How I Planned a DIY First Birthday Party at Home in SG w Taobao?

Hey Mummies (and Daddies)! I’m Elissa, a first-time IVF mummy to a super active 15-month-old toddler girl 🌟 After planning baby’s fuss-free 100 Day Baby Celebration, I told myself, “I’m never going to do this again.” But her first birthday rolls by, and amnesia hits. I somehow decide to one up myself – planning a budget-friendly DIY first birthday party at home!

Since venues in Singapore often cost a small fortune, I decided to get creative and plan a DIY first birthday party at home. My secret weapon? Taobao. (But if you’re not a Taobao user, I’ll share some links of similar items on Shopee too!)

From adorable decorations to fun party supplies, Taobao offers an incredible variety at budget-friendly prices, perfect for parents looking to celebrate without spending a fortune. In this #non-sponsored article, I’ll walk you through how I organized my baby’s DIY first birthday party at home using affordable Taobao finds, creating a memorable and unique experience right at home. If you’re in Singapore and thinking about going DIY for your little one’s big day, this could come in handy for you!

Why I Chose to Plan a DIY First Birthday Party at Home?

The reason is quite simple. Since her first birthday party was really close to our first ever planned overseas trip, I wanted an intimate gathering instead of a grand affair to reduce chances of her falling sick. Hence, I had a really short guest list this time around – less than 20 people.

Given the small guest list, I decided it was too much effort to engage an external venue for that. With a bit of creative seating arrangement, I would be able to squeeze everyone in our HDB flat. So at home it was!

Finding Affordable DIY Decorations and Party Supplies on Taobao

Taobao is a treasure trove for value-conscious parents like me. With just a few clicks, you can browse through thousands of listings for first birthday decorations, from balloons and banners to cake toppers and party hats. The key is to use specific search terms to find exactly what you need. Not sure what to look out for? Not to worry, I’ll give examples below!

Here are some standout DIY decorations and party supplies I found on Taobao:

Party backdrop (with balloon garland):

The first thing I started looking for was a party backdrop. Why? Because I feel like a backdrop would be able to help set the mood and create a festive atmosphere for the party – especially needed because it was going to be held at home.

The keyword I searched for was: 周岁生日布置 (first birthday party decorations)

This helped to narrow down party décor that was most suitable for babies that age! Even so, there was such an overwhelming variety of designs to choose from! Whether you’re looking for something minimalistic, whimsical, or over-the-top, there’s something for everyone.

After agonizing over the search for about a week, I finally decided on ONE (after reviewing lots of suppliers) – and that also helped me set my theme for the party – My Fair Princess (還珠格格). I personally love the modern Chinese aesthetic so I settled on that! (Scroll down to see the backdrop all set up!)

What to take note of? While aesthetic and affordable, the set up will require a lot of DIY on your part. From setting up the balloon garlands, to putting together all the backdrop foam boards and more… because only the materials are provided. So make sure you are ready for some hard labour!

抓週 Zhua Zhou ceremony items:

At the same time, I was also looking out for some of these fun props to conduct this traditional first birthday ceremony – Zhua Zhou 抓周!

The keyword I searched for was: 抓周道具 (Zhua zhou props)

Again, there’s always a wide variety to choose from! But in the end, I managed to get a FREE set of 抓周 props as a set with my choice of backdrop! Since I wasn’t too fussed about this, and just doing it for fun, I decided that would suffice! (See my final set up below!)

Hot Tip: Unless you are very particular about the aesthetic, or types of props you want, you actually can look for this on Carousell too! Because most people only use it once. I for one, blessed my set away to other mummies in my mummy groups to pass on!

Trio of pedestals for cake and décor:

Since my backdrop did not come with pedestals for cake and décor, I decided to get a set separately. For this I just wanted something white (easy to blend with décor), and stable (can support the cake).

The keyword I searched for was: 甜品台柱子折叠罗马柱摆件

Birthday attire (dress + headgear + shoe):

Once the theme was settled, my next favourite thing to look for was her attire. I really do love finding adorable baby clothes for my girl on Taobao – especially Chinese styled baby clothes that aren’t so easily available in Singapore.

The keywords I searched for was: 女宝宝汉服 (female baby Chinese style clothes) and 周岁礼服女宝 (first birthday attire for female baby)

As with her Chinese New Year attire in 2024, I was totally unable to make ONE decision because everything seemed too cute. Plus I was worried the sizing would be off. Hence I bought not 1 but 4 dresses in the end, with some cute accessories to complement them.

