There is nothing quite like celebrating the very first year of life of your precious baby. So many milestones have been reached in their young life, and it is time to celebrate those with a day filled with love. Put as much care and thought into your 1st birthday invitations as you do into their special day when you choose Paperlust for your party stationery.

Whatever makes your daughter or son giggle and coo, we have a wonderful range of fun and charming design styles to match! Designs include Great Gatsby birthday invitations, classic birthday invitations, hand-drawn birthday invites and monogrammed birthday party invitations, each of which can perfectly complement any party theme. Take your birthday invitations a step further by choosing from our print types: digital cards, letterpress, foil stamp and photo card.

Your 1st birthday invitations are printed in our Melbourne studio and delivered to you across New Zealand via DHL Express. Free shipping is available on qualifying orders (threshold shown at checkout), and pricing is shown in your local currency at checkout.

If you are planning another celebration such as 30th birthday invitations, 50th birthday invitations or surprise birthday party invitations, or you are simply looking ahead to your child's next milestone, Paperlust offers a wide range of stationery to suit your needs. Browse 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 beautiful designs from Paperlust.

Everything You Need to Know About Writing 1st Birthday Invitations

Since we are the experts on invitations, we have answered 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 do not 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. 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 whom 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 in order to attend a birthday party. This is especially true if they are going to be travelling any distance to be part of it. To allow for this, first birthday invitations should be sent out about 4-6 weeks before the party date. You should be considerate of guests who are travelling from the North Island to the South Island or from further afield, and give them advance notice with a simple phone call or email.

What Information Should Be Included on a Baby's 1st Birthday Invites?

First birthday invitations should 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, playful rhymes or a cute poem. If there is any time you can get away with being a little cheesy, it is a one year old birthday party. You could use or adapt a well-known poem (with credit to the author, of course) or write your own. You want your child's 1st birthday invitation wording to sound natural, so go with an option you are comfortable with (there is nothing wrong with a simple invite). For your thank you wording 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: Gift Registry or Asking for Money

Even though you are throwing the party on behalf of your new one-year-old, it is perfectly fine to specify gift options on the invitation, just as you would for any other occasion. Your options for a one year birthday are:

• No preference - simply do not specify on your invites
• No gifts - Babies are not 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 are opting for no gifts, you might choose to ask guests to donate to a charity instead.
• Gift registry - You can set up a gift registry to help give your guests easy answers on what your child might want or need.
• Wishing well - If you are asking for money instead of gifts, it is 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 option 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?

You want to get your child's first birthday invitations just right. Perhaps you have 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 to add to your amazing first birthday invites?

If you would like to add some formality to the occasion you could include RSVP cards with your invitation. Personalised place cards are available if you are having a formal lunch or dinner for your baby's first birthday. If food is the focus of your little one's birthday celebration, you could order some menus along the same design motif as your 1st birthday invites. A thoughtful thank you card is always much appreciated, especially because guests tend to put in a lot of effort for a first birthday party.

1st Birthday Party Theme Ideas

First birthday parties are a wonderful opportunity for fun, whimsical themes, similar to those frequently chosen for baby showers. Some popular ideas are:

• Animals
• Space
• Flowers
• Kids TV or book characters
• Ocean
• Numbers or letters

We have a full list of birthday party themes on our blog if you are looking for more 1st birthday party ideas. With Matariki celebrations and Labour Weekend often inspiring creative themes, there is no shortage of ideas for Kiwi families.

It's a Boy's First Birthday!

Boys' first birthday invitations often conjure up images of blue teddy bears or toy trucks, but your 1st birthday boy invitations do not have to follow any set 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 some great boy theme ideas, consider:

• Little monster 1st birthday
• Fun to be one boy party
• TV show that he loves (such as The Wiggles or Paw Patrol)
• Prince 1st birthday theme
• Nautical birthday theme
• Where the Wild Things Are

Lots of little boys love to be active, so make sure you are prepared with a great 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. First birthday invitations for boys 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 the same is true with first birthday girl invitations. Whether it is a first birthday photo 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 the 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 to consider:

• Barbie for a girl's 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, princess first birthday invitations can be a safe bet. First birthday girls do not 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 try some of our beautiful letterpress, white ink or foil stamp invitations? We have some sweet pink pastel or watercolour designs that would fit perfectly with a Strawberry Shortcake or Barbie themed 1st birthday girl celebration. Your 1st birthday girl is not going to remember much of her big day, so remember to take plenty of photos (perhaps ask a friend to take them throughout the day so you can focus on everything else) so that she can look back on them when she is older. You go, girl!

Writing Baby's First Birthday Card

It is 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 cannot 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 Engine first birthday card, a Minnie Mouse card, or a homemade card picturing you playing with them? You will know what feels right.

Now, what to write in a 1st birthday card? Birthday wishes for a one year old should be short and sweet, preferably with a picture drawn somewhere. First birthday cards are not really about the actual words - it is more about the effort shown. Your birthday wishes will be demonstrated predominantly by your presence at the party (chances are the parents have invited you because you already dote on their little one).

If you are writing 1st birthday wishes for your own precious toddler, it might be a lovely idea to write a few words about your joy at seeing their first year of 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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