Baby's First Birthday Cake Ideas

First birthdays are something that parents will remember for a long time. They are milestones, ear marking the first year of their child making an impression on the world, and on their lives. This is one of the reasons we find ourselves planning for this occasion, sometimes for months before the event. Here are a few ideas to help you get started on making your little ones first birthday a blast!!

One theme, which can be used for a boy or a girl, is Winnie the Pooh. Using bright colors, such as orange, yellow, pink and blue, decorating is a breeze. Your local baker probably has many Winnie the Pooh themed cakes. This is the theme we used for my son's first birthday almost three years ago. We had mixed nuts (Poohnuts), Piglets in blankets (your normal hot dogs wrapped in warm dough), Rabbit's Vegetable Garden with an assortment of veggies and dips, Pink Piglet Punch and of course, Eeyore Tails (black licorice with red bows tied at the ends). If you or your child is a fan of Pooh, there are a myriad of items that can be created. We had all of the characters set up around the room, each holding a balloon that said Happy Birthday!

Another theme that can be used for a boy or a girl, is a Wiggles themed party. Since the Wiggles and their colorful garb and catchy songs begin to appeal to children around 6 months, this is a great idea. You can have children and adults wear solid color blue, yellow, red or purple shirts! This gives them a chance to participate and pick which Wiggle they would like to be for the day. You can create Fruit Salad (Yummy! Yummy!) for the children to enjoy. A Wiggles theme can also be one of the least expensive as it is relatively simple to find bright colors. You can also pop in a Wiggles CD and watch as the children jump around like a kangaroo, dance with Dorothy or tango with Wags the Dog.

A Day As a Doggie is also another good idea for a party idea. A friend of mine did this for her son's first birthday. This may also be good for a little girl as well, depending on whether or not she is a fan of dogs. You can clip ears out of brown or black construction paper and tape (or glue) them onto inexpensive headbands that can be found at your local dollar store. This can be done before your guests arrive or as a birthday party activity. You can also make cookies in the shape of dog bones, dogs or dog houses. One of the best ways to let children expend some energy is to let them run around in the back yard barking and acting like a dog. If you have a friend, or know someone with puppies, invite them (and their puppies) over for some play time. The children will love to pet and love on the puppies and the puppies will love the attention.

An idea for boys that seems to be popular for first birthday parties involves police and firemen. The lights and sounds on the trucks and cars can be quite fun, but for some little ears, the sounds can be frightening. It is quite simple to find inexpensive police and fire trucks at your local dollar store. If you do not mind spending a bit more money, local fire departments will rent out a room in their station and give the children a tour of the station. Some parents prefer to just adorn walls with pictures of fire trucks and police cars as to not over stimulate their children, and this is fine as well. It is important to use colors such as red and blue when working with such a theme.

The last idea for a first birthday party can be for a boy or a girl. I think we have all heard of our big, purple friend, Barney. Although his songs may not be a favorite of any parent, children love him. Since Barney has children that sing and play with him on his show, it is easy to incorporate this into a party. You can choose any number of Barney CD's and your children will be singing and dancing along. Children can dress in purple, yellow or green to represent Barney, B.J. or Baby Bop. Colorful colors are also a staple of this party. You local bakery will have a number of Barney cake ideas.

There are many things that can be done to celebrate a first birthday, it just depends on what your child likes and how much time and effort you want to put into the celebration. It is very important to remember to plan your party after your little one's normal nap time so that they will not be cranky and try to keep it low key. Too many people can agitate a one year old.

Good luck with planning the first birthday party!!