Baby's First Birthday Party

With more mums taking a year off work when baby comes along; that first milestone birthday can seem to come round very quickly...

Some reports say we spend around £10,000 during that all important first year, so when it comes to baby’s first birthday, how can you celebrate without breaking the bank?

Planning in advance is the key. Leave everything till the last minute and you won’t have time to shop around which can mean higher prices and limited options. Here’s my mums’ party planning checklist...

Party Invitations
You’ll need to send these out at least a couple of weeks before and even earlier if the party’s on a Saturday or Sunday. To cut the cost make your own by downloading fun and funky designs online; just type ‘party invitations’ in your search engine and you’ll discover some great sites. A slightly more expensive but more personalised option is to send invitations with your child’s photo on the front. Both high street photo outlets and in store photo counters offer this service at around £1 a card; though it’s cheaper the more you buy.

Look online for companies offering ‘first birthday’ packages including themed banners and decorations – much cheaper than hunting round and buying all the items individually! This is especially handy if your child loves a particular character as most stores may only have selected items from any one range.

Entertainment
At this age having the party at home is best; but if you’ve got older children in the family why not hire a bouncy castle for the garden to keep them out of mischief? Your options for party games may be limited at this age, so for the young ones what about hiring an indoor or outdoor ‘ball pool’. This costs around £30 depending on size and location. Find a local company in your area by searching the internet. And if you decide to hire a hall or have an entertainer come to your home remember to check they have public liability insurance in the unlikely event of any damage.

Birthday Cakes
One leading supermarket claims sales of cake mix are up 50% on last year as we bake rather than buy; but if you’re not hands on in the creative department buying won’t break the bank. Most supermarkets sell themed character birthday cakes for around £5-£10 depending on size. To save time check out the supermarket options, designs and prices online first before deciding which one to buy in store.

The Birthday Tea
This tends to be more about catering for any mums and dads coming along than the kids at this age. If you’re happy to stick with cheese and ham sandwiches all round then this is the cheap and cheerful option; but if you don’t want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen why not order in some ready made platters? Several supermarkets offer a free delivery service with mouth watering platters starting from around £10 including luxurious fillings like smoked salmon and cream cheese. Buying ingredients to make sandwiches like this and you’d be hard pushed to compete with the platter prices or save much if you buy ready made sandwiches and cut them up yourself. And there’s some great childrens’ options too including character designs like ‘Charlie Caterpillar’ with individual finger rolls.

When it comes to stocking up on drinks, copious amounts of kitchen roll and wet wipes for any accidents shop online; you’ll pay around £5 for delivery but it can be worth it to save time and stress.

Presents
Avoid duplicate or unwanted presents by setting up a gift list. Several department stores offer this service so you can choose suitable (and safe!) gifts for your child. It’s free to set up, though guests may be charged £3 - £4 for delivery, unless they’re able to collect the presents themselves.

Asking for money is often a tricky subject but if relatives are unsure what to buy and you’ve already got a savings account up and running for your baby suggesting they pay in some money for your child’s future is another option.

And don’t be tempted to go overboard yourself buying presents; toys are unlikely to be kept for years to come and small children prefer quantity over quality! Just think of the fun they have with the boxes! So if you want to buy something as a special memory of that first year look for an item of jewellery or a special photo album that you can keep for them.

Keep it simple
This is the answer to a successful party. Keep the guest list short and don’t be tempted to make the party last more than a couple of hours as you’ll want to remember the day as an enjoyable one! And finally make sure you accept any offers of help especially with the clearing up! Happy Birthday!