44 First Birthday Party Ideas on a Budget! (Cheap & Fun)

A fabulous Birthday for Baby doesn’t need to break the bank! Check out this HUGE list of fun First Birthday Party Ideas!

First Birthday Party Ideas on a Budget

Are you looking for some fun First Birthday Party Ideason a Budget?

1st Birthdays are such a special milestone for Baby, and always something fun to celebrate and attend.  These tips will help you throw an extra fun birthday bash without breaking the bank!

I received the following question from frugal friend Tori… “I’m looking for some fun and frugal birthday party ideas for a 1st birthday. Or do you have any other cute ideas for food, themes or decorations??  Thanks!”

Here are just a few of the awesome ideas that were shared right here and on The Frugal Girls Facebook Page…

Related: More Fun Party Theme Ideas

Ashley writes: “For a 1st birthday, I did a zoo theme with sand dig for turtle eggs I spray painted Easter eggs cheap.. they kept what was inside the eggs got animal wood cut outs from dollar tree and had kids paint them paint was also dollar tree. Filled jars with candy with animals glued to them and did a BBQ theme for food along with buying a bouncy house cheap kids had a blast. Also did colored balls for kids to kick around. It was a big hit. I really didn’t spend that much and of course you could do some of those things instead of all.”

Maura writes: “I always make treat bags for the kids.  Typically I put in sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and Playdoh… which can be very expensive, but I use the 40% off coupons from Michaels to buy the stuff.   The best advice is to plan ahead, if you see stuff after a holiday and you think you can make it work, then buy it!”

Michelle writes: “First Birthday Party Ideas?  I make out great for party favors at the dollar store.  Bubbles – 3 for $1, modeling clay – small containers 8/$1, large 4/$1, pencils, balloons, etc.  And board books for the little ones!”

Karen writes: “Plan ahead.  It’s all in the planning, seriously.  You can score great favor stuff after Easter, etc..  September is also a perfect time to get 24 packs of Crayola crayons for 20 cents or less.  You can then use plain brown bags and have the kids decorate them.  I love a good favor bag and I get great stuff for very little, because I store it for awhile.  If you can’t store items for awhile, the dollar stores are usually a good alternative.”

Kate writes: “I ordered finger puppets and they are adorable… I am going to put them on top of candy sticks for party favors for my son’s second birthday!”

Sally writes: “If you are ordering a cake from a baker or store, check to see if they offer a small child’s cake for free along with the cake you ordered.  We got a deal like this with each of our sons, and it was awesome to watch them get to tear into their own special small cake, which was free to boot.  And we didn’t have to deal with the slobbers a one year old will leave on a cake… ewwww!! lol”

Kathy writes: “For theme ideas, how about: ‘One Tough Cookie’, ‘Berry 1st Birthday’, ‘Wild One’ (jungle theme), or ‘Mr. W-one-derful’?”

Sara writes: “My sister got a bunch of boxes and wrapped them in different colors for a box themed party because that is what kids love to play with. It was a huge hit with all the one year olds at the party-it was colorful, simple and they had cake”

Molly writes: “Harris Teeter offers a free “smash” cake for baby’s first birthday.  Just fill out a form and return it to Customer Service.”

Amanda writes: “Try a Taco party!”

Crockpot Chicken Tacos Recipe

Emily writes: “Ask around your mommy group and see if there is a local baker in your area that makes cakes out of his/her home.”

Becky writes: “I just bought party supplies on clearance at Celebrate Express/Birthday Express.  My daughter’s birthday isn’t until May, but I got everything for 99 cents per pack.  And I think I only paid $5 for shipping.  Check them out!  Another great site for an edible cake pic that you can put on your own cake is Icing Images.  They run about $8 and shipping is reasonable.”

Tammy writes: “How about a Cake with Sprinkles, Sloppy Joe’s, Chips and Balloons?”

Easy Crockpot Sloppy Joe’s

Katie writes: “I did a Sunshine Party to celebrate her first trip around the sun! Homemade cupcakes with sunflower colors, other yellow/orange foods (I remember pineapple but not the rest of it ) and some yellow punch. This was when people still had CDs and I made them as party favors with all sunshine songs (Here Comes the Sun, a bunch of others).”

Helen writes: “Tub toys make awesome cake toppers for this age group.  Decorate a smash cake with tub toy so kid can take it from chair to bath.  They can usually be found in a character theme and when the smash cake gets out of hand, the child can keep the toy all the way through a quick bath.”

Dana writes: “Hmm… First Birthday Party Ideas? We did a garden themed party for our daughts 1st birthday. I barrowed sil flowers from friends and family + bought some at the dollar store. I bought diffent pastel colored streamers, tablecover, napkins and plates for the dollar store. I made big flowers to hang on the wall (cardboard & craft paint) I put a picture of her in the center of each flower.

She is 3 years old now and I have reused most of the decorations. I change the theme, but not the colors. 2nd birthday was fairies and her 3rd was butterflies. I reused the flowers, cardboard cutouts (just changed the picture in the middle), and any left over tableware. She had no idea and loves her parties! This year we are planning a princess party. Good luck!”

Denise writes: “I made a cake and a butterfly smash cake.  For the large cake I did two cakes in a 12″ and two cakes in 8″.  I layered each size with pudding in the middle, then frosted them in a marshallow fondant, which was super easy to make and use.

