There is nothing quite like celebrating the very first year of life of your precious baby. And why should you not? Many milestones have been achieved so far in their young life, and it is time to recognise those with a day filled with love. Put as much love into your 1st birthday invitations as you do their special day when you choose to go with Paperlust for your party invitations.
Whatever makes your daughter or son giggle and coo, we have a number of fun and cute design styles to go with it! Designs include great gatsby birthday invitations, classic birthday invitations, hand drawn birthday invites and monogrammed birthday party invitations and can perfectly complement whatever the theme is of your party. Your birthday invitations can be taken a step further when you allow yourself to choose from one of our many print types such as digital cards, letterpress, foil stamp and photo card.
Wherever you live or plan to throw your child's first birthday party in Australia, Paperlust has designers from all over, including locations like Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane who are eager to work closely with you to deliver the exact cards you are after.
If you are planning another celebration such as 30th birthday invitations, 50th birthday invitations, surprise birthday party invitations and anniversary party invitations or are simply looking toward the future for their next birthday, Paperlust offers a number of products to suit your stationery needs. This includes save the date, rsvp cards, wishing well and pregnancy announcements. Checkout our full range of birthday invitations
Your child's first birthday invitations should be something worthy of a scrapbook or baby book. Make them look that way with the flawless designs from Paperlust.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING 1ST BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS
So since we’re the experts on invitations, we thought we’d answer the most frequent questions we receive about first birthday invitations.
WHO SHOULD I INVITE TO MY BABY’S 1ST BIRTHDAY?
It can be a little tricky to know who to invite to a baby’s first birthday party, since they don’t exactly have friends of their own yet. The final decision comes down to the kind of event you want to have.
Many people choose to have a family-focused birthday party for their baby, since family are usually the most important people in the baby’s life at this stage. This will likely include parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents and other close family members of the baby. It might also include godparents or other close friends of the baby’s parents, because at this age, your friends are the people who will be around the baby most often and who they will recognise and enjoy being around.
Know your child! Some babies love groups of people and being passed around from person to person. Others are easily overwhelmed by crowds or by strangers. If the birthday boy hates crowds, a big party might not be right for you on this particular occasion.
WHEN SHOULD I SEND OUT 1ST BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS?
Just like any big event, guests need time to plan ahead to be able to attend a birthday party. This is especially true if they’re going to be travelling any distance to be part of it. To allow for this, first birthday invitations need to be sent out about 4-6 weeks before the party date. You should be considerate of guests who are going to be travelling and give them advanced notice with a simple phone call or email.
WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON A BABY’S 1ST BIRTHDAY INVITES?
First birthday invitations need to include everything your guests need to know. Usually, this means:
- The baby’s name
- The date and time of the party
- The address of the party venue
- RSVP details
- If you have specific requests about gifts, this information can also be included on the birthday invitation.
HOW SHOULD I WORD THE INVITE?
For first birthday invitation wording, you can go minimalist and just keep the bare details of the event, or you can use your 1st birthday invitation wording as an opportunity to get creative. Think puntastic invites, kiddy talk or a cute rhyming poem. If there’s any time you can get away with being a bit cheesy, it’s a one year old birthday party. You could either use or edit a well-known poem (with credit to the author, of course) or write your own. You want your child’s 1st birthday invitations wording to sound natural so make sure you go with an option that you are comfortable with (there’s nothing wrong with a simple invite). For your first birthday thank you wording in your thank you notes after the party, you could begin with phrases like, ‘Thank you for joining us to celebrate our precious little…’ or ‘As a way to show our appreciation…’
1ST BIRTHDAY GIFTS: REGISTERING OR ASKING FOR MONEY
Even though you’re throwing the party on behalf of your new one-year-old, it’s fine for you to specify gift options on the invitation, just like for any other occasion. Your options for a one year birthday are:
- No preference - just don’t specify on your invites!
- No gifts - Babies aren’t going to notice whether or not they get presents at this age, so some parents choose to ask for no gifts at a first birthday party.
- Charity donation - If you’re opting for not gifts, you might choose to ask guests to donate to charity instead.
- Registry - You can register for gifts to help give your guests easy answers on what your kid might want or need.
- Wishing well - If you’re going to ask for money instead of gifts, it’s a good idea to specify what you are hoping to put the money towards. A new car seat? Some new clothes for a rapidly-growing child? Guests appreciate being able to picture where their money is going!
- Specific gift category - Want an instant new wardrobe for baby, or an instant library? Ask your guests to bring a gift from a specific category to create a collection of sorts.
- Whatever category you prefer, you can let people know on the invitation itself, by word of mouth, or on a separate card included alongside the invitation.
DO I NEED ANY OTHER STATIONERY FOR A FIRST BIRTHDAY?
