Hard to believe that I’m writing up my baby’s first birthday party already! Since we didn’t do a dedicated nursery this time around, I knew from month 1 that his first birthday theme had to be Western. So whether you’re planning your own first rodeo party or One the West party, this post has cowboy party decor and fun cowboy food ideas to appeal to adult and children’s taste buds alike.
First Rodeo Cowboy Birthday Cake
For a cake you won’t forget (because your one-year-old definitely won’t remember it 😅) I can’t recommend Cherry Treats Bakery enough! She took my jumble of bandana print cake inspiration photos and messy sketch to create edible art that was the best cake I’ve ever tasted — and that includes my own wedding cake and my must-have limoncello cake every time I go back to Kansas City.
First Rodeo Birthday Party Games
- Pin the tail on the donkey
I was able to reuse the same paper game we had from Oriental Trading for our EncanTWO party and we used these yellow bandanas that were also party favors as blindfolds. - Mining for gold (digging for pennies)
I filled a sandbox with clean sand and buried a jar full of pennies. With a variety of beach tools, kids got to dig and sift sand to find as many pennies as they wanted. - Decorate your own Western sugar cookies
To be honest, I had made the sugar cookies two nights before the party with the intention of decorating them myself BUT after a same-day business trip the day before and every other party prep going on I opted to make this a party activity for the kids. I pre-mixed the icing and colors, and then set the table prepared for kiddos to make a mess. Check out this cute bandana print tablecloth I used for our 8 foot table. - Lasso the bull
Be warned, my one-year-old was scared of this cow (oops! 😅). I ordered two lightweight kids’ trick lassos from Amazon so that there was less turn-taking required.
Cowboy Birthday Party Food Ideas
Party treats always seem to walk the line between sweet or savory, healthy or indulgent. For a kids party that also needed to cater to parents, I wanted to make sure there was a mix of everything so that something was available to everyone
- Cowboy candy & crackers
Softened cream cheese covered with finely diced and jellied jalapenos (called Cowboy Candy at our home), served with Wheat Thins and a gluten-free cracker option - Trail Mix
I had a sweet version for kids and parents alike to enjoy, and a spicy version for parents and braver kiddos - Sheriff Stars
Off-brand goldfish shaped like stars. Or if you aren’t in the great state of Texas that has an HEB, you can make your own using this homemade goldfish recipe and this star cracker multi-cutter. - Cow Patties
These could be a mess of brownies or poorly shaped Oreo balls - Horse Treats
Slice up apples and carrots and serve with peanut butter and ranch dressing for dipping - Pigs in a Blanket
The classic crescent roll-wrapped chipolata are bite-size, easy to make, and normally the first plate to empty
