Most of the parties that I perform at are for baby's first birthday, but we also perform at toddler parties thru 5th birthday parties. And I see that people celebrate their child's birthday party a bit differently at various ages.

As the children get to be 3 years old (& older) they tend to have a lot of their friends & classmates at their parties. 1 year old & 2 year old parties tend to have children of different ages (cousins, neighbors & friends' children). Sometimes there's only one & two year olds at those 1st & 2nd birthday parties & that can be very sweet.

Since the children can be different ages at the birthday party there is a lot to consider when planning a baby's first birthday party or a party for a toddler or for an older child.

I have seen people put together photos boards of their baby. Sometimes they even put together a group of 12 photos - one to mark each month's milestone for their baby.

I have seen some parents put together a video slideshow of their child's first year & that can be so sweet! There is a lot going on at a first birthday, so my recommendation would be to put the video on a loop and play it repeatedly for anyone to watch as they have the time. Or if you keep it short & you have a big enough TV screen for everyone to watch you could even feature it at one point in the party.

One of my all time favorite party decorating ideas I saw at a party was that the mom & dad took various photos of their child & taped them to ribbons & hung them from their ceiling along with other party decorations interspersed. It was delightful to be surrounded by all these happy photos of their little one!!!

NOTE: If you don't like putting lots of pieces of tape on your ceiling you can also hang photos or decorations from clear fishing cord hung across the ceiling & you can use small, removable Command hooks made by 3M to attach them to the top of the walls.

More generalized party themes include Barnyard Animals parties, Fire truck parties, Music parties or Guitar themed parties, Construction parties, Jungle Safari parties, Under the Sea parties, Prince parties & Princess parties or Fairy parties.

For first birthdays, well, the little one year olds can't tell mom or dad what they would like. So some people chose a theme that they personally like & many other parents just throw a generally themed party with 1st birthday balloons & pretty colors.

But you have some other options - Amazon.com has an extensive list of first birthday party invitations, children's party invitations , children party thank you notes with different children's party themes.

There is an absolutely AWESOME party invitation store on the web called Tiny Prints! They are a favorite for many celebrity moms for modern, elegant birth announcements, party invitations, thank you notes, chic photo cards & holiday cards. They do much more than children's party invitations & thank you notes. They offer personal stationary, wedding invitations, business notes & stationary & accessories such as customized address labels, gift tags & even party favors. They are a great place to check out first birthday party ideas!

I have seen very cheap party favors that break & can become choking hazards. I personally would never opt for that. Better to think of the children's safety first & go for quality. And that way the children will also have a lasting momento of your child's birthday party.

I looked around the internet & found some very affordable, high quality toys & children's music instruments that I think would make terrific party favors for first birthday parties & children's parties.

Some people decide to have a clown or character at their child's 1st Birthday & I consider this to be a bit risky. Many moms & dads have told me that their one or two year olds are afraid of clowns & people in character costumes. One mom told me that her son absolutely loved Elmo when he saw him on TV, but that her son was overwhelmed & cried when the Elmo character came to his party because he was just so large.

From my experience I have learned that little one & two year olds really like to study a person's face, so having all that make-up or a costume covering a children's performer's face can be intimidating for a baby or young child. I won't even wear sunglasses when performing for young children at outdoor parties because I have learned that the children really need to see my eyes.

I also want to mention that although balloon animals & face painting* can be a lot of fun for the children as they get older they may not be a good idea for first or second birthday parties.

I have never seen a baby with their face painted, probably because their skin is very sensitive & they wouldn't understand what is going on & it may upset them. Balloon animals are also very risky for 1st & 2nd birthdays as babies & young children may put them in their mouth & those balloons shrivel up when popped & can become a dangerous choking hazard.

* Please make sure that if you do hire a face painter for your child's party that they use FDA-compliant, water-based face paint, not just some everyday craft paint as young children's skin is sensitive. The same thing goes for glitter - craft store glitter usually contains metal particles that can irritate the eyes.