First Birthday Themes: Celebrate Your One-Year-Old With a Creative Party

first birthday themes

Get ready to party! Celebrate your little one’s first birthday with unforgettable first birthday theme ideas. From whimsical wonderlands to adorable animal adventures, we’ve got you covered.

Whether planning a small get-together or a huge gathering, having a first birthday party theme will help the whole party come together. Your theme will guide your choices for everything else – cake and smash cake, plates and napkins, activities, and decorations. 

Combine these theme ideas with our Baby’s First Birthday Party Workbook, and your party will be a sure success!

first birthday party planning guide

What’s the best first birthday theme?

The following list of first birthday themes will inspire you to create an incredible, unique, and memorable first birthday party!

There are so many unique first-birthday party themes out there. Here’s a list of our favorites by party theme category:

TRENDY FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY THEMES

Pick a theme that’s on-trend and it will be easy to find decor and accessories!

First Trip Around the Sun

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If you love the idea of a First Trip Around The Sun first birthday party, we’ve got you covered with tons of ideas in this post.

One Happy Dude

Every parent wants their child’s first birthday to be a day filled with joy and laughter, and that’s exactly what the “One Happy Dude” birthday party promises to deliver.

Sinasasspel One Happy Dude Birthday Decorations 1st Birthday Party Banner Balloons Kit Smile Themed Balloon Arch Kit for Boy Yellow Black Lightening Checkered Party Decor

Wild One

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Check out our post about How to Plan a Wild One First Birthday Party for so many awesome ideas!

A Few More Trendy First Birthday Party Ideas

  • One-der the Sea (Boy | Girl)
  • One-der Woman
  • Mr. and Miss One-derful
  • Whole Llama Fun
  • Let’s Have a Ball
  • Only Sunshine
  • Baby Shark

All of these trends make for great birthday party ideas. A birthday party theme that’s on trend will be easy to shop for because it’s what people are buying right now.

First Trip Around the Sun Birthday Party

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  • 🌞【Premium Material】All of our boho birthday decorations, not easy to break, clear printing and colorful, will add fun to boho themed parties. All materials are safe so it can be used in any gathering or party.
  • 🌞【First time travel around the sun birthday decorations】Unique design, use simple and cute sun elements combined with English letters to decorate the party, which will make your party unique.

Mr. One-derful Birthday Party

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CHILDHOOD ICONS BIRTHDAY THEME

  • Dr. Suess
  • Disney Birthday Party
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Alice in One-derland
  • Winnie the Pooh
  • Peter Pan

For a unique first birthday party, let Alice in Wonderland invite your guests to fall down the rabbit hole into a fantastical tea party full of magical details. Think mismatched tea cups, petite sandwiches, and adorable cake toppers.

BOOKS AS FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY THEME

Birthday party ideas inspired by your favorite book character will be fun for guests of all ages, especially if you choose a classic.

  • The Little Prince
  • Guess How Much I Love You
  • The Giving Tree
  • Where the Wild Things Are (Wild One Theme)
  • Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party
  • Peter Rabbit

FAMILY INTERESTS AS PARTY THEMES

What does your family like to do for fun?

  • Nature
  • Travel
  • Happy Camper
  • O-Fish-ally One/The Big One (Fishing Theme)

Is your baby a future fisherman or fisherwoman? A fishing birthday party theme will grab your party-goers hook, line, and sinker!

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CHARACTER TRAITS BIRTHDAY PARTY THEMES

Let your baby’s personality shine on their first birthday. If your baby is always smiling, a sunny party is the theme. Or if you have a little troublemaker on your hands, a Little Rascal’s first birthday would be cheeky. 

  • Sunny Disposition
  • Little Rascal
  • Cute as a Button
  • Happy as a Clam

FOOD AS PARTY THEMES

  • One in a Melon
  • Berry Fun to Be One
  • Berry First Birthday
  • Sweet One
  • Milk & Cookies
  • Going Bananas
  • One Sweet Peach

In addition to being a delightful pun, melons create a bright color scheme for a first birthday party. Consider a full-on watermelon theme with colorful pink details and party favors to match.

Here’s another unique birthday party theme – Going Bananas! Think monkey-themed birthday cake, faux greenery, primary colors, and banana-flavored food. 

✅Get all your first birthday party planning questions answered in our super-detailed planner all about planning the first birthday party you’ve been dreaming of.

