Host a 'Wild One' Birthday That's a Roaring Good Time (2024)

A baby's first year is often anything but tame, which is one of the reasons why a "Wild One" birthday party theme is so fitting.

"It's been a wild year between birth and all of baby's first-year milestones — not only for the baby, but also for the parents," says Arpie Mikaelian, an event designer, mom of two and founder ofARPiggy. "To have reached the first year is an accomplishment for all parties."

From playful, animal patterns to jungle-inspired accents, a Wild One first birthday party will give you tons of opportunities to get creative with your decor, smash cake and other party accents."Wild One is such a great theme because there is always a way to add a twist or use a new color combo for a fresh take," says Andrea King, party planner and founder ofKing Event Design.

Read on for professional advice on how to plan a first birthday party that brings your Wild One theme to life. Plus, get tons of unique first birthday ideas, decor and food inspo that'll guarantee everyone has a roar-ing good time.

Wild One birthday party decorations

Lean into animal prints for invites and decor

Animal prints are a must for any Wild One birthday party. Adorn your party invites with cute critters — like elephants and tigers — and set the scene day-of with a welcome sign decked out in a variety of patterns, from zebra stripes to cheetah spots and more.

"You can also incorporate traditional safari colors into your theme, such as green, black, gold, white and beige," Mikaelian says.

Adorn your space with greenery

Give your houseplants a new home for the day! Forage your home and yard for as many potted plants as you can find, and move them all into your party area to give your space serious jungle vibes fitting for a Wild One birthday. You can even borrow plants from friends and neighbors if you don't have a green thumb yourself.

Go big with balloons

Nothing says "party" quite like a gigantic balloon garland. This one — complete with faux leaves, a few animal print accent balloons and a couple of stuffed critters — makes for a striking Wild One birthday focal point and photo backdrop.

Display toy animals everywhere

Small animal figurines — whether they're scattered across your buffet table, perched atop your cake or sitting at each place setting — are one of the easiest ways to bring your Wild One birthday theme to life without breaking the bank! Or, if your child has a few beloved wild animal plush toys, you can incorporate those into your design too, Mikaelian says.

Use custom colors

This first birthday party theme can be completely gender-neutral — or you can give it a colorful twist by adding pops of pink and florals throughout your Wild One birthday decor.

Create an epic photo op

"A Jeep backdrop is a great addition to any Wild One birthday party," Mikaelian says. You can even DIY your own out of cardboard — complete with a custom license tag! It makes an adorable spot for partygoers to take pics with the guest of honor.

Monkey around with Wild One table decor

Jazz up your Wild One place settings with cute monkey-shaped cut-outs made from construction paper. You can also print out safari-themed coloring pages and incorporate boxes of crayons into each place setting for a more interactive take on this idea.

Wild One birthday party food

Serve treats in true safari style

Wooden trays, animal print cupcake wrappers and a few stuffed animals will take your buffet table to the next level without tons of extra effort.

Tie your Wild One birthday look together with printables

"Look for small businesses that offer custom labels that coordinate with your theme and colors," King suggests. "These are a great way to dress up even the most basic cupcakes, chocolate or candies."

Feed your pride with a lion-shaped veggie tray

Guests will be roar-ing with excitement when they spot this lion-shaped veggie tray. Use carrot sticks and sliced bell peppers for the mane, hummus for the face, crackers for the eyes and cucumbers for the nose and whiskers. It's an easy (and healthy!) way to make your buffet table stand out and take your Wild One birthday theme to the next level.

Offer refreshments at the local "watering hole"

Clever signage, like "watering hole" on the water and "jungle juice" on the punch, is a quick way to transform a simple beverage station into a party highlight. The best part: It only requires two drinks: a batch of a colorful, kid-friendly beverage (such as a Kool-Aid or Gatorade mix) and infused water.

Serve a totally wild birthday cake

No Wild One birthday cake would be complete without a few animals in party hats! "Your favorite bakery or cookie artist can help add little pieces of themed edible art to your sweets table," King says. Icing that resembles foliage adds to the effect.

Remove the top tier and give it to your baby to smash, and save the bottom tiers to serve to guests.

Wild One birthday party games

Encourage exploration with safari gear for little ones

For any youngsters in attendance, a rack of safari vests they can wear during your event will get them into the Wild One birthday spirit. Set out a few magnifying glasses nearby so they can pretend they're true explorers. "Kids can also cosplay with various wild animal costumes, ranger outfits, hats, binoculars and masks," suggests Mikaelian.

Create an adventure-worthy craft station

"Set up several crafting stations where kids have the choice to make their own animal puppet, a paper snake or a pair of cardboard safari binoculars," King suggests. "Guests will love taking home a piece of the theme to play with!"

Wild One birthday party favors

Thank Wild One birthday guests with animal cracker favors

For an easy, on-theme birthday party favor, fill glass jars with animal crackers and hot-glue toy animal figurines to the top of each one. (You can spray paint the animals gold or leave as is.) Set them out at each table setting, or arrange them on a table by the door where guests will exit.

Send them home with cute cookies

"I always recommend edible favors when possible, like themed cookies or themed boxes of candies with custom labels," King says. "Guests love taking a little something home they can snack on later or a piece of the party they can cherish as a momento." An array of gorgeous iced sugar cookies — complete with jungle foliage and the guest of honor's name piped across the top — will send party-goers home on a sweet note. It's also a thoughtful way to thank them for your baby's first birthday gifts.

Want to avoid sugar overload? "You can also send guests home with succulents or a beige burlap tote bag with Wild One-themed items — such as a whistle, toy binoculars, coloring pamphlets, wild animal bath toys and more," adds Mikaelian.