Baby's First Birthday: Don't Fret Too Much

It's hard to believe that your baby has already reached the one year mark. Time for a party! You send out invitations, order a cake, buy party favors, and plan a menu. What's wrong with this picture? You are more excited than your child. Before you get too carried away, there are a few things you should remember to keep you grounded.

1. Your baby has no concept of "birthdays". Your baby is only a year old. For them, birthdays are just another day to eat, sleep, and have diaper changes. It's harsh, but true. First birthdays are usually anticlimactic for the baby. No matter how spectacular you make the event, your baby will not be as excited as you are.

2. Your baby will probably "poop out" before the party's over. All that added attention and cheek squeezing can be tiring. By the time the birthday party's in full swing, baby may be down for the count. To counter this, you could adjust baby's sleeping schedule the day before. But, chances are, your baby will still want to nap sometime during the birthday party. Don't let it disappoint you, though. If you let them nap, hopefully baby will wake up just in time for cake.

3. Don't go overboard on decorations. This is baby's first of many birthdays. If your baby is anything like my niece who just celebrated her first birthday, they would rather chew on the party hats than wear them. Streamers and balloons just give baby more things to chew on and they pose a choking hazard. Keep it simple the first time out. Balloons are okay for the outdoor sign, but should be kept away from your birthday baby.

4. Plan an adult-friendly menu. I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat strained sweet potatoes or carrots at a birthday party. Have a cookout or appetizers. At my niece's first birthday party, my sister had hotdogs and hamburgers. If there are small children at the party, their parents will make sure they bring appropriate snacks.

5. You can splurge on the cake. The best part of a birthday party is the cake. My sister had a friend create a colorful birthday cake with marshmallows and stars. Children love sweet stuff and baby can enjoy a small piece of their cake.

6. Let baby help open the gifts. A child's attention span is short anyway, and a one-year-old's attention is even shorter. Babies love to tear things up at that age. As long as you make sure the baby isn't eating the paper, let them help open their gifts. This will help lengthen their attention span so you can get some decent birthday photos of them.

Baby's first birthday is a memorable occasion-mostly for the parents. Even if your baby doesn't know the significance, you do and that's what is important.