I often think that clowns, magicians, and characters are just a bit too over the top for a first birthday party. I was recently talking to a few entertainers, one of whom was a clown. She said she gets hired for a lot of 1-year-old parties because older children are invited, and she is meant to entertain them. If you have a bunch of older children attending your first birthday party, then hiring a clown or magician makes sense … but you should be careful to keep the entertainer from the birthday baby, as they can often be scary to him or her.

At the same time, I spoke with another entertainer that has a whole interactive music program that is done beautifully with a well-rested birthday baby, especially when Mom and Dad engage with their birthday baby and the musical program. 1-year-olds love music! If you are interested in an entertainment choice that your 1-year-old will enjoy, think in terms of music. It sounds appropriate and very special to me.

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At my one-year-old’s party this year, all of the guests will be adults. How can I entertain them and still keep it kid-focused?

Often times you find that the first birthday party only includes adults. Mainly, the adults will be interested in wishing your child well, eating good food, and catching up with one another, so don’t stress too much about keeping them entertained A few activities that you can include to keep the adults focused on the fact that they are attending a kid’s party include: Read the rest of this entry »