The Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st Birthday Party

Well, it's that time of year again!  The time I finally feel somewhat recovered from the holidays and spring is just around the corner.  A time when most people feel they can take a breath and relax for a bit.  Not me!  January 2nd means only one thing-  Birthday Planning season! Full steam ahead because I only have 4 months to plan for our oldest daughter's May birthday.  For most, 4 months is a ridiculous amount of time to plan a mere birthday party, but for me, a self-proclaimed compulsive organizer and planner, this causes utter panic!  The clock is ticking!  There are lists to be made, shopping to do and menus to plan!  How will I ever get it all done!?    The theme is usually picked before the holidays and I get to Pinteresting.  I gather the "team" for their  party consultation which consists of a car ride and me showing them the birthday boards I have created

Let me start by saying that I LOVE to entertain!  I mean, seriously LOVE it!!!! I'm sure I got it from my mom, who threw us the absolute best birthdays when we were kids.  I have so many fond memories of  the fun activities, food and cakes that when it came time to throw my very own daughter's 1st birthday party, I knew I was going to go all out!!  Like, I kind of went crazy!!  Like, REALLY crazy!  

We fell in love with The Very Hungry Caterpillar theme for our daughter's 1st birthday party.  I can't tell you how many times we read that book her first year.  It had become one of our favorites!  Butterflies had become sentimental to us during our pregnancy.  We had waited such a long time to get pregnant ( I was 40 years old )  And once we did,  we were so very cautious.  All along our journey I would see beautiful white butterflies.  Somehow they made me feel like things were going to turn out.  They gave me a sense of peace and a sense of calm every time I saw them.  And now, we had our very own; our precious baby had become a beautiful butterfly.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the perfect theme for either a girl or boy.  The book lends perfectly to a party, with the oh so kid friendly foods the caterpillar eats,  being your party menu.  

As our guests arrived they were greeted by a caterpillar wonderland!  They were first asked to sign a large copy of The Hungry Caterpillar, which served as our guest book.  We then read the book to set the scene just in case some of our little (and big) guests hadn't heard the story.   

1st Birthday Hungry Caterpillar Party

The Decorations 

Deciding on a party is only the first step in throwing a really great party.  Once I have settled on a party theme I always try to pull decorations from my house first.  A few months before a party I like to go "shopping".  I pull things from different rooms, nooks and crannies, and compile them on my dining room table.   Once I think I have everything, I like to set up a dry run.  I lay everything out exactly as if it were party day, making sure to elevate some things to add interest and variety.  I take note of what I am missing, what I need to purchase  and what I need to borrow.  I decide on the menu at this time too.  That way I can pull serving pieces and linens too.  I use post-it notes to label what each plate/platter will hold.  Finally, I will take cell phone pictures of the entire set-up, making sure to take close ups of the labeled serving pieces.  I create a party album on my phone for easy reference when I am out shopping for the rest of my items.  Then a few days before the party I will use my pictures for a quick set-up.  It's crazy, I know!  But it keeps me organized and I can stop waking up in the middle of the night trying to decide which bowl I'm going to use for the fruit salad.  OCD problems, right?!! 

For drama, and to add a hint of femininity to the theme, we hung a sheer white bed canopy from Ikea from our dinning room chandelier and hung pretty little glitter butterflies that we purchased at Hobby Lobby on it.  The table was covered with a white table cloth and all the serving platters were white as well, so that all of the wonderful colors of the food would pop.   To add further color and sparkle,  I filled glass canisters with large pearlized yellow, green and white gum balls purchased from Oriental Trading.   For a bit of whimsy and an outdoor feel,  I added all of the topiaries I had in the house (didn't realize I had so many) to the table and placed butterflies on them.  

Red, yellow, and green paper lanterns purchased from Hobby Lobby made for a super cute giant caterpillar that greeted guests as they entered.

We made these adorable little party hats with scrapbook paper, pom poms and ribbons.

I'm so glad I invested in a large scalloped circle punch from Hobby Lobby.  I have used it for so many different projects!

Topiaries and butterflies added a bit of whimsy!

This balloon caterpillar centerpiece was a last minute decorating idea for the kids' table.  I purchased a large bag of these clear ballon sticks with cups from Oriental Trading.

The Cake

I took a cake decorating class with my SIL earlier in the year  at the local community college.  I was ambitious and wanted to learn how to make all of my daughter's future birthday cakes.  This first cake was a bit of an undertaking but I think it turned out great for a beginner!!  I made all of the food pieces out of fondant weeks ahead of time and kept them in air tight containers.  The dots at the bottom of the cake are Sprees.  The caterpillar itself is made of buttercream topped cupcakes (regular size for the head and mini for the body). For the smash cake, I purchased a giant cupcake pan.  I wanted it to be pink and girly but still go with the theme somehow.  So I frosted it with pink and white buttercream and topped it with several pink fondant butterflies.

The Menu

Apples 
Pears
Strawberries
Orange Slices 
Brownie Bites
Rice Krispy "Ice Cream" Cones
Pickles
Meat and Cheese Platter 
Lollipops
Mini Cherry Pies
Watermelon Slices
Cake
Lemonade

To label the food and bring the book to life, I filled small mason jars with lemon drop candy and placed cards, mounted to yellow and white straws, with wording from the book on them.  I got the awesome free Hungry Caterpillar printable from Make it Cozee

These mini "cherry pies" are simply refrigerated sugar cookie dough baked in mini muffin tins and filled with cherry pie filling. So easy!

These delicious little brownie bites are from Sam's Club.  We added a single jarred cherry to the top of each to make them look just like the piece of chocolate cake in the book!

I love how these Rice Krispy treat "ice cream" cones turned out!  The mini cones are from Walmart and the pink candy melts (melted on top) and the lime green Sixlets came from Hobby Lobby.

This "drink caddy" can normally be found in our playroom.  It holds paints and art supplies on most days.

I was too cheap to purchase these milk bottles from the local craft stores for $1.99 each.  Instead, I purchased Starbucks iced coffee that comes in these cute bottles!  For $5-$6 you get 4 really cute bottles and some really yummy coffee!! They labels are easy to remove in hot, soapy water and the "expiration date" ink can be removed with the scratch side of a sponge.  Don't forget to keep the cardboard container they come in for easy storage until your next party or gathering.  Your friends will want to borrow them:-) 

Games/Activities 

Caterpillar Drop:   We made adorable pom pom and clothes pin caterpillars and let the kids drop them into an old fashioned milk jug (or bucket) .  At the end of the party they each took a caterpillar home in their party favor bag.

Pin the Antenna on the Caterpillar- We made a caterpillar out of foam circles (green and red).  And pinned it to our wall.  Each kid was blind -folded and given a  purple foam antenna to pin to it.  Played just like Pin the Tail on the Donkey 

Party Favors 

As guests left they helped themselves to one of each item on the party favor table; lollipops, candy filled cupcakes, gum ball butterflies, and butterfly nets.

Aren't these little gum ball caterpillars cute!  They are so easy to make too! Just fill sandwich bags with candy and hold together down the center with clothes pins decorated with googly eyes and pipe cleaner antenna.

I was so excited to find these butterfly nets at Dollar Tree.

I purchased these cute little plastic cupcakes at Easter (they are actually meant to be for egg hunts) and filled them with candy for each guest.  



If you liked this party, check out our Raggedy Ann Birthday Party!

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What theme did you use for your child's 1st birthday party?

We would love for you to share your "tidbits" in the comments below!