Contents
- 1 A year of progress
- 2 First birthday and future development
- 3 The first birthday party
- 4 First birthday: how to entertain children
- 5 First birthday: gifts
The first birthday is never forgotten, it is appropriate to say it. Those 365 days passed are full of emotions, thoughts, smiles, difficulties, happiness, tears, experiences. A year of unconditional love, a year of living together, a year of everything. A year that must be celebrated properly! Even if the little ones will understand almost nothing, we mothers care a lot, let's face it! So here's how to organize a respectable party for this very important occasion.
A year of progress
Since you first picked up your bundle, time seems to have passed in a rush. From birth to first birthday, a baby's development is truly impressive and will continue the next year as well.
At one year, a baby experiences first words and first steps. He is very curious, he practically never stops because this is the moment for discoveries. Now he has several teeth, he can eat at the table with his family, he also experiments with new foods. Moving from milk to solid nutrition, he learned to use his mouth, tongue, palate and throat differently. Now they are used to articulate more complex sounds, repeat syllables and line them up.
Little by little the little one understands that there is not only the mother and he connects himself to the world around him and to that of symbols. His mental abilities will soon allow him to play symbolic games, such as pretending to drink or eat. He observes what surrounds him with attention and perfectly perceives distances, volumes, depths. He tries to reach objects by crawling or taking his first steps.
He really likes to test himself (sometimes even making you terrified of some slightly exaggerated undertaking) and discover the effects of his actions. He can spend a long time throwing an object off the high chair, forcing you to retrieve it. He has fun and laughs a lot. His personality is refined and he prepares to become more autonomous.
First birthday and future development
As we have said, these 12 months have been characterized by a very rapid psychophysical development. Next year will be just as amazing. If you are wondering if there is anything you can do to help him, the answer is absolutely yes!
The suggestions are many. Show the child a book with pictures of animals, in which the mothers with their babies are portrayed. Point out that some have 4 legs and not 2, that one has soft fur (there are also tactile books, they can be very useful and very engaging) and another has feathers, that some fly, others crawl and so on.
Tell fairy tales, emphatically mimicking the most important passages. Your child will let you know how much he appreciates it and you will be forced to start over. And don't forget the music: songs and nursery rhymes are very important for development.
The first birthday party
Mom and dad, this is your party too! You "survived" the first year, sleepless nights, "radioactive" diapers, bottle feeding at 3 in the morning. It was tough at times, wasn't it? But wasn't a smile from the little one enough to make you go through everything and make you say "how lucky we are"? In our opinion, yes!
So off to the celebrations!
Let's start with a certainty: the child will understand that he is the center of attention and that the birthday is a special day only from the third year onwards! First it's really early. At the age of 3 he will probably have started going to kindergarten, so he knows his classmates and likes to play with them.
Small children don't always like chaos. The risk is that they will get nervous and tired, especially if the party breaks the normal everyday routine. Moreover, if they see new faces and the mother is not always available because busy with the guests they could let themselves go into real crying fits.
What to do then? First of all, avoid inviting too many people. As important as it is, it is "only" a first birthday, not a wedding. To avoid desperate tears, make sure that the party does not interfere with the afternoon nap, that it does not last too long, and that there is not too much confusion. If you can, invite only known adults and children. Also, don't expect her to blow out the candle at all costs (even if you've been trying for weeks!) Or to pose for photos with everyone. You only risk making him nervous and cry.
First birthday: how to entertain children
Don't even think about hiring an animator. It wouldn't do any good. For the little guests and the birthday boy, it is enough to make a few games available on the floor to be used in common. Examples are the classic cubes, shapes to fit together, plastic fruit and vegetables, a few balls. You can then play simple games, such as "clap your hands", "cu cù", "find your nose" or sing some song. In short, nothing particularly exaggerated.
If the party is at home, set up a quiet room in case any parent needs to rest their child too tired.
An original idea to remember this day is the birthday number to use as a guest book. It comes with a marker and each participant will write their own message of good wishes for your child.
First birthday: gifts
If you have already baptized your child and made a birth list, you probably already have all or most of what a baby needs. So, for once, let's let ourselves go to the wonderful world of toys. After all, they are always nice to receive and, if chosen well, they can be of help for the growth of the baby.
In this sense, electronic educational games are a must. I am able to develop cognitive and coordination skills of the hand and eyes, practical skills, visual, auditory development and mental work. With bright colors and fun music, they catalyze the attention of the little ones and, at the same time, allow them to experiment with a long series of attitudes.
And where to play? On the floor, of course! And how to make it safer? With a soft rubber puzzle mat, of course! It can be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily and can be easily washed.
Another gift idea is the curtain with the balls. It can be used both inside and outside the home because it is waterproof. Dad, don't worry! Since the task is up to you, we reassure you: it is very easy to assemble. It is available in both pink and blue, to please princesses and princes.
Wooden games are timeless and have multiple educational functions. In fact, they have a rich combination of games: molds, clock, abacus, calculation, color recognition and more. The little ones will love to play - so many colors, stickers and ways to play, it's just a fantastic world to explore.
Staying on the subject, why not get a rolling toy, always made of wood? Moving balls and shapes will take a lot of the child, developing his practical skills. In addition, he will be able to learn fruit and colors and improve hand and eye coordination. The materials are always certified and safe.
