A subject of discussion is always who to invite to a 1st birthday party. There are people that think of the first party as a matter of payback, a way to say thanks for all the parties their child was invited to in the previous year. These are the proponents of the major birthday bash, and these are the parents that will invite everybody and his wife and their children to an extremely large extravaganza disguised as a birthday party.
While the child will certainly enjoy it for a while, there will definitely be problems when the noise gets too much to bear and a terrific amount of crying will be heard over all the noise and music in the birthday party. Of course, if the child is one that is used to people in general, then it's not really going to bother him at all.
There are some proponents that argue for a small party, one that would only include the immediate family members and no one else. This is, of course, a very cozy celebration and one that is not too much of a problem to plan. The decorating and menu can be as simple or as complicated as the new mommy wishes, since there will be no other guests involved.
A good compromise to stick to, though, with this party and with all the following ones, is to invite as many children as your child has years. So, during the first birthday party, make it a playdate with one of his or her close friends and invite the parents over, too. Along with the family, it's more of a party than just a simple gathering.
Although, it becomes a little more of an issue when the parents themselves are part of a big family with a whole set of relatives besides. The best thing to do there is to make a guest list that doesn't overlook any of the important people that helped to bring up your child. Grandparents should definitely be on that list, as well as anyone else that has looked after your child. If there are cousins, even if they are of different ages, they should be part of the celebration as well.
More than one party planner urges to keep the first birthday small, and it's not without a good reason. A smaller party requires less time to set up, aside from less time to clean up afterward! But on the whole, it will allow the child to enjoy the celebration more since there are not so many people to contend with.
A part that the new parent should not forget is that everyone wants
to have a look at your child, and carry him too, if possible. While
it's not really that much of a problem when your one year old knows
all the people in the party, if you multiply that by at least fifty
adult guests it becomes a major source of stress. It's your child's
party after all, it would be best if he or she could enjoy it.