Last updated on July 9th, 2024 at 06:54 am
Celebrating one year is a huge milestone! Not only for the little one of honor, but for the parents who survived that hard first year of parenting.
There are so many cute themes out there, especially for little boys, but when I was pregnant with my son I just knew his first birthday party had to be sports themed! Cue a Rookie of the Year Birthday Party!
I come from a big sports family, so it was a pretty easy fit plus his birthday is in the summer and it’s the perfect time for a simple backyard BBQ. Let’s chat about all the details so you can throw an adorable first birthday party for your little guy as well!
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How to Host a Rookie of the Year First Birthday Party
Picking a Theme
Like I said before there are so many great themes you can choose for a first birthday party, especially for boys. You could do anything from construction to farm animals, to a cute gender-neutral option like “one happy guy”.
A traditional Rookie of the Year theme may focus mostly on baseball, however because my family is more lovers of football we decided to do an overall sports theme with football, basketball, and baseball included. Also keeping with the red, white, and blue Americana color theme made it super easy to find décor and table wear in the summer months.
Invitations
Etsy is usually my go to place for picking invitations. They have so many great options that are easy templates you can complete using a free Canva account. I’ve made invitations in less than 15 minutes using this option. Here are some of my favorite Rookie of the Year invitations on Etsy:
I chose to combine several elements of all of these invitations to make exactly what I wanted using my Canva account but that definitely too more time than it probably should have. I think they turned out pretty cute though!
I sent mine out digitally through text to friends and family, but you could easily print these out and mail them! Just be sure to send them out with plenty of time for guests to make plans.
Venue
My in-laws were so kind to let us use their backyard for the party because our backyard was still unfinished at the time. We set up a “tailgate party” complete with camping chairs, easy ups, and several grills to feed all of the guests just like we were sitting outside a football game. And in August it was a beautiful day for grilling!
I wish I had gotten some pictures of the setup, but you will just have to use your imagination for a great backyard BBQ complete with all the fun!
Decorations
The decorations are what really brought this all together in my opinion! This is where keeping your party within a budget really comes into play. There are so many different amazing décor items out there, but I choose to make several items myself to really keep the party as frugal as possible. Some of the highlights included:
I chose to make my own photo board using my SIL’s Cricut, but there are awesome quick and easy options you can order.
And finally my SIL did a small photo shoot at our house a few weeks before the celebrate the birthday boy and I used these pictures to help decorate the party as centerpieces and just around the backyard. Hopefully you’ve been taking your monthly pictures using milestone cards or a blanket. If not just do some digging and find a picture from each month of your baby’s life.
Food
Here is what we served at our Rookie of the Year birthday party! I really wanted to have that football tailgate, backyard BBQ feel as much as possible
- A burger and hot dog bar with all the fixings
- Chips and dips
- Watermelon and blue berry skewers
- Pasta Salad
- Potato Salad
- Veggies and dip
- Cupcakes
And we can’t forget about all the fun cups, plates, and
napkins. Because my son’s birthday was only a month after the 4th of
July, I stocked up on clearance items that fit my red, white, and blue theme.
There are also some super cute Rookie Year and Sports sets on Amazon that have
everything you need all in one.
Cake
I chose to make my own “smash cake”, which if I were to do again, I probably would just buy one. I just used box cake mix and then a simple buttercream icing that I dyed blue and red to help make the trim and pin stripes.
It turned out pretty decent complete with a cake topper and some small balls I found at Walmart, but I think for the time and stress it took I will order one next time. But Carter loved it and that’s all that mattered!
Party Activities and Games
There weren’t a lot of kids that came to the party and those that did were pretty much the same age as my son, so activities weren’t a huge part of our day. It was more just mingling and chasing toddlers. But if you do plan on hosting a party with game here are some fun ideas to fit with the Rookie of the Year theme:
- Pin the ball on the bat/basketball on the hoop/Football on the receiver
- Mini game of baseball/Tee ball
- Yard games
- Swimming/Water toys
- Sprinkler baseball
Outfit
I decided to keep it simple with his outfit and just put him in a button up shirt and some shorts, but there are so many great themed outfits you can use for the big day!
Tips for Planning a Rookie of the Year First Birthday Party
- Use what you have! There are so many items you have already that you can use to keep this party well within budget. Think of any sports equipment you have on hand as decoration or activities for the kids, serving platters or plates (maybe Super Bowl themed?), or even just tablecloths in the party colors. Also don’t hesitate to reach out to family and friends what they have that you can borrow
- Keep it simple! It is a first birthday party after all. Yes, it is so fun and for the memories but no reason to break the bank on a party that is really just for the parents. You can have a wonderful time celebrating your little one and keep it simple at the same time.
- Skip the expensive party stores. There are so many items you can DIY, use places like Amazon or Etsy, or even just use leftover holiday décor or décor for other themes that still match.
- Have fun! Your sweet babe only turns one once so enjoy this day all remember all the great memories that you have had over the past year. There are so many good ones to come!
And that’s a wrap on our “Rookie of the Year” first birthday bash! From the adorable sports-themed decorations to the fun games and delicious snacks, every moment was a blast. Seeing the joy on our little MVP’s face made all the planning worth it.
I hope this post has inspired you to knock it out of the park with your own themed party. Remember, the key is to have fun and make memories that will last a lifetime. If you have any questions or want to share your own party ideas, drop a comment below. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe for more creative party planning tips and tricks.
