It’s easy to get lost down the rabbit hole of adorable first birthday party ideas. There are so many ways to celebrate your little one’s milestone – and your first year of parenthood. As tempting as it is to go all out on your baby’s birthday party, take it from us: Keep it simple. You can create a meaningful birthday celebration without bringing a Pinterest board to life in your house.
If you do love the idea of an Instagram-worthy party, though, we’ve got some fun ideas for you, too! Whether you keep it small or go big, you’ll find helpful tips and inspiration in this post.
In this post:
- Center Moments over Over-the-top Aesthetics
- Keep It Simple and Memorable
- 10 Fun First Birthday Party Ideas for Parents who Love a Theme
- Preserve This Milestone with Ease
Center Moments over Over-the-top Aesthetics
First birthday party ideas can get complicated fast. It’s worth remembering whom the party is actually for: you. You’re marking the first year of parenthood, but chances are almost zero that your child will remember this party beyond the stories you tell them as they grow up.
Instead of making all of the food and decor about your baby, give yourself permission to do what brings you joy. That might mean doing less and having more capacity to be present with your loved ones.
Keep It Simple and Memorable
Simple first birthday party ideas can include lunch and cake with loved ones. Make a big batch of something easy. Finger sandwiches and fruit salad are perfect for adults and kids alike. Throw in a few balloons and a smash cake, and you’ve got yourself a laidback family party.
To ensure your day runs as smoothly as possible, pick a nap-friendly time for your party. There’s a reason so many young kids’ parties happen around 10am. Wait too late in the day, and you risk sleepy meltdowns.
Instead of a party, you might consider scheduling a family photo session to preserve this milestone moment. You can find inspiration for a first birthday photo shoot on this Pinterest board.
Do you prefer to DIY your photos? We share first birthday pictures you can do yourself, along with tips for taking your photos yourself, in this blog post.
10 Fun First Birthday Party Ideas for Parents who Love a Theme
If you can’t resist going all out to commemorate this exciting moment, here are some first birthday party ideas you’ll love. You can make them all as elaborate or simple as you like.
1. Beary First Birthday
Opt for a cozy teddy bear theme! Think earth tones and lots of soft textures.
Bear-inspired ideas:
- Food: Cups of Teddy Grahams, bear-shaped PB&Js,
- Decor: brown and gold balloons, an oversized teddy bear for a DIY photo booth
- Party favors: Little bears in brown paper bags cut in the shape of a bear face
2. One Happy Camper
This is the perfect theme for outdoorsy families.
Camp-themed ideas:
- Food: trail mix (for older kids and adults), mini s'mores
- Decor: checkered flags and table cloths, a toy tent for kids to play in
- Party favors: toy compass or custom coloring sheet
3. One in the Sun
This is one of our favorite first birthday party ideas for summer babies.
Ideas for your One in the Sun party:
- Food: sun-shaped cookies with yellow icing, kid-friendly fruit skewers on paper lollipop sticks
- Decor: yellow fringe like the sun’s rays to hang around baby’s high chair,
- Party favors: a plush sunshine or sunglasses
4. Berry First Birthday
Yes, this is different from Idea 1! You can go lots of ways with this theme for fruit lovers.
Ideas:
- Food: berry tray with yogurt dip, strawberry popsicles, strawberry shortcake
- Decor: a fruit bouquet for the table, strawberry-shaped plates
- Party favors: a berry-shaped straw cup and berry jam in little cardboard trays (like the ones you see at the farmer’s market)
5. Fairy First Birthday
The first year isn’t all heart-melting moments, but this is the time to celebrate the magic you have experienced.
Fairy First Birthday ideas:
- Food: cupcakes decorated like mushrooms, an owl made out of crudité
- Decor: fairy lights around the snack table, LED light balloons
- Party favors: bubbles, flower crowns, fairy wings
6. One Wild Birthday
You can take a few routes with this one. Zoo, safari, rain forest – all are great options for this theme!
Wild ideas:
- Food: cake with animal toppers, animal crackers with yogurt dip
- Decor: green and animal print decorations, artificial flowers and greenery
- Party favors: a craft kit, animal ears
7. Oh, the Places You’ll Go
This is another of our first birthday party ideas that can work in a few ways. You can lean into the Dr. Seuss aesthetic or do a more general world travel theme.
Ideas for your little traveler’s party:
- Food: cake pops decorated like globes
- Decor: hot air balloons and clouds hanging from the ceiling, maps and globes
- Party favors: toy airplanes
8. Home One
Sports fan love this theme. Get nostalgic with references to a vintage baseball aesthetic.
Ideas for your little slugger’s party:
- Food: peanuts and sunflower seeds for the grownups, ice cream or yogurt in little helmets
- Decor: pinstriped flags, merch from your favorite team, a “concessions” sign for the snack table
- Party favors: soft baseballs, personalized pennants
9. It’s Fun to Bee One
This is a sweet idea for that has lots of opportunities to be punny, if that’s your style.
Bee-themed ideas:
- Food: fruit and honey, melon and blueberry flowers
- Decor: bee balloons, bee rings to top cupcakes, flowers
- Party favors: little pots of honey, decorative bags with Honeycomb cereal
10. What a Onederful World
Think blue skies and pure joy with this one. Whatever brings you a sense of wonder, embrace it.
Onederful ideas:
- Food: your favorite finger food from around the world
- Decor: rainbows, balloon arch, strings of origami planes
- Party favors: Playdough, craft kit
Check out our Pinterest board of First Birthday Party Themes for more inspiration.
Preserve This Milestone with Ease
Whether you decide to go big or celebrate the simple joys for your child’s first birthday, the moment deserves to be preserved in your baby book. The Baby Notebook app makes it easy for busy parents to tell the story of their children’s first birthdays. Simply upload your favorite photos from your phone and type in any memories that you want to include.
The Baby Notebook app makes it easy to seamlessly move from creating your baby book to telling your child’s story with a Toddler Book. One Baby Notebook customer was so happy with her Baby Book that she immediately started creating a Toddler Book. Here’s what she shared:
"I spent the last year writing notes and putting in photos to this app, and I was nervous about receiving my final book because of the amount of time I put into it. My expectations were far exceeded and it is something I will cherish forever. I have already started on her toddler book which I was not originally going to do, but after seeing how much I love her baby book I just know I have to do it."
Download the Baby Notebook app and start creating your custom memory books today!