A few readers asked me lately for help on designing a first birthday party. I wrote a quick guide on how to plan a baby’s first birthday party.

1. Consider the Venue

Is it an indoor or outdoor event? How much space do you have? The format of the party may influence the party theme.

2. Party for the Parents

A first birthday party is not designed for your baby. It is an event when the parents, the grand parents, the family members and your friends commemorate the first year of your newborn.

Plan activities and incorporate in your décor elements that summarize the lifetime of your baby. Create a tree of pictures or hang them on a clothesline. Play a slideshow with no music or low level music on the big TV screen.

3. Areas to Play

Plan a few areas for the kids to play. Setup the area where both the guest mothers and their babies will be comfortable. You may wish to put cushions on the floor for the guest mothers to sit down.

4. Time and Duration

Plan for a 2-hour party; during the time your baby does not usually sleep. Realistically, the party will occupy your time at least 3 hours counting the people arrival and departure.

Serve a light meal and a cake. Plan a kid menu if young kids will attend. Since the party is short, prepare your platters in advance. Opt for sandwiches, country pates, cheeses or another types of cold tapas that you prepare ahead. Do not adventure in serving any hot appetizers when you have babies around.

Set up a self-serve drink station. Make sure to put plenty of glasses, drinks and napkins at your station.

5. Hire a Babysitter

Since you are the hostess, you need to take care of your guests. This means that you may require an extra hand to take care of your baby.

6. Ideas for Party Themes

At this early age, I prefer a unisex theme. You can play on geometrical forms or things that stimulate the senses of your baby right now. Think about what intrigues your baby at her or his stage. I like to use mobiles over the buffet table instead of centerpieces.

You can use a toy chime as the inspiration. Animal circus, big play blocks or pounding bench can fashion the building block of your party theme. Repeat the colors and the shapes of the toy to complete your design.

SOURCING:
+ Tiny Love DNU Baby’s Wind Chimes Kick Toy $9.95 USD
+ Melissa & Doug Pounding Bench $9.99 USD
+ Baby Einstein Octoplush $12.99 USD

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I do not know if it is spring that inspired me but green living made my headlines often in April 2008

+ To celebrate Earth Day, I gave you my tips on how to host an Eco-Chic Dinner Party. Raw food was on the menu.

+ I listed my favorite Reusable Ultra Compact Shopping Bags. After months of usage, the Flip & Tumble is still my favorite for its ease of use. The Envirosax gained places. Its large size, compared to the Flip and Tumble, comes handy.

+ Better eating habits are part of the overall green living movement. The Ready to Serve Gourmet Baby Food by French maker Menus Bébé illustrates parent concerns for healthier baby food. In the US, pomme bébé produces small batches of fresh organic baby food. Get directions to pomme bébé in Newport Beach, California.

+ April coincided with my 500th post. I featured the stunning and artistic cake creations of I Dream of Cake, a cake maker located in San Francisco to commemorate this event.

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The formula

On last Christmas, we tried something new. Seven couples were participating to the event.

Each couple was responsible for cooking, plating, serving and cleaning up a full course. This includes selecting and buying the accompanying alcohol drink. A random draw determines which course was assigned to us.

The menu started with a welcome cocktail and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a cold first course, a warm first course, the entrée, the “trou normand” (granite with a dash of alcohol) before the cheese platter and concluded with the dessert. As you can see, the plates were well-presented. Everything tasted delicious.

No one knew in advance the menu except that it should feel like Christmas. We informed the host of our planned menu who was in charge of coordinating the event program.

My opinion

This formula works pretty well. The hosts gave us clear instructions in advance. The hosts planned for a 15-minute delay between each service. Searching my memory, I estimate the waiting time between services to be closer to 30 minutes on average. But giving us a shorter delay assured that the amount of cooking left was minimal. So it was a good move by the hosts.

This dinner was a team effort. Both men and women worked on this. For my part, my husband and I selected our recipes together. He cooked with me. For a stylish casual gathering, I encourage you to try out this formula. Everyone had the time to enjoy the evening, including the hosts.

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