Your want to get your child’s first birthday invitations just right. Maybe you’ve picked tropical 1st birthday invitations, farm animal baby bday invitations, floral first birthday party invitations, jungle 1 year old birthday invitations, princess baby first birthday invitations, Paw Patrol 1st birthday party invitations or teddy bear baby birthday invitations. Do you need any other stationery cards to add to your amazing first birthday invites?
If you would like to add some formality to the occasion you could include some of our RSVP cards with your invitation. Customised place cards are available if you are having a formal lunch or dinner for your baby’s 1 year birthday. If food is indeed the focus of your son or daughter’s one years old birthday, you could order some menus along the same design motif as your 1st birthday invites. A nice thank you card is always much appreciated, especially because guests tend to put in a lot of effort for a first birthday party. If you're on a budget, you may be looking for free 1st birthday invitation templates.
I NEED 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR THEMES!
First birthday parties are a great opportunity for fun, whimsical themes, similar to those frequently chosen for baby showers. Some popular ideas are:
- Animals
- Space
- Flowers
- Kids TV/Book character
- Ocean
- Numbers or letters
We’ve got a full list of birthday party themes on our blog if you’re looking for more 1st birthday party ideas!
IT’S A BOY FIRST BIRTHDAY!
Boys first birthday invitations usually conjure up cartoon images of blue teddy bears or tonka trucks but your 1st birthday invitations boy style don’t have to be just any old design. In this day and age you can choose any colour you like for your baby boy birthday invitation and the theme can be as general or specific as you choose for your boys 1st birthday. For some great boy theme ideas consider:
- Little monster 1st birthday
- Fun to be one boy party
- TV/show that he loves (i.e. The Wiggles, Paw Patrol)
- Prince 1st birthday theme
- 1 bday nautical theme
- Where the Wild Things Are
Lots of little boys love to be active so make sure you are prepared with a killer first birthday game. You could make it fun right from the start and design your boy 1st birthday invitations with instructions on the back to make the invite into a paper plane to play with. First birthday invitations boy style should tell guests the theme and get them excited for the fun-filled party to follow!
IT’S A GIRL!
For 1 year old baby girl birthday themes you are spoilt for choice, and it’s the same story with first birthday girl invitations. Whether it’s a first birthday photo that you choose to use as the feature for your baby girl first birthday invitation, a ‘fun to be one’ girl invite, or a first birthday chalkboard template the key component is usually cute factor!
If you are looking for a baby girl 1st birthday theme, you could look at which toys your daughter is playing with or which tv shows interest her the most, search online for lists of 1 year old birthday ideas, or ask family and friends for some inspiration. Apart from the obvious pink idea, here are some other baby girl first birthday themes or invitations for you to consider:
- Barbie for a girls 1st birthday
- Princess 1st birthday invitations
- Minnie Mouse
- Twins first birthday invitations
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Farm animals
If you want an easy theme with lots of resources available, choosing princess first birthday invitations can be a safe bet. First birthday girls don’t usually mind too much one way or another so you can really let your creative side come out with girl first birthday invitations - why not spring for some of our beautiful letterpress, print on wood, white ink or raised foil invitations? We have some sweet pink pastel or watercolour designs that would fit perfectly with Strawberry Shortcake or Barbie themed 1st birthday girl invitations. Your 1st birthday girl isn’t going to remember much of her big day so remember to take plenty of photos (maybe ask a friend to take them throughout the day so you can focus on everything else) so that the little first birthday party girl can look back on them when she’s older. So whether it’s first birthday invites girl power with Power Rangers, Minnie Mouse 1st birthday invitations girl theme, kitten first birthday invitations girl theme, your baby girl first birthday invitations should be something so cute you want to frame them (which you can in a scrapbook to look back on later). You go, girl!
WRITING BABY’S FIRST BIRTHDAY CARD
It’s the first birthday greetings they will ever receive … are you feeling the pressure? And what do you say in a 1st birthday card to someone who can’t read yet? The perfect one year old birthday card starts with the right picture on the front. Will they love (and the parents appreciate) a Thomas the Tank first birthday card, a Minnie Mouse card, or a homemade card picturing you playing with them? You’ll know what feels right.
Now, what to write in a 1st birthday card? Birthday wishes for one year old bub should be short and sweet, preferably with a picture drawn somewhere. First birthday cards don’t matter too much about the actual words - it’s more about the effort shown and your birthday wishes for 1 year old will be shown predominantly by your presence at the party (chances are the parents have invited you to the party because you already dote on their little one).
If you are writing 1st birthday wishes for your own precious toddler, it might be a nice idea to write a few words about your joy at seeing their first year developments and your hopes and dreams for their exciting future. It could be like a time capsule that you show them again on their 12th birthday.
Whichever theme or invitation you go for, as long as there is food, laughter and love the party will be a huge success!
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