Advice/ideas for 1st birthday party

My daughter is turning 1 in July (I cannot believe it...).

We are going to have a small party with the grandparents, aunt and uncle, some cousins, and 2 family friends - it will be 2 youngsters, 3 infants, and 12 adults.

I picked out a cake I'm going to make - it's something I cut out of a magazine years ago - it's simple but very cute - it looks like a beach scene, a flat cake iced with aqua frosting for about 3/4 of it, and teddy grahams frolicing on the beach with gummy round for life preservers, drink umbrellas for umbrellas, etc.

I figure we'll do a bbq and maybe have some frisbees and games for our nephews. Any other suggestions or ideas for low-key fun?? Thanks

Hey! My daughter will be one in July, too. We were thinking barbecue and outdoor fun, too, because I have a four year old and older cousins will be there so the fun is more for them with the baby's birthday as an excuse for a party.

Hey! My eldest will be SEVEN in July!!! Woo hoo! Congrats all round!

I remember her first birthday was a BBQ for us and our friends - none of whom had kids of their own. So she was the only kid at her party. I made cupcakes, so she could have her own wee cake to eat. With her birthday being in July - and mine just one week before - it has always been an excuse for a party for all our friends.

(This year will probably be the first that she has a party just for her and her girl-friends.)


Oh, here's an idea - take a picture of her at her party and put it in a frame. Around the frame - or the matting - you can write:

"WHEN I WAS ONE, I WAS SO MUCH FUN" - or -
"WHEN I TURNED ONE, I HAD SO MUCH FUN"

You could even take the mat, write the quote in a bold color, and then have people sign it in a different color, with their good wishes for her. Then after the party, place it around a cute picture of her taken at her party. I like that idea!

I ditto the cupcake idea. That way if the kiddo decides to smash a hand into the frosting, it's only one cupcake. Also if people prefer white cake or chocolate cake, it's easier to hand out. I've seen it done at several parties, and it's definitely a keeper.

Keeping it small is good. One year olds will like the cake, will like seeing people they love, but they can get overtired and overstimulated kinda easily too. Oh yea, and probably be happy to play all day with the first present they open and not really be interested in getting to the rest.

My kids are nine and six now, and I'm half-convinced that first birthday parties are more celebrations for the parents, and to have pictures to put in the scrrapbooks for the kids than actually for the kids, y'know? :-)