Planning a first birthday without the stress
A one-year-old will not remember it, so plan the day for the people who will: you, and the grandparents.
Keeping toddlers safe at a party
Balloons, cake knives and open doors: the simple checks our planners make before the children arrive.
Parties are busy, and busy rooms are where small accidents happen. Our planners walk through every venue before the children arrive with the same short list, and you can use it at home too.
Balloons first. Burst balloon pieces are a choking hazard for children under eight. We pick up every scrap as soon as a balloon pops, and we keep the arch out of reach of toddlers. We do not give balloons to children under three to take home.
Next, the cake table. Knives, candles and lighters stay with an adult, never on the table. We put the table against a wall so it cannot be pulled over, and tape down any cloth that hangs to the floor.
Then exits and water. We check that balcony doors, terrace gates and the main door are closed or watched. At societies with swimming pools, we ask for the pool gate to be locked during the party. Bathrooms are checked for buckets of water.
Wires and furniture come last. Sound system cables are taped down, and tall props are tied back so they cannot tip.
We also ask parents to tell us about allergies, and we label the food table so that nuts and eggs are clear. None of this takes long. It is the reason that, in almost every party, the only tears are over who gets the last crown.
