How to Throw a 1st Birthday on a Budget

How to Throw a 1st Birthday on a Budget

Your baby is turning one, and you want to throw your little one the party of the century. Unfortunately, you may not have the funds for a full day of celebration using every food, decoration, and game idea you’ve found on Pinterest.

Don’t fret – you can host a wonderful 1st birthday party on a budget. Read on to found out how!

 Remember: the party shouldn’t be overwhelming.

 Many parents feel the first birthday is the most special, and therefore needs a ton of food, games, entertainment, even a clown or cartoon character! However, for babies, so much fuss and noise can be very overwhelming. Keep the party light so everyone has a great time, and so you don’t break the bank.

 Skip the games.

Your one year old won’t be able to participate in most traditional birthday party games, so save your cash. A few toys on the floor to encourage parallel play – the most popular type of play at this age – is more than enough entertainment for the tiny party goers. If older kids are attending, one simple game will be enough.

 DIY the party food.

No need to cater the first birthday party. Get together with a couple of family members and make finger foods for the guests. For babies, think soft and easy to chew. Shaped puffs and small pieces of cheese make a great party snack. Consider making the cake to save another $10 or so on the food.

 Have the party at home.

 Hosting your baby’s first birthday party at a location that requires payment is not necessary. Just like with games, they won’t be able to fully enjoy a bounce house or playland. Settle for a quiet location – your own home is likely to work perfectly and won’t cost you a dime on the venue!

 Send invites electronically.

Thanks to Facebook events, you don’t have to figure paper invitations, envelopes, and stamps into the party budget. Simply create an event and invite only those that you want to the party. If you need to invite friends that aren’t on Facebook, a quick email invite will do the trick!

 Opt for colors over a theme.

The characters and other birthday themes you see online are adorable, but they can really hit your wallet! Sometimes, a set of eight plates with Baby Mickey on them can be $4 or more! Settle for a color scheme rather than characters (pastels work great for a baby’s birthday party). You can then buy the plates, napkins, and decorations at the dollar store at a fraction of the cost. Keep the decor simple too, in order to throw a great party within your budget.

29 Comments
  1. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    Those are all really helpful ideas. I went all out for both of my boys first birthdays.

  2. Great tips! I like the “send the invites electronically” one. I see more and more people doing that!

  3. Heather says

    Great tips. It definitely can be a lot cheaper hosting at home.

  4. Jaime says

    We had a sock monkey theme, but it was more the yellow/red colors versus the actual sock monkey that we went with. We definitely saved money in making the food and hosting it at our home!

  5. Kay Adeola says

    I like your tips they are all really good,I think we have always gone over the top for all of our kids on Their 1sts and all others since,sometimes I think that it was more for us adults than the kids lol.

  6. Krystal says

    Thanks for these great tips. Throwing your baby’s first party can get pricey. Mainly because we tend to go all out for that first birthday bash!

  7. Sarah Bailey says

    What some great tips, a first birthday has to be a magical time. x

  8. Coolchillmom says

    You have great ideas to save money and samilty! As long as baby has fun, that is what counts right?

  9. aimee fauci says

    Amen to having the party at home! Our kid’s first birthday party normally ends up in an adult celebration with some fun for the kids.

  10. Chrystal @ YUM eating says

    I know a lot of people go all out for birthdays. I never understood why. I guess if you have money to spend.

  11. Carmen Perez (listen2mama) says

    These are all great tips. In my Cuban culture, the 1st bday party is a huge event, so I did have a big party for my daughter, but I can see why this would be just as nice!

  12. Liz Mays says

    I simple fun, fun parties like this. You’re right, it doesn’t have to be expensive to be tons of fun for parents and babies.

  13. Amber NElson says

    Those are such great tips. So many people go overboard on spending for parties.

  14. Tess says

    I love doing first birthdays! Those are great ideas for a perfect day.

  15. Lois Alter Mark says

    These are all great tips. It’s so easy to get carried away for a first birthday party! Love that picture!

  16. Melissa Smith says

    Definitely some great tips. I actually do all of that for every party my kids have. 🙂

  17. Life As A Convert says

    These are great tips for any party really. We tend to DIY the food (minus the cake, cos my baking skills suck) and find a theme, but then substitute the majority of items with colors that go with the theme.

  18. Veronica says

    I remember both my kids’ first birthdays. They both got a personal cake that they plastered all over their heads ad faces. memories. that was 16 and 12 years ago. lol

  19. Nicole says

    I find that the 1st birthday is more for family than anything. My son certainly didn’t remember any of his birthdays until this one, his 4th. So I spent a lot of money on his parties and didn’t even need to. I know a lot of people that do big parties every 5 years instead of every year.

  20. Jeanine says

    Great tips! All so very true. We often forget not. To make a huge deal, and I have a lot in the past! It becomes so overwhelming so I stopped having 1-3 bday parties. We just do family things now!

  21. Tough Cookie Mommy says

    This is such a great post. I remember how expensive my sons’ first birthdays were. It would have been great to save a little money.

  22. Annie says

    I have been to so many crazy 1st birthday parties. I cannot imagine spending so much for a party they won’t remember.

  23. Theresa says

    I like the idea of throwing it at home. I have been invited to Chuck E Cheese parties for a 1 year old am like, really!? The kid can’t even enjoy the rides or pretty much anything there!

  24. maria says

    I love 1st birthday parties but they can be stressful! Great tips and sugestions.

  25. Pam says

    My sons are adults now but I remember the first two birthday parties I threw for my oldest. I really can’t believe I spent the kind of money I did and had the amount of people over for something he really didn’t even understand. And my parties didn’t even compare to what some people do now days for the first birthday. I would never do that again. These are great tips and I hope that parents of little ones take this advice and run with it.

  26. Rosey says

    I saw some new invite bracelets for parties. They were kid friendly, bright colors…and rsvp’ing was done online. I thought that was cool!

  27. Alice Chase says

    I think most parents are so excited and want to do more. Sometimes its just nice to reflect on ALL the growing that baby and parents have done that year. Simple and easy is sometimes the Best way,

  28. Aisha Kristine Chong says

    doing a DIY – will always be a money saver while giving it a special touch!

  29. katrina g says

    great tips! we went way over budget on my youngest 1st party, but it was still lots of fun.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.