Babies/Childrens Birthday Parties - How to NOT stress!

When Ethan turned one, we had a little party at home for him as part of his birthday celebrations. We didn't really know any other children or babies at the time, so it was just us and close family and friends who attended. We did the same sort of thing for his second birthday, following a trip to Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park the day before. Again, it was just us and close family/friends. 

Ethan's first birthday!

Both of his little parties were lovely and I hope that we'll always be able to put on a little party for both of our boys birthdays, where they'll blow out the candles on their cake surrounded by the people in their lives who mean something to them. It's a strange thing to think, that this year we'll be celebrating for not just Ethan but for Logan too! Ethan in April and Logan on the very last day of June! The concept of Logan having a birthday and turning one hasn't quite sunk in yet.. he's still so new! But it's okay - I still have six months to get my head around the fact that he won't always be so tiny!

Ethans second birthday!

Whilst throwing a party for your little ones birthday, is a truly magical, experience it can also get a little stressful if you let it. My top tips for keeping things as stress-free as possible when it comes to babies or children's parties are as follows:

1. Work around nap time  -  Just because it's their birthday, don't expect your little one to be any less tired. In fact, with all the excitement, they're likely to get more tired and a lot faster (I know Ethan did on his 1st birthday)! We made sure on Ethan's second birthday party to invite guests half an hour after nap time, so that Ethan was re-charged and had had time to properly wake up. 

2. Don't over do it - Babies and toddlers really only care that you and their family are there, that they have a few new toys, a bit of party food and a cake. They don't need anything more fancy than that. So unless you want to do something more, just keep it simple. 

3. Don't stress - I think this sort of relates to the above point, but don't stress with unnecessary things. It's your baby/child's birthday - enjoy it with them. If small details don't go to plan, it doesn't matter. All that really matters is that everyone has a good time and lots of fun!

4. Take a few photos and some video -  Obviously this is personal preference, but personally and I'm sure it's obvious with me being a blogger, I love to capture a few pictures and some video of the special day. Birthdays are the days that stay with you, the days you want to remember and photos and videos help you to recall the finer details. Having photos and some video means you get to live the moment over and over again and of course. show your children when they're older. Perhaps even ask someone else to take some photos and video for you.. 1. So that you can enjoy the moment and 2. So that you're also in the videos and photos with your children. 

5. Ask for help - This goes back to not stressing.. You'll want to enjoy your baby's/child's birthday as much as you can, so take some of the pressure off yourself and ask a family member or friend to help out with preparations. If you're worried about missing out on the special moments because of hosting duties, you could even consider hiring a venue to host the party. You can find local venues for this sort of thing using the Internet by searching 'venue finding service'. But hosting it at home really doesn't have to be stressful - I always find that cooked frozen party food is great for occasions like these! 

I really think that the best thing to remember when it comes to your baby's or your childs birthday party is that, it's only one day, one day that goes incredibly fast, so relax! Enjoy it! Enjoy watching your little ones face fill up with glee as they begin to learn that there's whole day that once a year  is totally dedicated to them! 

 

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