Throwing a 1st birthday party for your child is an exciting undertaking. You’ve spent the past year nurturing and loving your baby, and now you get to celebrate that she’s turning 1. While the party theme, decorations and goody bags are important, serving the right food at your baby’s 1st birthday party will be a major factor in determining how successful your child’s party is.
Popular Party Foods
When considering food ideas, it’s important to select foods that are popular among 1-year-olds. Popular foods for 1-year-olds are foods that are familiar to them and that are easy to eat independently. Grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, fruit salad, pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are foods to serve to 1-year-olds. Regardless of what you serve, be sure to present the food in a kid-friendly way. Cut sandwiches into strips or small squares, and provide child-size utensils. Be sure any hot foods are a safe temperature.
Feeding the Adults
Since your child’s 1st birthday party is likely to include adults, it’s a good idea to have food prepared for them as well. You may wish to offer adult versions of the children’s food that you are serving, like grilled cheese made with Swiss and tomatoes, or pizza with various toppings. As an alternative, you may wish to plan a separate menu for your adult guests.
Birthday Cake
When it comes to choosing a birthday cake for your child’s 1st birthday, the possibilities are endless. You can select a cake based on the theme of your party. For example, if you are having a “Look who’s turning 1” theme, you may want to opt for a cake that is shaped as a number 1. For many party hosts, offering cupcakes instead of slices of cake may be more practical. In addition to being easier to serve, young children may have better success with eating a cupcake with their hands versus using a fork to eat a slice of birthday cake. If you choose to do a birthday cake, you may wish to have a smaller cake made for your 1-year-old to enjoy all by herself.
Beverages
When it comes to serving beverages at your child’s 1st birthday party, individual serving sizes of refreshments can be best. In addition to being proportioned and ready to serve (since most single servings require a straw), they are likely to make less of a mess. Water, milk and juice can all be found in individual packaging. You may also want to have a few extra toddler cups on hand should some of your guests be unable to drink from a straw successfully.
Considerations
When choosing foods for your child’s 1st birthday party, you’ll want to take a few things into consideration. First, you’ll want to be sure the foods you serve don’t pose a choking hazard. For example, if you are serving a fruit salad with grapes, be sure to slice each grape into quarters. Additionally, popcorn, hot dogs and other foods that pose a risk for choking should be avoided. You may also want to ask your guests about food allergies on your invitations. Knowing that a child is allergic to peanuts, for example, would allow you to eliminate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the menu ahead of time.
Photo Credit
- birthday celebration image by Liz Van Steenburgh from Fotolia.com
