Favorite First Birthday Traditions

It’s amazing to celebrate all of your child’s milestones.  If you are about to have a one year old, I know you will love our favorite first birthday tradition. This tradition doesn’t just bring meaning to one day, but it is a way to celebrate their growth every year of their lives.

Your child is turning one. Congratulations! You made it. You kept them alive for an entire year. At least that’s how I felt at the end of the year. Sometimes I used to apologize to my husband about the house, and he would say, “Hey, as long as you are both alive by the end of the day, I’m good.” Praise the Lord for that attitude, because some days staying alive was our only accomplishment.

Hey – Since you are here, if you are looking for a fun party ideas for your one year old, you might love this lavender, lemon and lace party or what about taking cues from my butterfly party? Want to do a boy theme? You might love our Super Hero Party.

Favorite First Birthday Tradition

What is our favorite first birthday tradition? We have a family tradition of planting a tree on our child’s first birthday. Every year we take a picture of our child with their tree. We have tried to match up the bloom with their birthday.

Corban is a different story because he was born in the winter when a freeze had already set in. So, we had to postpone his tree planting until he was 18 months old. We chose an apple tree for him. His middle name is John, so we thought of Johnny Appleseed. We also bought him a Honey Crisp variety because he is as sweet as anything.

Kenzie has a magnolia tree. We made the mistake of taking the picture at her birthday party this year rather than her actual birthday. The tree bloomed a couple days before her actual birthday and had that beautiful flower.

Tree planting has been a fabulous tradition for us, and I know it’s going to be so fun for the kids to have pictures of them with their trees every year. I came up with the idea when my husband took me to his childhood house. He was talking about how small the trees used to be. It just clicked, and it’s been so fun to watch the tree and the child grow together. I can just imagine what it will feel like when they turn 18.

If you are concerned you might end up moving, don’t worry. Trees can most always be uprooted and safely moved.

Abigail has a weeping cherry tree, and the beautiful flower matches her perfectly.

Birthday Party Note Printable for First Birthday

If you are celebrating a first birthday, you definitely want to take advantage of this free printable I created for a meaningful first birthday note that celebrates your child.

Looking for Great Gifts for a One Year Old?

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Radio Flyer Retro Rocket Ride On – Our kids spent so much time on their ride-on toys. This retro rocket is classic! The seat even becomes a storage compartment. At under $35, it is a must buy for kids.

First 100 Words Board Book – This was one of our favorite books. We begin with having the kids point to the words you say. It’s a huge milestone when they start using the words themselves.

Melissa & Doug Wooden Puzzle Set – We love puzzles around here, and Melissa & Doug offers a fabulous beginning set that we loved. You can work on shapes, colors and animals with this one! 

 Wooden Penguin Stacking Toy – My kids loved stacking toys. It’s a great way to work on hand-eye coordination.

Water Table – I can’t tell you how many hours were spent at the water table. It provides the tactile environment kids crave while cooling them off in a safe environment.

Strider Balance Bike – I know kids won’t be ready for this until 18 months, but I needed to give it an honorable mention. We had one of these for my son, and you should have seen him cruise along on the thing. When he transitioned to a peddle bike, we didn’t need to teach him a thing. No more bending over to run behind a nervous kid. He jump on and peddled away like a rock star!
 This post was originally written in 2012, but it has been updated and re-published in March of 2016.