Becoming a parent changes your life forever, in ways big and small. It also means that, every year, you get to celebrate the day you became a parent by throwing a birthday party for your child. You can plan a blowout bash or a small and relatively intimate occasion; the scale is up to you and your child. The party can easily overwhelm you if you’re not careful, though. You want the best for your kid; however, sometimes parents take “the best” to mean, “I must stress out about every little detail.” As with most things, though, there’s a way to find a happy medium.
Keep age in mind
There’s not much reason to have a huge party for a one-year-old. Sure, it’s a special day, but it’s not a day your child is going to remember. Memories from our first and even second year of life aren’t considered reliable, so you aren’t going to traumatize Junior that way. There are numerous ways for parents to accidentally traumatize children; having a small first birthday party (or even no party at all) isn’t one of them. By the second birthday, and especially by the time they turn three, you’ll probably want to make a bigger deal of things. However, for the first year, a smash cake you can use for photos is fine. Bring some family members over and watch as your baby gets cake all over his or her face. It’s cute and simple, and that’s really all you need at such an early age.
A party theme will become a bigger deal as your child grows up, however. A three-year-old may not care if her party has a Barbie theme, but a kid in elementary school will likely have strong opinions on the merits of a party themed around zoo animals, versus a sea creature themed bash. That’s also a good age to look into hiring magicians or Clowns for parties, since kids at that level begin to really enjoy and interact with party performers. Make sure to tell the parents of other kids if you’re bringing any performers in, too, just in case their child has a phobia of magicians or something.
Have something for the adults
There will obviously be adults at the party chaperoning the kids, cutting the cake, and rounding up everyone to watch the magic show. Some parents will want to come to the party and keep an eye on their kids, while others will drop off their children and come back to pick them up when it’s over. Once you know how many adults will be there, plan a little something for them, as well. It could be as simple as food that isn’t neon green or filled with sugar. A cheese plate with marinated fetta cheese and some Gouda could add an elegant touch to a table full of cupcakes and juice.
It might be tempting to have alcohol, and that’s really a judgment call to make at your discretion. A beer or two for each adult at the party is probably fine, but make sure you stay clear headed enough to keep an eye on the kids and keep everybody safe. No one should be binge-drinking at a kid’s birthday party, and no one should be driving home while drunk, either. Just be responsible and mature, and if you doubt any party guest’s ability to do so, it’s best to keep the party completely dry.
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