a bouncy castle, slide, ball pool, air jugglers and some soft play. This inflatable includes side walls to help keep the toddlers inside and having a whale of a time. Take a look at this review here: Party Play Zone Video.
Do you allow siblings or not?
It's the age-old question without a good answer. Allowing older siblings will fill the room with mobile noisy children and they'll need their own entertainment to keep them happy.
But saying no may lower your numbers, as lots of parents may find it hard to find alternative arrangements.
Whatever you choose it’s a personal choice.
Think about occupying the older children
Allowing older children or siblings to your party may mean that you might need to organise some sort of entertainment for them, too.
If you only have a couple of older children then a bubble machine and speaker system will suffice. But if you’re having more than 5 children, a low height castle would be a good idea. Or to keep the noise down, choose a soft play set up.
Creating a quiet area
A quiet area is great for children who are getting a little overwhelmed by the whole experience. You might find some of the parents moving over to the quiet area too.
Some venues have a separate room that works well for this, so bear this in mind and provide one if you think it will be appropriate.
We’ve been helping families plan parties for years. If you’d like any other tips or ideas please contact us for a chat.
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