If having a bunch of amped toddlers running riot at your house gives you cold sweats there are loads of awesome places to celebrate your child’s birthday in the Wellington area.

McDonalds 
Conveniently located everywhere. Kids love McD’s 
Classic package includes a dedicated party crew person for 1 1/2 hours, selection of food from the Happy Meal®choices menu, party bags for guest, invitations, a gift for the birthday child and prizes for every game.
Three packages to choose from starting at $12 per child, themes
include Classic Fun, Amazing Machines and Creativity and Arts.  
Minimum 8 guests.
http://www.mcdonaldsparties.co.nz/birthdayparty_nz/index.jsp
 
Chipmunks          
Recently refurbished Chipmunks Tawa now includes a ball blaster area, miniature train and a fantastic
Under 5 area as well as an upgraded multi-level play structure and a new super-fast inflatable slide.
Parties include themed party room, themed party product, party food, drinks lollies and balloons, a free pass and birthday certificate for the birthday child and a visit from Charlie Chipmunk. There are five themes to choose from including Chipmunks Party, Princess Party, Magician party, Pirate party and Dress Up Party. Party
room is available for 45 minutes.
Minimum 8 guests. Parties start at $19.90 (weekdays) per guest.
http://www.chipmunks.co.nz/birthday-parties 

Junglerama
Located in Newtown and Lower Hutt. The Play-land has a large multi-level climbing structure, an inflatable slide, an inflatable obstacle course and a toddler area.  Parties include unlimited jungle play, 1 hour jungle party tent hire, party tent setting, birthday hats, Junglerama Frisbee for the birthday child and party food. 
Adult food platters and loot bags are available additionally.
Minimum 8 guests. Parties start at $18.50 per guest.
http://www.junglerama.co.nz/parties.cfm

Lotsa Follies
A lovely little petting zoo located in a gorgeous rural setting just outside of Tawa. Join Lily the goat and Yoda the sheep along with bunnies, guinea pigs and turtles for your next party. I love that you arrange your own food so you are able to cater to your child’s tastes. Lotsa Follies would be a particularly great place for an antenatal group party.
$150 for 2 hours this includes all of the animals, use of the play area (playhouse, swing and slide), canoes and row boats (lifejackets included) Ponies can be arranged for $50 and a BBQ is available for $10.  
Find them on Facebook or contact Phil on 04 2374554.
(Hm) (04) 237 4554 (Hm) (04) 237 4554

Short Straw Café
Located a short drive from Silverstream this fantastic café has both indoor and outdoor play areas.  It is well equipped with a parents room and highchairs (and helicopter parking!) and is also fully licenced.
Basic package includes party plates, cups and serviettes, a balloon attached to each chair, food, carafe of orange juice exclusive room hire of new purpose built party room.$15 per guest.
Premium package adds A lollipop treasure hunt with free lollipop for each child, Bubble machine with one bottle of bubble mix and an adult platter plus filter coffee and herbal teas for 10 adults. $20 per guest.
Deluxe packages include costumes, games and crafts with themes including Royal Ball, Treasure Island Adventure, Cupcake Tea Party, Prehistoric Dinosaur Adventure, Enchanted Fairy Tea Party, and Down on the Farm ,.$30 per guest.
Party extras available additionally include loot bags $5 each including bag of home-made themed biscuits, a bag of homemade themed chocolates, a gift tag, a themed toy and a balloon, pony rides $100 for on a gentle pony or for smaller children in the cart behind the miniature pony.
All parties have a minimum 10 guests.
http://www.shortstrawcafe.co.nz/pukeko.html

Staglands
Party package includes a party room in the café decorated with birthday banners, balloons and streamers and a table set with birthday plates, party hats and serviettes. Each guest receives entry to Staglands and a food bag for the birds and animals, a loot bag (containing; sweets, a party blower, a balloon, a Staglands postcard and a free child's pass to Staglands for next time) and a Balloon on a stick. The birthday child also receives a family pass to Staglands and a personalised balloon. 
Party food is served in bowls to the table.
Minimum of 8 guests. Under 5’s $16 each. Adult entry to the park is at the discounted price of $16 each.
You can celebrate birthdays using the picnic areas as well-standard admissions applies.
http://www.staglands.co.nz/staglands-wildlife-reserve-and-cafe/children-s-birthday-parties
 
