Ideas for 1st Birthday Party Decorations and Games

Selecting the best decorations and games can help to make your baby's 1st birthday party more fun. Since most 1 year olds are too young to fully participate in elaborate birthday party festivities, you should keep your party decor and activities simple.

1st Birthday Decorations

Before you get started selecting decorations, choose a birthday party theme from your child's favorite TV show, movie, book or toy. Balloons are among the most popular 1st birthday party decorations. You can easily purchase either rubber or Mylar balloons that match your chosen birthday party theme or color scheme. You can also decorate a 1st birthday party with banners, garlands, centerpieces and cake decorations that match your theme. Another great 1st birthday party decoration is a pinata. The pinatas made today often have pull strings; if your 1 year old baby can't break the pinata, you can easily pull it open at the bottom. Again, ensure that all the candy, toys and other items you place inside the pinata are safe for children under 3.

You can make many of your child's 1st birthday party decorations yourself. To create a basic homemade banner, get a long piece of paper and paint "Happy Birthday" and your child's name in acrylic craft paint. If you'd like to make something more detailed, cut out balloon shapes from construction paper, punch holes in the sides and connect them together with ribbon to make a 1st birthday garland. You can create an easy balloon bouquet centerpiece by tying together several helium inflated balloons to a central weight. Of course, your cake makes the best centerpiece of all. You can easily decorate the cake yourself with decor based on a popular birthday party theme such as Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse or Winnie the Pooh.

1st Birthday Party Games

Most 1 year olds will enjoy simple sing-along activity. A dance contest would also make a good 1st birthday party game for both children and adults. If you like, you can also have some birthday games for the adults at your party. For example, create a bowling games by setting up some soda bottles filled with water. Roll a tennis ball or baseball to knock them down. Let the kids get involved in the adult birthday party games if they like. But keep in mind that a 1 year old is too young to consistently engage in organized game play.

1st Birthday Tips

Keep the birthday party guest list small; close friends and family only. Babies who are faced with too much activity and stimulation on their 1st birthday can end up feeling overwhelmed. So keep the pace slow and the noise level down. If your child is happy with the party, then continue to slowly engage him in opening gifts, eating cake or playing games. However, if the child begins to scream or cry, try taking him out of the room for a break. Wait until he calms down, then carefully try to take him back to the party. Also, don't let the party drag on too long. One or two hours is just fine for a baby's 1st birthday party. Anything more may be too much for a young child to handle.

For more ideas, read Homemade Birthday Invitations for Kids' Parties and The Best Free Printable Birthday Party Invitations Online.