Help needed for frugal 1-year-old birthday party

One of our readers has requested some frugal and fun ideas for her child's upcoming first birthday party. Please share your thoughts!

Here is the request from a fellow blog reader:

"Anyone have any trendy/good saving tips for me and my husband on how to plan and pay for a 1 year old birthday party in the next few months?"

I can very clearly remember my oldest daughter's 1st birthday. It was Elmo themed and both sets of grandparents were there, as well as my brother and a family friend. She had one other child there as well as his parents. The party was on the back porch of my parent's house and we had snacks, cake and ice cream.It was a lovely and low-key party.

Many folks use the rule of thumb that they only invite the number of kids that equals the age of the birthday boy or girl. It cuts down seriously on the chaos and the cost during the early years. So if your child is turning one, invite one other child and the essential family members/friends. When your child turns 2, invite 2 additional playmates.

There will be many more birthdays to celebrate and as they get older, the parties are often bigger and costlier. Enjoy these early years when you really don't have to go all out.