Story Place at Te Papa 
StoryPlace parties include stories, songs, dress-ups, art activities, and face painting for 45 minutes followed by a birthday
table reserved for 1 hour in the Te Papa cafe.  The café will provide pre party storage, plates, serviettes and a cake knife.
StoryPlace costs $100 (maximum 25 people) Food starts at $11.50 per child and includes a loot bag.
http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/whatson/kahu-kidsattepapa/storyplace/Pages/overview.aspx
 
Wellington Zoo 
Who doesn’t love a trip to the zoo?
Prices start at $450 for venue hire including table and chairs and admission for 30 people. You can make your day more memorable by arranging a visit from some of the Zoo's most interesting inhabitants; contact animals include hedgehogs,
a blue tongue skink, a shingleback lizard, a bearded dragon or a cockatoo.
You can self-cater or organise food through the Zoo’s suppliers starting at $9.80 per child.
You can also celebrate birthdays at the zoo using the picnic areas-standard admissions apply.
http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/net/experience/functions.aspx


 Note: All prices current July 1023.

 So you have all survived, you made it through the sleepless nights, the dirty diapers and the teething for a whole year….

Sounds like a reason to celebrate! The party can be as low key or
as lavish as you wish. In many ways this party is as much for you as for the
birthday girl or boy.


Where
At home is perfect but if you don’t have the space try a local
hall or check out our article on local venues.


When ·        
Late morning or late afternoon will suit nap times for the majority of 1 year olds. You may want to add an end time on the invitation too. ·        
Plan the party to last about 1 ½ hours any longer and the kids will get cranky.  
Weekend parties will suit most guests. ·        
You may have a few (kid) friends with birthdays around the same time particularly if you know them from antenatal, so have a quick chat with the other parent/s so you don’t set the same date for your parties.

Guests
It’s best to make this a small gathering; too many people will overwhelm your child so it’s a good idea to keep your guest list to family and a few close friends.

Theme
While not necessary it can give you a focus for invitations, decorations, food and favours and add a bit of fun to the planning.  
Some ideas suitable for a first birthday party are:·        
Rainbow ·        
Sesame Street ·        
Winnie the Pooh ·        
Teddy Bears picnic

You don’t need to purchase licensed supplies to have a theme for example Winnie-the-pooh can be easily done with mostly yellow decorations and a touch of red.

Invitations
Invitations can be bought or made, they can be sent out by email, post or given in person. If you are handing them out at day-care or another activity be discreet so no one’s feelings are hurt. They should be sent two to three weeks before the event. It’s a good idea to request RSVP’s so you know how many people you are catering for.

Decorations·        
Photos are perfect to show how far they have come, make a collage in the shape of a number 1 or display them in a time line. ·        
Balloons are always popular but make sure they are secured well to reduce choking hazards ·        
You can hire kid size table and chairs from some play groups or party hire companies like SquigglePOP Parties.


Games
Realistically 1 year olds are too young for games and will be entertained by toys. You can hire toys from the toy library or your local playgroup if you would like some extra ride-ons or other special toys.
If you have older children attending you may want to set up an activity such as colouring, play-dough or bubble blowing.


Food ·        
Check with parents for any food allergies and plan your food accordingly making sure if all the food isn’t suitable it is clearly marked. ·        
Make sure you have healthy options as well as the yummy sweet treats that scream party food ·        
Serve both kids and adult food ·        
Alcohol? For the adults sure it is a party after all.

Cake
You can make your own, buy one pre made or order one custom made. It can follow your theme, have your baby’s photo on it, be the shape of a number one, it could be a stack of cupcakes, there is no wrong choice…in fact there are
so many good ones it could be hard to choose.

It is also becoming more popular to have a smash cake, a mini cake for the birthday child to well
smash.

Loot Bags
These are not necessary especially at this age but if you do want to do something opt for a small toy or board book, this too could match your theme. 

Photos
Assign someone else to take photos such as an uncle or a friend and ask them to get these important
shots: ·        
Blowing out the candles ·        
Eating the cake·        
Opening the presents ·        
The details such as the cake and decorations ·        
A family shot
 
Making Memoires ·        
Start a tradition of buying a book for every year. Write a small note on the first page.
Buy a calico teddy bear and have everyone sign it      
Buy a book and have everyone sign birthday wishes inside the cover

Tips       
Have a back up party outfit chosen in case of any mishaps ·        
Ask for some help in set up and clean up. Grandparents or good friends will be happy to give you a hand.

Ingredients
1 cup room temperature butter
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème (can be bought from Kirby’s Candies or United Sweeties)
2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
Instructions:
Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the marshmallow creme. Whip for 2 minutes. Add the icing sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorperated.