A birthday is a brilliant excuse for a party, even though the guest of honour probably won’t have a clue what’s going on! It’s up to you if you want to keep things simple with just a few family and friends or go for a full-blown celebration. Either way it’s worth bearing in mind that lots of fuss, people and new toys can be overwhelming for your little one-der. So you might want to keep things short and sweet; at this age a 2-hour party is long enough – for everyone!

You’ll want everything to go well on your little one’s big day. So if you’ve got friends with babies coming to the party, here are a few things to remember:

• Set aside a baby changing area with plenty of wipes and nappy bags.
  
  
• Check in advance for any food allergies, so no-one goes hungry.
  
  
• Create a safe play area – blankets on the floor surrounded by cushions works well.
  
  
• Take lots of photos and make an album of your little one’s special day. 
  
  
• Send out thank you cards for all the lovely pressies.

It’s not a party without a few treats. But you can include some healthy nibbles too! Little ones eat with their eyes so a yummy selection of pretty things should go down well. Try cutting mini cheese or tuna sandwiches into star or heart shapes with biscuit cutters. Tempt little fingers with big, colourful bowls of fresh fruit like sliced apples, melon and blueberries. Or hummus to dip carrot and cucumber sticks in to. And when it comes to the cake, why not make mini muffins? They’re perfect for little hands to pick up! 

Babies at this age may find rustling the wrapping paper or playing with the packaging more fun than the gift inside! But you’ll still want them to have a birthday present to open on the big day. Lots of toys help your baby learn through play. Stacking cups are great for hiding things in as well as learning colours and how objects fit together. Once they’ve mastered stacking they can use them for playing in sand and water too. Building bricks are another long-lasting toy. They’ll enjoy learning to build with them – and have even more fun knocking them down! So choose chunky wooden or Lego-style bricks that can take a good battering! A colourful cutlery set can help make their mealtimes more fun. And although it’s not a toy, they’ll enjoy getting to grips with their own special fork and spoon as they learn how to feed themselves.

It’s going to be a one-derful year. Enjoy every moment together, you’ve both come a long way since the day they were born, and there’s so much more to look forward to.