SPORTS FIRST BIRTHDAY

  • First Year Down (Football)
  • Hole in One
  • Rookie of the Year

If you’re a football fan, a “1st Down” first birthday theme will be great! Grab some faux turf, pennant flags, concession snacks, and many footballs to decorate.

ANIMALS FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY

  • Farm/Barnyard
  • Zoo/Exotic Animals
  • Woodland Animals
  • Butterflies/Ladybugs
  • Birds
  • So Sweet to Bee One
  • Some Bunny is One

There are so many cute ideas for animal parties, but this one has to be my favorite:

Holy Cow, I’m One First Birthday Party

CLASSIC FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS

  • Nautical or Beach Birthday Party
  • Tea Party
  • You Are My Sunshine
  • Wild One
  • Cowboy/Cowgirl (complete with a cowboy hat, of course!)
  • Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
  • Bubbles
  • Hot Air Balloon

Cowboy First Birthday Theme

✅Get all your first birthday party planning questions answered in our super-detailed planner all about planning the first birthday party you’ve been dreaming of.

SEASONAL FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY

  • Little Pumpkin
  • Winter One-derland
  • Lucky One (St. Patrick’s Day)
  • Farmer’s Market
  • Beach Party (think lots of bright colors!)

The season your baby’s first birthday party will fall in can play a big part in choosing a theme! Whether it is in the summer or winter, you can choose a party theme to coordinate. For example, you might throw a “Little Pumpkin” party in the fall. In March, a “Lucky One” party would be absolutely adorable for a birthday around St. Patrick’s Day. You could carry the same theme to future parties from year to year.

Having a birthday party in the coldest part of winter? Embrace the snow and ice with a Winter ONEderland 1st birthday party. Use lots of muted blues or pinks paired with pretty metallics. Or go with bright colors to contrast the season! Create a hot cocoa bar instead of a cake table to keep all your guests feeling warm and toasty.

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How to Pick a First Birthday Theme?

Picking a first birthday party theme can take time, considering the millions of options available, just some of which we’ve listed above. So how do you choose? Here are some questions to answer that might inspire the perfect theme for your baby’s first birthday party:

  • What’s your favorite book to read with your baby? A book you remember from your childhood that you now read to your baby can make a very creative theme!
  • What color do you like to dress your baby in most? If your baby looks good in blue and you tend to dress him accordingly, an ocean or shark theme makes sense – complete with blue balloons. A princess party theme may suit you if you tend to dress your little girl in dreamy pastels.
  • What season was your baby born in? Some great ideas can come from thinking about the season your baby’s first birthday will fall in. Palm trees provide a perfect backdrop for a summer party theme. Or think of hay bales and pumpkins for a fun fall birthday theme.
  • What childhood characters or icons are important to you? Perhaps you were a big fan of Sesame Street as a child. Throwing a party full of primary colors and some of your favorite characters would be fun. Think back to your own childhood for first birthday party ideas.
  • What are your family interests? (i.e., nature, sports, music) What does your family like to do together, or what are you looking forward to doing as your birthday boy or birthday girl grows up? These questions could spark a fabulous first birthday party theme unique to your family.

✅Get all your first birthday party planning questions answered in our super-detailed planner all about planning the first birthday party you’ve been dreaming of.

Tips for Your First Birthday Party

We have a fantastic and practical guide to throwing your baby’s first birthday party. Here are a few of our favorite tips for throwing your big bash:

  1. Choose the time wisely: The birthday party should only last an hour to an hour-and-a-half because babies are known for short attention spans and lose interest quickly. Host the party either late morning or late afternoon – before or after baby’s nap – never during nap time!
  2. Create a menu that works for everyone: Are there any food allergies to consider? Keep snacks simple and kid-friendly. Cut-up fruit and graham crackers are suitable for kids. Any sweet treats on the dessert table should follow the same guidelines.

Make sure to pick a first birthday theme that you love this year because once your baby isn’t a baby anymore, you won’t have as much of a say in future birthday party themes! 

Check Out Our Step-By-Step Guide to Planning Baby’s 1st Birthday Party!

first birthday party planning guide

Read More: How to Plan a Wild One First Birthday Party Theme, First Trip Around the Sun Birthday Party Theme Ideas

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✅Get all your first birthday party planning questions answered in our super-detailed planner all about planning the first birthday party you’ve been dreaming of.

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