1. Watch the clock. Plan the party to last an hour to an hour-and-a-half. Babies have short attention spans and run out of energy and interest quickly. Plan the party for late morning or late afternoon — pre- or post-nap — when baby isn’t tired.
2. VIPs only. Scale back the guest list to avoid overwhelming your babe and keep costs down.
3. Ask for help. Consider hiring a babysitter or asking a family member to help you balance your hosting duties with enjoying your baby’s big day.
4. Babies love balloons.
5. Create a play place. Many of the babies in this age range are still on all fours, so baby-proof a play zone filled with age-appropriate toys for your little guests. Set chairs around the zone for parents to relax and watch.
6. Check your treats. Ask your guests if there are food allergies to consider. Keep snacks simple, like chopped fruit and graham crackers for the kids, and more grown-up versions for the adults to munch.
7. Don’t stress. You’re still a few years shy of hiring a D.J. and hosting pony rides. It won’t matter to baby whether you throw the party of the season or just celebrate at home with your immediate family. As long as he’s with you and feels love all around, that’s all that matters.

How life has changed over the last 12 months! Looking at him now, it’s hard to believe that just a short year ago he was a tiny newborn. Now he’s walking (kind of), talking (a few words) and laughing at any opportunity!

1. In a year packed with milestones, here’s the biggest of them all: your baby’s first steps. The average age is 12-13 months but some babies start to walk before their first birthday. Have your camera handy if you’re keen to record the event.

2. The part of your baby’s brain responsible for memory is going through a period of very rapid growth. His memory is already pretty sharp; if a toy gets lost, for example, he’ll look in the place where he last saw it. He’s also storing events and experiences in his memory, so if he throws something on the floor and you say no, he’ll remember it and test it in the future.

3. He’s got a sense of humour. Again, this is because of the huge amount of brain development that’s happened recently; he’s now able to see and share the joke, and even initiate one himself. If you do something funny like put on a strange hat or pull a silly face, he’ll be delighted to share the laughter.

4. Despite your efforts to spoon-feed him, he’ll want to do it himself. More will tend to go on the floor than in his mouth because his ability to hold the spoon isn’t quite there yet. But practice will get him there in the end, and do encourage him to use the spoon correctly (keep a mop handy for under the highchair!)

5. He loves the chance to chat. And when he babbles away to himself it sounds exactly like he’s having a real conversation – in some other language. His voice even rises and falls in all the right places. Give him space to say things in his baby language and then talk back to him when he falls quiet – he’ll love chatting properly, and it’s fun for both of you, too.
help them learn

Lots of praise and encouragement will help boost his confidence and learning

Meringue mountain

Suitable from 1y
Makes 12

Ingredients:
300g caster sugar
150g egg whites (from about 5 large eggs)
pink food colouring
blue food colouring
1tbs cocoa
edible silver balls and coloured sprinkles

You’ll also need two solid baking trays, lined with baking parchment

Preheat oven too 200oC. Tip sugar into a small roasting tin and warm in the oven for about 7 mins, or until hot to the touch. Turn the oven down to 110oC. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk until frothy. Tip all of the hot sugar onto the egg whites in one go and continue to mix on high speed for about 10 mins until meringue mixture is very stiff, white and cold. Divide the mixture between three bowls. Add tiny amounts of pink food colouring to one bowl and fold in using a large metal spoon until the colour has marbled the mixture. Using 2tbs of meringue mixture for each ‘dollop’, create four even-sized mounds on baking trays. Repeat the process, using blue food colouring. Sift cocoa into last bowl of meringue and gently fold in until the meringue is marbled with cocoa. Again, create for mounds on baking trays – you should now have 12 meringues. Sprinkle edible silver balls and sprinkles all over meringues, then bake in the oven for one and a half to one and three-quarter hours. Remove from oven and leave to cool on baking trays. Pile up on a plate and serve!

Your baby’s first birthday is certainly something to celebrate. However, while you might want to throw a party and buy her a special present, there is no need to go over the top. Your baby won’t know such lovely presents and small is definitely beautiful at this age!

Who to invite
At this closely-attached-to-mum stage, the best way you can make this a special day for your one year old is to give her lots of your attention. Her network of friends will be small and intimate. She may be afraid of strangers and new places at this age, so it’s best to stick to just inviting close friends and family to your house.

If you do want to invite more people, you could ask some of your friends from your old antenatal or postnatal classes.

Getting the timing right
By one, your baby may be used to having a nap during the day. The worst time for the excitement of a party is when your baby is tired, so maybe think about an afternoon tea, after nap time. If you are inviting other babies, check out their nap times with their parents. Keep the party brief because an hour or so is quite enough at this age.

Games and activities
Loud bangs from party poppers and bursting balloons may upset the babies. Why not have some musical fun instead, such as dancing with your baby, or putting on a nursery rhyme CD in the background.

