People on Twitter have been sharing the secret to hosting a successful first birthday party and to be honest, it mostly revolves around alcohol - for the adult guests of course.
The focus on adults only feels fair considering you’re the ones who will remember this in ten years time and while your child’s first birthday is undoubtedly a milestone for your family, the real achievement isn’t that your baby has turned one, but that you have survived a whole year without sleep.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that one-year-olds’ birthday parties are definitely more for the adults than the birthday boy or girl, but parents of one-year-olds have every right to party,” says Cathy Ranson, editor of Channel Mum. “You’ve survived, you made it through that first tough year and that is a big cause for celebration.”
Not only will mum and dad probably be celebrating with something a little stronger than a lemonade, but their friends will make up the majority of the guest list too, as when you’ve only been on earth for 12 months you haven’t had much of a chance to make friends your own age yet.
Admittedly this does make the ratio of adults to children a little skewed for a ‘kids’ party, but as Ranson says: “Who cares if there’s more adults than children at the party? As the years go on this ratio will change drastically so enjoy it while it lasts.”
So what should you do if you want to throw a kid’s birthday party that will keep both children and adults entertained? Ranson recommends the following things:
Timing is crucial, plan the party around your child’s naps so that they’re not too tired to enjoy it.
Even non-walkers (and older guests) enjoy bouncy castles, just make sure the babies get their turn amongst any older children and the adults.
Hiring in a small soft play set can be fun for the youngest party goers to get active.
Why not crack open the bubbly to have with the birthday cake or serve up a jug of Pimms in hot weather.