A baby’s first few birthday parties can be a challenge. What do you do? Who do you invite? What do you serve? It can be hard to think of activities that a wide range of kids at different development stages will enjoy. In order to help you through this planning phase, we came up with a list of games and activities that you can play with your baby and their friends at their birthday party.

1. Kiddie Ball Pit: This will quickly become the main attraction at the party. It’s always a favorite of babies since they love using their new skills in the uneven ball pit. Best way to do this, get as many plastic balls as you can and fill up the biggest kiddie pool you can get. Then, just let the fun ensue.
2. Catching Bubbles:The amount of smiles you’ll see during this activity will amaze you. Who knew that running around trying to catch bubbles would be that much fun. There are two ways this can be done: you can either get a bubble blowing machine, or DIY. Ask the older kids and adults to be the bubble blowers, and the rest of the kids will be given a cup. They will then do their best to catch the bubbles in the cup. You’ll enjoy watching them run around as much as they enjoy the game itself.
3. Wagon Rides:A sight at many early birthday parties, decorate a wagon with all of the birthday baby’s favorite things and have kids take turns riding in it. Depending on the crowd, you can spice it up a bit and make it an extreme ride. Place obstacles and change up the terrain so some parts of the ride are bumpy, some are downhill, etc. The more creativity you use the better it will be.
4. Time Capsule:You always see people in movies do time capsules, why not have one for the newest member of your family. After the party is over friends and family will all decide on what should go into the time capsule. It can be a piece of clothing or a toy that your baby plays with, anything that will represent this time in their life. We love the idea that they bury it until their 18^th birthday where they open it and enjoy the nostalgia.
5. Story Circle: This is a great way to bring your baby’s birthday to a close. Grab their favorite books, we suggest 2-3 and have a read aloud. The parents and older kids can take turns reading and showing the younger ones the pictures. This helps wind things down and we’re willing to bet many will fall asleep during the story circle.

These are some great ideas to get you started on planning the party. Early birthdays are great moments in a baby’s life. They may not remember every detail but they will feel the love. A key suggestion, keep cameras handy because you never know when a perfect candid moment will happen.