Happy 1st birthday: wishes and a first-year video

One photo per month is the classic structure, and it works because the change from one picture to the next is astonishing. If you took monthly milestone photos (the same chair or soft toy for scale), this is what they were for. If not, a simple list helps:

• Newborn: the first photo, the first day home.
• Months 1 to 3: the first smile, meeting grandparents.
• Months 4 to 6: rolling over, first food, the first holiday.
• Months 7 to 9: sitting up, crawling, the first tooth.
• Months 10 to 12: standing, first steps, the first word.

End with a recent family photo, then the closing Message.

Short clips bring it to life

A few seconds of giggling, a first taste of lemon or those first steps are worth more than any photo. Keep each clip under ten seconds so the video keeps moving.

Two to three minutes

Twelve months with two or three pictures each is about thirty photos, which fits one song. Longer than that, and party guests start to drift.

The music

The site’s own Happy Birthday arrangements under Add music are free to use, and the gentler ones suit baby photos. You can also add a lullaby or your wedding song from your device.

Before the party, the same editor makes the invitation: open an invitation template, type the date, time and place, add a favourite photo and send it to the family chat as a short video or a GIF. The birthday invitation video page has the details, including what to put on screen.

On the day, play the first-year video before the cake, while the birthday baby is still in a good mood. Then export a Story 9:16 copy for relatives who couldn’t come. Videos like this are the ones people look for in eighteen years’ time, perhaps for an 18th birthday.