As an editor at NetMoms, Pia Kotzur was able to gather a lot of experience about what moves mothers in their everyday lives. After studying gender studies and cultural studies, she happily dove into the cosmos of parenting and family issues and now heads the NetMoms editorial team. Even if they are part of a great (and sometimes challenging) patchwork family, they are particularly interested in unconventional family models. Your credo: If it feels right, it’s good.
Congratulations on your baby’s first birthday! The last twelve months have probably flown by and you still can’t believe how quickly your little one has developed. But it is also a very special day for you: You have been a mother for one year now.
In this article
The first birthday is special
You are feverishly awaiting the 1. Birthday of your baby already for weeks against? Although you know that your sweetheart is still too small to understand what is going on on this day, you still want to make it a special day!
There are many ways to celebrate your baby’s first birthday. It is important that you do what you want and what you think is good for your baby. Don’t let expectations from those around you push you into something that might be too much for you or your child to handle. But don’t let anyone talk you out of a celebration for your baby because they supposedly "won’t notice anyway" either.
Children’s birthday party on the first birthday?
If you think that your child will enjoy it, you can for example invite some children from the toddler group or friends and have a real children’s birthday party. The little ones already know each other and spend time together from time to time anyway. But it might soon be too much for the dwarves, because the mood on birthdays is usually much more excited than usual.
Invite relatives and friends to the first birthday
Many mothers invite mainly relatives and close friends to drink coffee and eat cake. Here, too, you alone must decide how much you trust your child. Of course, it can be really nice to talk and share memories with people who have followed the first year of your baby’s life. On the other hand, the number of guests increases the risk that your child will be overwhelmed by the attention he or she suddenly receives. Some mothers swear by the rule of thumb "number of guests equals number of birthdays".
Make an excursion on the first birthday
Maybe you just want to do something nice with your birthday boy or girl to make the day special. You could invite a little friend of your baby and you go to a nice swimming pool. Animal parks or indoor playgrounds are also good options.
Celebrate with the father
Since the day is of course first and foremost a special event for you and dad, instead of a big party for your darling you could also organize a small party for yourselves as soon as the little one is in bed.
What activities on the first birthday?
Depending on the season in which your baby was born, there are different activities for the birthday party. In summer, of course, a garden party is ideal. There little guests can also spill at will, without you having to worry about cleaning the carpet. Maybe you want to build a small paddling pool?
But there are also fun tips for winter children. How about putting a big mattress on the floor and setting up a play area with lots of balloons??
Since every child reacts differently to hustle and bustle and lots of people, only you can decide what is the right thing to do, as you are of course the best judge of your baby.
Our tip: It could be an advantage if you try to keep to the usual rhythm of the day. You could, for example, send all the guests home at 7 p.m. so that your child can calmly process the experiences of the day before going to bed.
Just as important as the design of the birthday party is the selection of gifts for the very special day of joy. You can find our suggestions here.