Brittany writes: “Go to the Dollar Store for fun First Birthday Party Ideas.  They have tons of great party decorations, and if you don’t see something in the store, you can order it online.  Also check with other mom’s in the area and see if any of them have left over decorations you can use.  I always store extra decorations in a tub in case someone needs them.”

Lauren writes: “For our son’s first Birthday, we did “make your own mini pizza bar” with English muffins, sauce, cheese and toppings. I have found Costco and Sam’s Club have the best deals on cakes if you’re serving a lot of people (I did not want to stress about THE CAKE not turning out when I had a million other things to worry about–and, you can always make your own mini cake for the baby).

Personally, I skip the treat bags. I don’t like to spend the money on them (especially for a one year old’s party–the stuff is going to end up in the landfill pretty quickly anyway–for my four year old’s pirate party, that was another story, you have to have loot at a pirate party!).

For decorations, I just had some balloons and made my own pennants/banners in the party colors using colored construction paper and scrapbooking paper and string.

Use food planned on being served at the party as centerpieces (for our baseball-themed party, it was peanuts, Twizzlers, cracker jack, etc.). Another party I’ve been to used all foods that were green (the color-theme of the party), so that’s fun, too!  Enjoy the day!”

Pretty DIY Flower Poms

Jessica writes: “You can just choose color themes, and decorate your table with various sizes of cupcakes and cakes.  Your table runner/cloth could be a piece of (darker) fabric that you will use later to make something (like pillows or bedding) for your child’s room.

My daughter had a pink and brown theme for her first birthday, and it turned out well.  I bought good quality faux flowers to further fancy the table up, and they are displayed in her room to this day.  You can buy balloons (with helium) for pretty cheap, and curling ribbon is also inexpensive.”

Lorren writes: “I run a party planning business, and just did my daughter’s first birthday. Her party is right in between Christmas and New Year’s, so budget is important. I did a teddy bear theme party, I spent $100 for a party of 30 people. Since it is between the holidays, I got food on sale, we made pizza shaped like a bear for the main course. For an activity and dessert we decorated teddy bears with icing, the children loved it no matter their age. I read the book going on a bear hunt and we had the children act out parts of the book. All of the guests were asked to bring their favorite plush toy and on the bear hunt we hunted for their bears. Invitations were made with my daughter’s birthday pictures, I designed them so the party information could be cut off and the picture kept.”

Kristina writes: “1) If you are doing a character themed party (example: sesame street, where the wild things are) use toys your child already has as decoration.  Strategically placed stuffed animals and figures make great centerpieces and entryway decor.
2) For the biggest bang, concentrate your decor by the front entryway (it’s the first thing your guests will see) and where they get their food.
3) Check Vistaprint to see if you can get a great banner or sign for cheap.  You’ll look like you spent a lot when you didn’t!
4) Consider getting a super cute shirt for your child with the number 1 on it at etsy.  Your sweetie is going to be in a lot of pics, so you will get a lot of mileage out of your purchase!”

Pauline writes: “You can blow up helium balloons a lot cheaper with a tank at the dollar store for $20 dollars, helium balloons are pricey to buy blown up.”

Mindy writes: “I just planned my sons first b-day party and it was a barnyard theme.  I’m obsessed with event planning and my top tips are:
1) Shop Around!!  I always do tons of shopping around on the internet and look for coupons, sales, and free shipping.
2) I’m all about DIY and I LOVE etsy for some purchases, but it’s also a great tool for DIY ideas!
3) I totally agree that you should pick a few name brand theme items, and then do the rest in solids from the dollar store.
4) I make my own digital invitations and printed them on 4×6 photo paper at Walmart for $.19 each.”

DIY Party Napkins

Larissa writes: “When having a party for your child, the cheapest place to host is nowhere else… but in your own home or backyard!  Serve kid-friendly finger foods like chicken nuggets, sliders, fruits, etc.  Bake your own cake (very frugalicious).  Instead of goody bags, how about taking home arts and crafts they made at your party (play dough? Popsicle stick art?) and a balloon to boot.

Mona writes: “The party is more for the adults than the yearling, right? Invite family & close friends. Serve cupcakes & smash cake for birthday honoree. Make it a Potluck. Play Mad Lib Firsts for adults. Have a playlist top 40 for honoree’s first year.”

Be creative, but remember, you’re doing this to make your child feel special celebrating their birthday!”

Stacy writes: “My daughter’s 1st birthday was a “1” theme.  I cut out big 1′s, then cut out pictures of her from various times during her first year.  The pictures were glued to the #1′s and hung from the ceiling.  I found paper lanterns in the dollar section at Michaels and hot glued Z’s (my daughter’s name is Zoe) and 1′s to them to hang outside.  Also, check Craigslist.  Also look on Freecycle to find party supplies (and other stuff) for free.”

Liza writes: “Try to plan a few weeks ahead, that way you can easily find cheap party supplies online. The party doesn’t need to last more than a couple hours, since the kids are quite young and can get restless.  Provide a simple snack (for the kids and parents) and simple games, like duck-duck-goose.”

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So do YOU have any fun First Birthday Party Ideas or Tips?

Leave a comment & share!