Everything happens for the first time. So it's time for your little one to celebrate his birthday for the first time. And, of course, this should be a special day - one that will remain in your memory and in your photographs in the most joyful colors. The question of how to celebrate the baby's first birthday is raised by many parents long before the event. You won't immediately figure out how to organize this peculiar holiday: what to cook, whom to invite, what time to celebrate and what to give your baby at 1 year old?
Who should you call for your first birthday?
There are two options for choosing guests: the first is close relatives and friends, and the second is mothers with the same yearlings. It would be quite reasonable if you decide to celebrate the child's birthday at home, in a small family circle, with those people who sincerely love the baby and took part in raising him during the year. And a child of one year old will be more happy to communicate with those to whom he has long been accustomed.
Relatives do not always live next to us, so you can invite your baby's first friends. You should not call everyone with whom you play together in the sandbox, even if your baby is very sociable. It is not a fact that other children differ in the same way. Therefore, for the first time, it will be enough to invite 1 - 2 mothers with children. But you need to be prepared for the fact that the children do not have the same regimes, and some of them will not be able to come at a convenient time for you. In addition, you will have to carefully consider the children's menu so that it is festive and hypoallergenic at the same time for all kids.
What time to organize a party?
If you sleep twice during the day, it will be more convenient to celebrate between naps, from about 12:00 to 16:00. If you are going to celebrate with loved ones, then the child's second dream will not prevent you from quietly continuing the holiday while the baby is resting. If the child sleeps once, then it is also necessary to mark after sleep.
What to cook?
As for the dishes for adults, there are no limits for your imagination: add a children's theme to the table setting, to decorate salads and sweets. Stock up on fruit purees and curds for the kids. You can make a baby buffet: cut the fruit into small pieces, put baby cookies and berries on the dish, put the juices in tubular bags.
It is better to make a cake for the birthday person yourself, so you will have no doubt that it is harmless to the child. It is very simple to prepare it: take any recipe for biscuit dough (only with natural ingredients, no baking powder) and bake the cake. Then cut it lengthwise into two halves and grease it with baby curd cream with berries or fruits. On a birthday, of course, you can add sugar to the cream, from once nothing terrible will happen to the child. Decorate the top with fruits and berries. In principle, such a cake can be made great for everyone: for sure it will appeal to ladies on a diet or those who do not like very sweets. And you can make it in miniature, only for the birthday person. Don't forget to put one candle in it.
How to create a festive atmosphere?
- The day before the celebration, decorate the room with balloons, an inscription with congratulations on the wall. You can pick up jewelry and accessories for your first birthday. Let your little one look around in a new environment and get used to the beauty. Explain to the child why all this is done, tell him that he will have a birthday and guests will come to him and congratulate him.
- There is an interesting idea to have a custom to celebrate every child's birthday in some color. That is, every year you choose the color of the rainbow and decorate the whole holiday in its shades. Warn guests in advance to dress up in this color. On the first birthday, everything will look very cute in white or pale blue, if the birthday is for a boy and pink for a girl. Imagine your dad, grandfather or your close friend in a pink dress, for sure this will cheer everyone up.
- If there are many children, create a special play area. Spread a rug there and choose interesting toys. If there are children of different ages, then it is better to divide this zone too: let in one part there will be only toys for babies, and in the other - for older children.
- Play with your baby in choosing an outfit for him. Put a couple of dresses in front of the girl, one of which you bought especially for the celebration. Most likely, the baby will reach for the most beautiful and lace one, praise for a good choice. You shouldn't play rags with the boy, just dress him up in a "ceremonial" suit, stand in front of the mirror and tell him that he is handsome. If the child does not want to dress up in any, do not persist and do not get annoyed, dressing as usual is not the most important thing.
- Buy a baby's hand and foot print kit - a great way to preserve the memory of how your baby was when she was a year old. Or you can do the same with paints on paper. Stock up on colored cardboard and paints, and invite all the children to make hand and foot prints for themselves. All of this can go smoothly into drawing with your fingers, so save a large Whatman paper.
Be sure to prepare your camera or camera. It would be a shame to be left without a photo session on such a day.
What to give for 1 year?
Don't buy a gift at the last moment. There are so many things in stores now that you can make an impulse purchase and buy something completely different from what you need. Think about what can make your baby happy. Do not give him clothes or things that will only come in handy after a while. Let relatives or friends buy such gifts.
Buy something your child can use right away. Here is a list of some toys that are interesting to a 1 year old child: rocking horse, home puppet theater, carriage toys that ring and glow, tent house, educational dolls.
Competition scenarios
1. "Who will the birthday boy be in the future?":competition based on an ancient Vedic ritual, which was held to determine the inborn inclinations of children. Different objects are laid out in front of the child and, in accordance with their purpose, determine the future profession or the fate of the baby. For instance:
- money - wealth, will be a banker or financier;
- tangle - long life;
- brush - will become an artist;
- the book is a scientist, teacher;
- flower - happiness;
- comb - by a hairdresser;
- a ring - a happy marriage;
- keys are wealth.
It is important to place items at some distance, not in a pile. It is believed that children intuitively choose the thing that is closer to them in spirit and are drawn to it. Therefore, the competition has not only entertainment, but some fateful value.
2. "Gift for a wedding": make some cards with pictures of wedding gifts. Invite all relatives in turn to pull out a card that will determine what they will give the baby for his wedding when he grows up.
3. If your family loves to sing, you can organize a karaoke competition: guests need to split into two groups and compete who knows more children's songs or performs them better.
4. "Who does our baby look like?": make a list of parts of your face and body. Guests will have to place a checkmark next to the baby's similarities with Mom and Dad. Then the points are calculated - whoever scored more, the child looks like that.
5. "Guess the puree": the one who guesses is blindfolded and offered to try baby purees. It is more interesting if girls without children, men, in general, those people who have a vague idea of infant food will take part in the competition. You can not blindfold, but tear or stick the labels on the jars and invite all guests to guess the mashed potatoes.
6. "Who will spit next": for the competition you will need two pacifiers, which will need to spit at a distance - who is next. The place where the nipple fell is marked on the floor, which must then be rinsed each time.
7. "Seven-flower flower":make a flower with different petals or a chamomile, on each petal write questions about the baby's first year of life:
- What was the birth weight of the baby?
- How tall?
- What time was born?
- When did the first tooth grow?
- When he sat down, crawled, went?
- Who is the child according to the zodiac sign?
- What is your baby's favorite toy?
- What's the first word?
- What is the date of the christening?
Guests take turns picking off the petals and answering questions. A prize is awarded for each correct answer.
[sc: rsa]
8. "Make the kid laugh": there are children who are not particularly smiling. If you have a baby like that, this is just what you need for this competition. Let the guests take turns making the serious toddler laugh.
9. "Who will drink from the bottle faster": you will need two baby bottles with a pacifier for the competition. It's not easy to quickly suck the contents out of them. Pour something tasty into them: juice, lemonade or champagne and arrange a competition between two people.
10. "Portrait": seat one of your relatives on a chair, and give the baby a brush or felt-tip pen and offer to draw on a large sheet. Anyone who poses on should see what the kid is drawing. Only after the "portrait" is ready, you can show it to everyone and put a signature on it with a little painted finger.
For a child on this day, of course, your love and attention will be the most precious. It is important not to overwork the baby on this day, do not forget to take a walk with him and periodically take him away from the guests. Everything else depends on your mood and imagination.
