Keep it simple—you can’t enjoy celebrating your baby’s transition to toddlerhood if you are busy serving hors d’ouevres
Limit the number of guests—most babies suffer from separation and stranger anxiety at this stage, and a big gathering may cause distress rather than enjoyment
Keep things short—an hour or 90 minutes is probably the full extent of his attention span
Set the time for the party half an hour after he normally wakes up from his nap, so he’s refreshed and not too grumpy
Forget about themes and party games—your baby will have no interest, and you may end up feeling deflated
Entertainment for little ones can be cheap and simple—a pot of bubbles will keep them entranced for ages
Balloons may be fun,
but place them out of reach to avoid him popping them, or choking when
they are deflated; better still, choose helium balloons and cut the
strings so the little ones can’t reach them
Make sure he’s had something to eat and drink before the guests arrive; even the most baby-friendly food probably won’t appeal to him in the midst of all the excitement
Let him open his presents—this will be the highlight of his day, if only because he will be surrounded by a mountain of crinkly, colorful paper
You may choose to do party favors for older guests, but a shiny new ball will be enough to enthral his one-year-old buddies when they leave
Watch the sugar—most little ones haven’t had much experience, and can become sick and irritable on a party-food diet
You can make an exception to the rule by making a wonderful, wobbly Jell-O, perhaps moulded in the shape of your baby’s favorite animal
By all means make him a cake in the shape of something he recognizes—a farm animal, for example, or perhaps a teddy bear
Offer water to drink (most baby guests will have their own cups), and some fun, healthy finger foods
If anyone asks for gift ideas, suggest books—this is the best way to build up your baby’s library, and it’s an affordable gift for most people
If grandparents want to be more generous, perhaps you could suggest they buy your baby his first ride-on toy, which will probably occupy him for the rest of the day
Don’t forget your camera—this is one day you can’t fail to record
Take a photo of all the guests,
and tape it in your baby’s scrapbook; you’ll be amazed how quickly you
forget his first friends, as he grows up and develops his own social
circle
