I put a lot of thought into a theme for my daughter’s 1st birthday party (just as I’m sure you are if you’re reading this) but none topped the idea of a picnic in the Hundred Acre Wood. After all, not many things come as classic or sweet as Pooh Bear! I also love how it is a fun theme for both girls and boys and perfect for any time of year. If you’re thinking of throwing your own Winnie-The-Pooh celebration for your little one, I hope you can use this post as your party planning ‘thotful spot’!
Photo Backdrop - A backdrop for photos is always a cute idea for baby’s 1st birthday. After all, photos are what your child will have to look back on this special day and you know every guest will want a picture with the birthday girl or boy.
For my backdrop, I found a Hundred Acre Wood tapestry for only $7 on Amazon and dressed it up with a balloon arch. With my mom’s help it took us probably 2-3 hours to put together but it was simple enough to figure out. I also added cutout honey bees on my balloons which was a last minute idea but so easy to do.
Balloon Tip: Always use an electric air pump for arches or any shaped balloons. I set our arch up the day before the party and it held up perfectly. Only use helium for balloons you want to float and try to fill these ones the same day as helium can deflate quickly.
Hundred Acre Wood Sign - This is such a cute decoration for your yard. All you need is some puffy paint, screws and a set of thin wooden planks which you can normally find at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. I still have mine on display in my garden!
Burlap Birthday Banner Garland - I got this idea from Decor Hint. It’s an easy project and a fun way to gussy up a fire mantle or doorway for your party. I picked up a pre-made burlap banner garland, stencils, and felt from Michael’s during one of their sales.
Highchair Banner - This was another DIY project I made using leftover pieces from my burlap garland. You just follow the same instructions as the Pin mentioned above and then tie several strands of ribbon in knots along each side of your banner. It's that simple! Just keep in mind that each ribbon strand you cut should be double the length of the final tied version- I cut 14” strands so that the ribbons hung about 7” from the highchair tray.
I picked a variety of yellow, pink, and blue 2” wide ribbons from Joann Fabrics, but my favorite was a “Classic Pooh” ribbon I found on Etsy. I hung the banner using mini command clips on the tray and then tied it off around the back of the chair.
Honey Jar Favors - This picnic basket belonged to my husband’s grandmother. I never had the privilege of meeting her but I know she would be happy knowing we used it for Charlotte’s party. It was the perfect spot to display her stuffed Pooh Bear and Piglet as well as the party favors. Sentimental decorations are the best kind!
To make the honey jar favors I purchased a 24 pack kit on Amazon that included jute ribbon, honeybee charms, and wooden dipper sticks. I filled them all with an extra large bottle of honey from Trader Joe’s. The round thank you stickers on top of the jars were purchased from Etsy at a steal price.
Invitations - We kept Charlotte's party small but I still mailed out invitations. There’s something special about a handheld invite when planning a 1st birthday party and I knew I wanted to save one for her baby album. I also found some matching cocktail napkins.
Zazzle has a really great selection of designs & party supplies for virtually any theme. You can also easily customize or edit your designs at no additional cost. Zazzle can get pricey depending on how many units you’re ordering so try to catch them during a sale, they’re always running different promotions.
Photo Display - Your baby changes so much during her or his first year of life so why not share their growth! I ordered these retro looking Polaroids from Fox Print and hung them with clothespins on twine.
Pooh’s House - This was my mom’s idea and it stole the show. She constructed Charlotte her own Winnie-The-Pooh tree house out of cardboard boxes complete with a door and a 'Mr. Sanders' sign. I didn’t plan many games as the house itself provided plenty entertainment for Charlotte and my nieces aka Eeyore and Tigger. If you have more children present at your party some other ideas for games could be, a Winnie-the-Pooh Parade, Pin the Tail on Eeyore, or Tigger’s Obstacle Course.
Birthday Outfit - I purchased her dress from Zuli Kids. The seller is out of Tennessee and does beautiful work. She does a lot of custom designs for birthdays to baptisms and beyond, you can check her out on her website or her Etsy shop too. Keep in mind before you order that her apparel runs large ~ Charlotte wore a size 9 month dress for her party and it fit just right.
I also purchased some felt Pooh ears on Etsy but Charlotte didn’t entertain this idea. If your kiddo doesn’t usually mind bows or hats on their heads, these ears are darling for photos!
Party Menu - We served a smorgasbord of different foods while sticking to the theme:
Tigger’s Tail Bouncin Tenders (Chicken Tenders)
Roo’s Sandy Pit (Quinoa Salad)
Owl’s Potat-Hoooot Salad salad (Potato Salad)
Kanga’s Pockets (Mini Ham & Chicken Salad Pita Pockets)
Hunny Glazed Pooh Sticks (Honey Mustard Pretzels)
Christopher Robin’s Cucumber Sandwiches (Mini Tea Sandwiches)
Piglet’s Wrapped Scallops (Bacon Wrapped Scallops)
Rabbit's Vegetable Garden (Vegetable Platter & Tossed Salad)
Sweet Hunny Lemonade (Uncle Matt’s Organic Lemonade No Sugar Added)
Eeyore’s Rather Boggy Blueberry Crumble (Blueberry Cobbler)
We served cupcakes for dessert and Charlotte had her own hunny pot smash cake that we ordered from a local baker. It was adorable but he layered the top with caramel to make it look like it was filled with honey and this was a choking hazard. I wish I had told him to keep the ingredients more simple as I ended up scooping the caramel off before she ate the cake. Just something to keep in mind if you order your cake from a bakery!
Thanks for reading and enjoy this special time celebrating your little hunny!
