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Your Baby's First Birthday Party
Learning to Identify and Nurture Little Feelings
By Julia Rosien
If you have older children, enlist their help to make the perfect party for the guest of honor. "Make decorations and get everyone involved," Cambria says. "Go on treasure hunts to garage sales, thrift shops and flea markets to find neat things to be used at the party." This "event before the event" ensures that no one feels left out. When the real party begins, siblings can be proud of the way their contributions.
Cambria suggests building the party theme around things that interest your child. "If he likes trains, do a train theme," she says. Make trains out of boxes and let him be the engineer. Or let him be ringmaster at the circus by using animal cracker boxes. Build cages for stuffed animals by cutting holes in the sides of boxes. Use ropes or ribbon to make the bars and put his stuffed animals inside. Create a fish party with goldfish crackers, fish plates and a fishing bucket with magnets and washers. Make a fish cake using licorice for the mouth and candies for eyes, and put fins on your paper plates.
Make a train cake using a few loaf tins flipped upside down after baking and arranged in a line. Ice each one a different color and link together with Oreo cookies. Let baby help out by placing the candies on the cake after you've iced it. It won't be perfect to adult eyes, but he'll love it. And the time you spent making it will be the best gift you can give him. "My wife loved baking with the kids," Miller says. "I think our guests were a little leery eating something a toddler helped to prepare, but that didn't matter as much as seeing the pride on a little face."
Want to see more?
- Modern-day First Birthdays: Current Trends and Tips for First Birthday Celebrations
- A Messy Birthday Party for Baby: Don't Fight the Birthday Mess, Embrace It!
- Join the discussion on our Family.com community!
- Baby Behavior: 12 Months to 24 Months: Exploring Your Baby's Second Year Behavior
- First Birthday Party Themes: A Seasonal Guide for That Important Milestone
- Baby Stains: Tips on Removing Those Stubborn Stains Courtesy of Baby
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