13 June 2012, by Mandy Loh
It’s Party Time, Baby!
Woohoo! Cristan’s turned ONE!
To celebrate the momentous occasion (and the fact that Tim and I have survived a year of parenthood without killing each other), we threw a simple party over the weekend, catching up with family and friends over lunch.
Now, I’ve heard of parents who go the whole nine yards organising their child’s first birthday party, sometimes dishing out thousands of dollars on a fancy gig. But we knew we just wanted something not too elaborate, that Cristan and our guests would enjoy. And I’m glad to say that it went rather well, because Cristan really looked like he had fun! And hopefully, so did the other guests!
Anyway, if you’re planning to celebrate your little one’s birthday, here are some tips for pulling off a simple and fuss-free party!
1. Have a fun theme
We had a race car theme as Cristan’s current favourite toy is his red pushcar, which was prominently featured in the e-vite for the party.
So we got a friend to design and bake a cake specially for us. Look at how cute it is! (ps. if you want to order cakes from her, I’ll be happy to pass along her contact!)
Cristan is #1! A pun on turning one!
Although I didn’t go all out decorating the entire function room, I did place some checkered flags around the tables just to reinforce the theme.
Little checkered flags as decor, and also given away to guests as they left
We also dressed up in Ferrari T-shirts (coincidentally, Tim’s favourite F1 team) to add to the fun!
Actually it was just an excuse for Tim to buy himself another Ferrari shirt!
2. Have some balloons, the fastest and easiest party decor available!
Balloons added a great atmosphere, and I was so happy to find a great design for a 1st birthday, in line with racing cars!
Cristan the Champ!
By the way, balloons are a definite must-have at any kids’ party. They serve triple functions as decoration AND toys AND giveaways to guests when they leave!
Our little party guests couldn't get enough of the balloons!
The birthday boy is delighted with his balloons too!
3. Cater for the needs of the little ones
This is essential, as it is after all a kid’s party! We created a safe play area lined with playmats specially for our little guests, and I believe it was well-received. I’m fortunate to be the grateful recipient of lots of hand-me-down toys from my sister, so I was able to fill up the play area quite easily with our own toys. If not, there are companies that rent out toys for parties too!
Cristan's first little friend arrives, and gets the play area all to himself!
More little friends having fun in the ballpit!
It’s a good thing Cristan didn’t mind other kids playing with his toys. He was probably too busy having fun to notice!
Smiling and laughing lots during the party. He MUST be enjoying himself! 🙂
If your guest list includes several babies, it might also be a good idea to provide some high chairs for them. Useful especially if the party is during a meal time.
A well-fed baby is a happy baby
The high chair: also well-used by the birthday boy!
4. Display photos of your baby’s first year
As you can tell, most of the preparations were pretty simple. The only thing that I spent a bit of time on, was this special picture gallery of Cristan, with a photo of each month of him since birth. It did take some time to do it up, but I figured it would become a permanent display piece in our house anyway, so it was a good investment of time.
Oh, how our little darling has grown!
The guests really enjoyed looking at the photos, and after all, the party is to celebrate just that – our baby’s wonderful first year.
5. Appoint an official photographer to capture the moments
Lastly, it’s really important to ensure that somebody is helping to snap pictures of the day. The appointed photographer could be a friend, relative or even a paid professional (although the last option would be quite costly). I asked Tim’s brother to do us this favour, and I must say he did a fantastic job!
Despite the mayhem that would ensue, I would highly encourage making the effort to organise group photos of guests during the cake-cutting. Good memories for keeps!
Beloved friends who celebrated with us!
Well, I know I won’t win “the party of the year” award, but we were pretty happy with our party and I hope these tips would be useful for you if you’re aiming for a simple party too. All the best!
ps. To the friends and family that came by to celebrate with us, thank you so much for your love!
Tags : first birthday, organising, party, simple, tips, turning one
Posted on : June 13, 2012
Filed under : New Mums & Dads
4 Comments
Mandy
January 18th, 2013 at 10:53 pm
Hi Joy,
Sorry for the late reply! Thanks for liking the photo stand. It was bought eons ago probably at a department store, not made. They should have similar stands in the stores today, but maybe not the same design. I stuck some decorations on it to personalise it a bit more, that’s all!
Joy
January 10th, 2013 at 11:54 am
hi
happen to come across your post and i like the photo stand that you made very much> did you make the stand or you bought it?
Mandy
June 22nd, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Thanks Alex! Am so glad he was happy and smiley during his birthday party!
Alex
June 20th, 2012 at 7:23 am
Happy boy your Cristan! 🙂