Can you guess which dress baby wore on her actual day?

Booking My Favourite Party Caterer

Having settled all the Taobao stuff, I had to also figure out the other party to-dos. One of the most important thing for my parties? The food. So without much hesitation, we went ahead with Chilli Api once more – since we had such a great experience for baby’s 100 day celebration (check out the buffet set up in this other blog post!).

Because of our small party size this time around, we could only opt for their Mini Buffet. As Peranakan food lovers, I picked the Nonya Cuisine option without hesitation. Everything was good as usual- I particularly loved the Dry Laksa!

Finding A First Birthday Cake To Match The Theme

Last but not least, was the important task of finding a birthday cake to match! If you already read about my experience ordering a $400+ customized 3kg two tier cake previously, you’ll know I’ll not be making the same mistake this time around.

This time round, I went with another baker that I’ve always had my eye on but never really had the chance to try out their cakes – Yume Patisserie! They have an amazing range of buttercream floral cakes I thought would be perfect for the “My Fair Princess” theme. So I went with their Baby Cake Specials: Ava – a 6 inch, 1.2kg one tier cake – more than enough for my guests.

My DIY First Birthday Party at Home Timeline (Prep + Actual Day):

Preparation the Day Before

1pm: Do up the balloon garland in advance. Between my helper’s amazing balloon tying skills + my FIL’s makeshift electric balloon pump + my brave attempts to attach all the balloons to each other, we managed to complete a full garland within 1.5hour whilst baby took her afternoon nap.

8pm: After baby went to bed, it was time to set up the backdrop. Lots of taping, securing it to the supporting stands, then attaching the balloons to it. I also set up the pedestals and sanitized the 抓周Zhua Zhou props & mat. All these took another 1.5hours of manual labour with the help of my husband

Hot Tip: The more people you have working on the set up, the faster you probably can get things done! I only had 2 people setting up with me hence the total of 3 hours required.

Actual Birthday Party Day

1030am: Cake arrived! Guests also started streaming in.

11am: Food Arrived! Everyone begin enjoying their lunch. Lots of mingling and random photo ops with baby.

12nn: Birthday Cake Cutting! Photo sessions with the birthday girl, cake, and beautiful backdrop!

1230pm: 抓周 Zhua Zhou Ceremony Begins! The crowd goes wild with baby grabbing her first 3 items representing her potential careers in the future. First 3 items: Gold coin, gavel & abacus! Go check out my Lemon8 post on what each of them means!

130pm: Farewell for guests. Baby goes to nap soon after and we clean up! But we left the party décor tear down until much later (like a few weeks) – the balloon surprisingly kept shape well up till 1+ weeks.

Cost Breakdown For My DIY First Birthday Party at Home: <$1K

Need a cost reference to see how much to budget for your DIY first birthday party at home if you’re using Taobao? Here’s mine for a quick reference.

As you can see the bulk of my costs come from my food + cake. And even TB costs could be cut much further if I wasn’t so EXTRA and buying multiple dresses!

Also, you can absolutely save costs with Taobao décor even if you’re not having the party at home! But make sure to note that what you’re saving in costs, you’ll be paying with your manhours and labour in return.

Wrapping It Up: A Budget-Friendly DIY Birthday Bash

Despite the extra effort, pulling off a DIY first birthday party at home in Singapore using Taobao turned out to be a rewarding experience, both in terms of cost and the personal touch it added to the celebration.

From the budget-friendly decorations to baby’s adorable thematic attire, Taobao truly became my secret weapon in creating a beautiful party on a budget. While it required some hands-on work and creativity, the final result was a unique and memorable first birthday that felt both intimate and special. Not to mention, we saved a significant amount of money compared to holding the event at an external venue.

If you’re a parent in Singapore looking to celebrate your baby’s first birthday without the hefty price tag, I highly recommend exploring the DIY route with Taobao. With the right planning and some extra effort, you can create an unforgettable party that won’t break the bank.

Find this article useful? Do help share this article with your fellow mummy and daddy friends and spread the love! It’s not easy putting all this information together and I do hope for more to benefit from it! Check out more 1 year old toddler relevant milestone articles here: