12 Best Birthday Traditions To Start By Age 1
As a mom, there’s something so magical about celebrating your child’s first birthday.
It’s the beginning of a new chapter, filled with precious memories, growth, and family moments you’ll treasure forever.
I remember planning my little one’s first birthday party—what seemed like a tiny celebration turned into one of the most heartwarming experiences of our lives.
We decided to start a few fun birthday traditions that we could continue every year, and now, they’ve become the highlight of each celebration!
Here are 12 of the best birthday traditions to start by the time your child turns 1.
These are easy, fun, and meaningful ways to create a legacy of love and joy with each passing birthday.
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Some Of My Favorite Birthday Traditions
1. Keepsake Birthday Outfit
Dress your little one in a special outfit each year. For the first birthday, you might go all out with an adorable outfit that you’ll cherish forever.
One idea is a customized “First Birthday” onesie or a cute, personalized shirt with their name and age.
As the years go by, save these outfits in a memory box. Check out these cute birthday onesies!
2. A Birthday Growth Chart
Start a birthday growth chart tradition by marking your child’s height each year on a special ruler or growth chart. Over time, it becomes a visual reminder of how much they’ve grown. You can use a beautiful wooden growth chart to hang on their bedroom wall.
3. Birthday Photo Shoot
Create an annual photo tradition by doing a mini photoshoot on each birthday. For the first birthday, get a fun cake smash photo session.
Capture those messy, frosting-covered moments with a cute baby cake smash outfit and photography props.
4. Time Capsule
On your child’s first birthday, start a birthday time capsule.
Fill it with little mementos from their first year—hospital bracelet, their first onesie, family photos, etc. Add something new each year.
You can find personalized time capsule kits here.
5. Special Birthday Book
Create a birthday book that you update each year.
For your baby’s first birthday, fill it with a letter to your child, a photo, and their favorite things from that year.
Every birthday, add a new letter and memories. Check out this beautiful birthday memory book.
6. Balloon Wake-Up Surprise
This is a super fun tradition that your child will love as they grow older (we still do this for my kids and my oldest is 11).
Throw balloons on your baby as they wake up, just be careful not to anger your baby. make sure they are fully awake and smiling before tossing balloons. #askmehowiknow
For your baby’s first birthday, go for soft pastel balloons. Grab these adorable pastel balloons.
7. Birthday Handprint Art
Each year, create a handprint or footprint art project with your child. For the first birthday, do a sweet little handprint in a frame.
Over the years, you can compare how much their tiny hands have grown. This DIY handprint kit is perfect for starting this tradition.
8. Birthday Crown
For a whimsical touch, make or buy a special birthday crown that your child wears every year.
You can get a custom birthday crown for their first birthday and reuse it or create a new one for each milestone. Here are some adorable birthday crowns for baby.
9. Annual Family Portrait
Take a family photo every year on your child’s birthday. For the first birthday, coordinate with cute matching outfits!
This tradition captures how your family evolves over the years, and those photos will become priceless treasures.
Amazon has some lovely family photo outfit ideas!
10. Birthday Story Time
Pick a book that you read to your child on every birthday. For the first birthday, choose a book that feels extra special—something like “On the Night You Were Born” or another sweet tale that marks the occasion.
Every year, you’ll revisit this story as a reminder of how special your child is.
11. Create a Birthday Playlist
Create a birthday playlist with your child’s favorite songs from each year.
For the first birthday, pick out a few of their favorite lullabies or songs you’ve sung to them.
Over time, this playlist will evolve and become a meaningful soundtrack of their childhood.
12. Birthday Dinner Tradition
Even though your baby may not be eating birthday cake just yet, you can still start a birthday dinner tradition.
Make a fun meal or order takeout from your favorite spot. For the first birthday, try something that’s baby-friendly but fun for the whole family.
You can even get baby’s first birthday cake topper to make the meal extra festive.
Bottom Line
Each of these traditions brings something extra special to birthdays as your little one grows.
They’re easy to start from the very first birthday and will create lasting memories for years to come.
Starting these traditions now will give you and your family something wonderful to look forward to with each celebration, and your child will cherish these moments as they grow.
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