She’ll appreciate a few simple games, such as Row the boat or Round and round the garden, with plenty of tickles, too. How about peek-a-boo games? Or finding toys hidden in a box or under a cloth and, of course, helping you to open her presents. We sell themed party packs and more.

Choosing a venue
Home is the place where your baby will feel most secure. She’ll appreciate a few colourful decorations or, if you want to go for something more adventurous, you could buy a baby ball pool.

What food to serve
Keep food simple because most of it will probably end up on the floor anyway! Finger foods are excellent for both babies and adults, as eating them won’t interrupt play or interaction. Parents may well have brought a bottle or feeder cup with the drink of choice for their baby, but have water, milk and diluted fruit juices at the ready. If you’re providing food for the adults, keep it simple.

Some babies will have quite a few teeth and be able to bite into food, while others may still be toothless. Organic bread sticks, tiny sandwiches with cheese spread, cubes of mild cheese and mini fromage frais cartons are all good ideas. Chocolate fingers are scrummy, but messy, so plain biscuits may be a better choice. Jelly tends to be more of a play material at this age than a dessert. To be honest, your mini guests will probably eat very little food, so aim for a variety of taste, texture and colour rather than lots of it.

However, no party is complete without a birthday cake. You can either make one yourself or choose from a variety at a supermarket or bakery. Don’t let your baby near the candle as she will want to grab, not blow, it.

Choosing a theme
Party themes aren’t important to a one year old. You might want to aim for a colour-coordinated look, but it’s more for the benefit of the photographs than your baby at this stage.

The party bags
Party bags are really unnecessary at this age. If you really want to give a going away present to your little guests, opt for a small, safe soft toy each or a board book.Shower my Baby have great party favours for the Mum’s, just to say a little thank you!

Choosing presents
By now, your baby will appreciate anything that makes a noise, lights up, or both, so activity centres are a good choice. It’s never too early to read, and textured board books are great fun for your tactile baby. New bath toys are always welcome. You may want to consider a big, lasting present, such as a baby swing for outdoors or a rocking horse. If you already have lots of toys, she won’t object if some people buy her clothes instead.

Top tips for a successful party

Keep a very watchful eye on the party area for hazards, such as forks or small, easily swallowed objects, and clear them away quickly.

Make sure you have a willing volunteer to take plenty of photos or unobtrusively wield a camcorder because you’ll be too busy!

Babies will play alongside each other, not together, so keep a variety of toys available within a large, safe floor space.

It’s crawling, walking and climbing time, so stair gates and fireguards are essential.

Provide breastfeeding mums with somewhere quiet and private to feed if they wish.

Have somewhere clean, handy and well-equipped for nappy changing available.

Store away precious ornaments and breakables.

Keep pets well out of the way.

Keep food simple because most of it will probably end up on the floor anyway!  Finger Foods are excellent for both babies and adults, as eating them won’t interrupt play or interaction. Parents may well have brought a bottle or feeder cup with the drink of choice for their baby, but have water, milk and diluted fruit juices at the ready. If you’re providing food for the adults, keep it simple and avoid peanuts and other foods which may present a choking hazard to little ones.

Some babies will have quite a few teeth and be able to bite into food, while others may still be toothless, so cater for both extremes. Organic bread sticks, tiny sandwiches with cheese spread, cubes of mild cheese and mini fromage frais cartons are all good ideas. Chocolate fingers are scrummy, but messy, so plain biscuits may be a better choice. Jelly tends to be more of a play material at this age than a dessert.  To be honest, your mini guests will probably eat very little food, so aim for a variety of taste, texture and colour rather than lots of it.

However, no party is complete without a birthday cake. You can either make one yourself or choose from a variety at a supermarket or bakery. Don’t let your baby near the candle as she will want to grab, not blow, it.

Loud bangs from party poppers and bursting balloons may frighten your baby, and discarded poppers and balloons are serious choking hazards, so leave them until next year. Why not have some musical fun instead, such as dancing with your baby, or putting on a nursery rhyme CD in the background.

She’ll appreciate a few simple games, such as Row the boat or Round and round the garden, with plenty of tickles, too. She’ll also enjoy peek-a-boo games, finding toys hidden in a box or under a cloth and, of course, helping you to open her presents. Do brace yourself for her being much more excited by the wrapping paper than the actual gifts!  Party Suppliers can also help you with suggestions and ideas. Many sell themed party packs and more.

Quadruplet baby girls were born at just 28 weeks in an emergency caesarean and have celebrated their first birthday. They weighed just 7lb 6oz between them when they were born and required specialist care.

Parents Gillian and Marc were looking forward to celebrating the babies first birthday with older sister Abigail and a family party. All babies were naturally conceived and were born at million to one odds as all girls are identical.