Nothing is as exciting as celebrating what is an incredible milestone – your little one’s 1st birthday! There are so many beautifully unique and fun theme ideas to try for their birthday party, and equally some fun play on words and sentiments to use around the number ‘one’.
Prepare to be inspired for this very special 1st birthday party with all of the ideas below!
19 Magical 1st Birthday Party Ideas for an Unforgettable Day
1. Berry First Birthday
Like you need to use an excuse to don the pink and red decorations for a baby girl, but whether it’s a summer birthday or one in the height of winter, a ‘berry first birthday’ is sure to go down a treat!
The below photo backdrop is the cutest with strawberries and a red and pink balloon arch, theme the party food to include strawberries, and plenty of pink and red food to eat.
2. Hungry Caterpillar
Isn’t this just the most iconic character of childhood? I adore the Hungry Caterpillar as a birthday theme, and actually it’s one that’s perfect for any child, no matter the age.
Use an array of different colored green balloons to create the body, adding food cut outs to relate to the story book.
3. Winnie The Pooh
If your little one has grown up surrounded by Winnie the Pooh and equally, dressed in matching outfits, this is the only 1st birthday theme for you!
I adore the use of the soft muted green, cream and blue balloons in this setup for the sweetest backdrop. Add A Winnie the Pooh prop like the below, or add a few teddies!
4. A Wild One
Of course, ‘a wild one’ might be one of the most popular themes to celebrate your baby turning one. Lean into the safari/jungle side of this theme with tropical themed decorations, animal print balloons, giraffe balloons and safari themed food.
5. Floral 1st Birthday
Like a baby in bloom baby shower, flowers are always a good idea to incorporate into a theme for a delightful, charming way to celebrate a 1st birthday in style.
Use real or faux flowers and adopt a soft, muted color palette, like shown in the image below.
6. A Fast One
Vroom, vroom! Is your little one a fast one?! A unique 1st birthday party theme that is ideal for the little racer in your life. You can create a theme around this concept however you like, but adding Mickey into the theme keeps it feeling young, and super cute.
7. First Rodeo
Celebrate their first rodeo with a farm/rodeo inspired theme!
Use bold colors and intersperse with cow print balloons for that nod to the rodeo. Get guests to dress up as cowboys and cowgirls and add a hay bale or two to complete the most perfect backdrop for photos with your family and friends.
8. Time Flies
How time flies when your little one is here! A super sweet sentiment which is a lovely way to remember their first birthday.
Theme it around aeroplanes and adopt a soft color palette and include plenty of balloons to create a similar look to the one below.
9. Boss Baby
A boss baby inspired party? It has to be done! This super cute theme is ideal for a little baby boy. Use a blue, white and silver color scheme and don’t forget to put your little one in a matching outfit for the cutest photos.
10. Fairy First
Celebrate their ‘fairy first’ birthday! A whimsical inspired theme which would be lovely for a baby girl.
A pink, purple and white color scheme keeps things feeling magical. Include fairy and toadstool props or decorative items.
11. Cute Bunnies
If you’re not a fan of Peter Rabbit, lean into using some sweet bunnies instead. Take inspiration from the below!
A lovely idea if you have a spring baby. Add a light up number 1 for added sparkle, it will pop in all of your photos from the day too.
12. A Wild One
Another example of ‘a wild one’ birthday, because it’s definitely one of our favorites!
Instead of balloons or props, get some large, almost life sized jungle animal teddies that can double up as the cutest presents to go into their nursery after the party.
13. Cocomelon
If your little one is obsessed with watching episodes of cocomelon, you just know they’re going to love this theme as they will instantly recognise the characters through the props that are used.
The below is a beautiful way to welcome guests, and it can double up as a photo backdrop.
14. First Trip Around The Sun
This has got to be one of my favorite sentiments, celebrate their first trip around the sun with this out of this world setup!
Theme it around space with an intergalactic backdrop, space balloons and metallic colored balloons.
15. One Groovy Chick
Celebrate your ‘one groovy chick’ with this retro setup! A bouncy castle and ball pit might be among their favorite things when they’re one, and it’s a perfect idea if you’re inviting along other babies their age too.
16. Rookie Year
They’ve made it through their ‘rookie year’! For a baseball loving family, this unique setup is a super fun one.
Theme it with red blue and white, and add some baseball details to complete the theme.
17. Circus Inspired
For larger gatherings, take note of the below circus inspired theme!
There’s so much attention to detail here with the signs, balloon arch, number 1 light and red top to complete what would look fab as a backdrop for photos during the day.
18. Peter Rabbit
This little bunny is still enduringly popular for little ones, and it makes for a delightful theme for a first birthday.
A lovely theme for boys and girls, a blue, gold and cream theme is particularly fitting to match Peter!
19. Toy Story
To infinity and beyond! For a Toy Story loving family and little one, just check out the below setup!
An epic backdrop with all of the iconic Toy Story colors, characters and placeholders for adding cakes and taking plenty of photos.
