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Your baby is turning one year old! Already! It's time to plan a very special birthday party - the very first one! Though it is tempting to pull out all the stops and throw a huge festival to celebrate this wonderful milestone in your baby's life, try to control yourself.

Keep it simple. Your baby does not know what a birthday is, much less a birthday party. A raucous crowd of well-wishers, hundreds of balloons, streamers, loud music, and heaps of presents are more likely to overwhelm and overstimulate your baby rather than make her happy. She enjoys being surrounded by people who love her, playing and interacting with them, and feeling secure in her home. The first birthday is better suited to a quieter affair, with perhaps a few decorations, and immediate family and a few close friends. A child or two to play with is fun, but at this age babies tend to parallel play - that is to play near each other but separately, rather than with each other. They will enjoy some interaction, but too many children may well lead to stress, both for her and for you. Your baby would probably much prefer to play peek-a-boo with Grandma and snuggle with Daddy than to be passed around from aunt to uncle to cousin to neighbor.

Keep it short. After an hour or two of exciting activity, baby needs a break. Why extend the party and end up with a teary, overtired baby?

It is important to be careful with the food being served, both to children and to adults. Older babies and young toddlers are at risk of choking on many foods, such as grapes, nuts, hot dogs, marshmallows, gum, hard or chewy candy, peppermints, popcorn, potato chips, pretzels, pepperoni, raw carrots, celery, radishes, small tomatoes, raw broccoli or cauliflower, apples...the list goes on and on. Be aware of foods that are an allergy risk - peanut butter is not recommended for children under the age of two, and many one year old children have yet to eat their first egg white. Keep this in mind when planning snacks. A birthday party is no place to learn that a child reacts to a potential allergen. Take care keep unsafe foods out of reach of the children, or better yet, avoid offering them.

Balloons are not the best decorating choice. They pose a serious choking hazard, especially if some get broken and every little piece is not found. Crawling babies are experts at finding little things in the floor to pop into their mouths.

A baby's first birthday is a joyous, happy time. As baby learns more about the world and begins to understand celebrations and parties and the excitement of birthdays, the festivities may become more elaborate and shared with more friends. For now, it is best to keep it simple, keep it short, and surround baby with those who love her most. After all, the goal is to have a HAPPY birthday!

Learn more about this author, Sheri Bertaux.
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