Happy Birthday to You
(and You and You)!

Strategies for Celebrating Times Two or More

By Elizabeth Lyons

It's often fun – especially at a first birthday party – to give each child his or her own cake, often called a "smash cake" because that's all a child this age might do with it! Many bakeries will gladly create adorable miniature versions of the larger cake intended to serve the adults and older children. Another option is to bake cupcakes for the kids and present one to each of your birthday babes when it's time to sing "Happy Birthday."

A few things of which to be aware: First, many 1-year-olds do not like sprinkles or any sort of solid decoration atop their dessert. If you've adorned your treats with such decor and this is the case, be prepared for the cake/cupcake to go flying across the room and possibly land on the back of Grandma's freshly coiffed hair.

Second, many 1-year-olds determine rather quickly that they like the icing so much that they aren't going to move on to the cake portion – ever. Be prepared by having extra icing ready and outfitting your children with bibs that cover their entire fronts, arms and hair if you want to avoid having to do complete baths between lifting them out of their highchairs and placing them back on the floor.

Finally, 1-year-olds are notorious for falling asleep at the very moment at which their mothers decide it's time to cut the cake. If documenting the cake portion of the celebration is critical for the scrapbook you'll someday get around to creating, begin the party with the singing and cake cutting. It really is OK not to go in typical birthday party order; after all, nothing else about the last year has been normal, so why start now?

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