There are plenty of reasons to opt for a first birthday brunch over a lunch or a dinner! Brunch is far more practical for a first birthday party! The timing of brunch is perfect for your one-year-old to squeeze in a nap before company arrives. Breakfast foods like eggs, waffles, and fruit are often foods that 1-year-olds love! Brunch is also extremely easy and inexpensive to make for large amounts of people. And if you aren’t convinced yet, this post is full of easy recipes, DIY decorations, and tips you need to pull together your first birthday brunch easily so that you can enjoy celebrating your newly one-year-old instead of stressing over party prep!
This post is all about everything you’ll need to throw an amazing first birthday brunch that everyone will enjoy!
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First Birthday Brunch
Backdrop for First Birthday Brunch
EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS BACKDROP
Dollar Tree
To create this backdrop, I first took a quick trip to the Dollar Tee and got the following:
- Two different colored streamers: I chose white and dark blue but you can use any colors that work with your party’s color scheme!
- Plastic table cloth: I used a light blue plastic table as the starting point for the backdrop. I suggest using a lighter hue of whatever streamer color you choose.
- Multi-colored balloons- Dollar Tree is one of the best places to get super cheap latex balloons and they also have adorable helium balloons to add to your decorations too!
Note: I also purchased a birthday candle, an additional table cloth, and all the plates for the party at Dollar Tree too! This is a great way to save some money on your party!
Additional Items
- Masking Tape- You will need this to tape down the streamers and balloons.
- Letters for “Happy Birthday” Sign- I chose to use waffle letters I found on Etsy for our first birthday brunch!
- Scissors and hole punch- You will need scissors to cut out the letters for the “Happy Birthday” sign and a hole punch to create holes in the tops of each letter to hang them on the string/twine.
- Push Pins- A great way to string letters across the backdrop. They are far easier to place and won’t fall down in the middle of your party like tape.
- Thin twine or string (to hang letters)– I already had some twine at my house so I did not purchase any, but this is something that you could easily add to your Dollar Tree trip! (Along with the push pins and masking tape if needed)
If you want to see a visual of this backdrop being put together, check out this video to see it all come to life! (although full disclosure, it did take me a little longer than the 43 seconds shown ;))
Main Dishes
OVERNIGHT EGG CASSEROLE
The first main dish that we had for our son’s first birthday brunch was this Overnight Egg Casserole. Everything gets mixed together in a bowl the night before, poured into the pan to sit in the fridge overnight, and is ready to get thrown in the oven in the morning. My Overnight Egg Casserole is the perfect option for a brunch party, since it can be prepped the night before in only 15 minutes! You can also customize the ingredients to your liking or create a few different kinds for your party.
WAFFLE BAR
While many people choose to prepare waffle bars beforehand, we decided it was more fun for everyone to make their own. We put out a few different types of waffle makers, made the batter beforehand, and let people choose what waffle shape, fillings, and toppings they wanted! This takes the stress out of trying to make a zillion waffles right before people come and also makes sure that every waffle is warm!
Here are some great topping options for your guests to choose from:
- bananas
- peaches
- berries
- chocolate hazelnut spread
- peanut butter
- sprinkles
- cinnamon sugar
- chocolate chips
- whipped cream
- maple syrup
- honey
- butter
- fried chicken (and gravy!)
- bacon bits
The favorite waffle maker of our party was this Lego Waffle Maker we got off Amazon! It’s the perfect waffle to share and the waffles actually stack too! We also loved this Disney Micky Mini Waffle Maker, which is perfect for little ones! We were extremely surprised at how perfectly these waffles came out since we bought ours at Dollar General! Finally, if you are looking for a good standard Belgian Waffle maker, we have had ours for a few years and love it. It’s much smaller and easier to store than a lot of Belgian waffle makers. Since many of us don’t have a ton of storage to spare in our kitchens, it works out great that this one stores upright.
First Birthday Brunch Side Dishes
HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS
Cinnamon rolls with forever be one of my favorite breakfast treats! Better yet, homemade cinnamon rolls will get me out of bed any time of the morning! These amazing Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Icing are sure to be gone at the end of your party!
SCONES
I never liked scones until I tasted these Chocolate Chip Scones from the Betty Crocker. They are insanely soft and buttery and almost melt in your mouth. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I took that first bite!
FRUIT SALAD
Fruit salad is a great brunch option to offer your guests something a little healthier. Fruit salad is also great for parties because it’s another thing that can be prepared ahead of time! This makes party set up even easier.
Brunch Drink Ideas
Mimosa
While I am a huge fan of mimosas, I decided I probably shouldn’t make real mimosas at my 1-year-old’s birthday brunch. So, I developed my own virgin mimosa recipe! It’s super easy!
Take two parts orange juice, one part lemonade, and one part Sprite. That’s it! It can be made in any volume as long as you follow those ratios. I also like to cut up a few oranges to float on top to make it look pretty and add some additional flavor. I leave a few more orange slices cut up in a bowl for people to stick on their glass as well.
FRUIT WATER
Fruit water is a definite crowd pleaser for any party. You can do any combination of fruit you like! I used oranges and limes at our brunch. I’ve also done strawberries and limes before and liked it a lot! Kiwis and strawberries, strawberries and oranges, raspberries and limes, you name it!
I’ll also let you in on a little secret I learned after my limes sunk to the bottom… If you want your fruit to stay floating in the middle the whole time, put ice in the container first, then the fruit, then more ice! Your fruit will stay floating in the middle the whole time and look beautiful! You can also opt for this mason jar drink dispenser that has a fruit diffuser built right in!
The Cake of Course!
Smash cake
The smash cake is the best part of any first birthday party! Instead of spending an arm and a leg to have a bakery make his cake, I bought a 4 inch cake pan and made my own. I added a few fruit loops for a touch of brunch and they ended up being my son’s favorite part of the cake!
Cupcakes for Guests
If you decide to make your own smash cake, making cupcakes for your guests is a great, easy option. Once you find a cake recipe that you love, fill the smash cake pan about half way and then use the rest of your batter to make cupcakes! This cuts down the need for more than one recipe and avoids having to put half of a quarter of an egg into your smash cake!
This post was all about throwing a first birthday brunch that everyone will enjoy. Because the most important thing about a first birthday brunch is to simply enjoy it! Don’t let the stress of company or the desire for the picturesque party get in the way of your celebration. Let your cooking, baking, decorating, gift wrapping, etc. all be done out of excitement and joy for your little one’s first birthday! Enjoy celebrating their little life with your friends and family! That’s what really matters!
-Beautifully Busy Mom
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Meet the Author
This post was written by Monica, a mom of two who is completely obsessed with birthdays. She loves making every birthday as special as possible just like her mom did and is excited to share these ideas with you.
