1st Birthday present help!

[APhotoOfParis]

Hi,

Struggling to think of ideas for a 1 year olds first birthday (niece) coming up very soon.

What would be the best thing your 1 year old could have been gifted on their birthday? Budget is £100.

many thanks!

I collected Charlie bears for my DD. Something she could keep.

Jewelry for when she is older.
Premium bonds
Money for their bank account
A pension

I know they all sound boring, and the pension would have to be set up by the parents but you could contribute to it.

www.thetimes.co.uk/money-mentor/article/pensions-for-children/#How-much-can-you-put-into-a-child's-pension?

Play kitchen, mud kitchen if they have a garden, pikler triangle, little tykes car, play tent, Clarke's shoe vouchers, scooter.

One year olds get so much, ask the mother what she would like.

A charm bracelet. Get her a charm every year.

I agree with asking the parent what they need / want. Stuff like a mud kitchen and scooter are great but they take up space and the parents may already be getting them one.

Money in an account would be much appreciated here, DD has so many toys but it would be lovely to have some top ups for her account so she could spend it on driving lessons or something in the future.

Collectible bears would be an absolute hard no from me!

For my own dd2's first birthday we got her a cute picture for her wall. Obviously she didn't care at the time but she likes it now and it's a nice memento. Can't remember what we got for dd1!
For play gifts duplo. Expensive but stays fun for years.

I would ask the parents if there's anything in particular.

My family did this for my LOs birthday a few months ago and was much easier as meant we avoided duplicate presents!

If not a play kitchen, books, ball pit, ride on toy, puzzles, shape sorter, etc. Any of those I'm sure they'd love!

You can look on the toy websites and sort by age which may help as well

my parents used to give them money for days out. Much better than a house full of rubbish and they enjoyed trips to the farm and Panto etc

Think longer term and open her a savings account.

Beautiful bound book of a favorite story, the newspaper of the day and a bottle of wine for parents.

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

I would rather get a physical gift / or day out vouchers - great idea! Than contribute to a savings account or anything … her parents a very well off so this will no doubt already be under control 😊

love the 3 in 1 bike idea - off to look that up.

Speak to the parents. Nothing is worse than a large present they already have or which isn't suitable.

I found that toys for 1 year were mainly ignored by DD, we had more luck with presents 18months+ which were put aside for the moment but lasted a lot longer.

How about a voucher for an activity or season ticket for soft play or zoo if there is anything local?

For my nephew's first birthday, I found it easier to buy him toys that he wasn't quite ready to play with yet, this just made sense to me as he got so many toys on his birthday it was overwhelming. This meant that he was able to have something new and 'shiny' in the middle of the year. Wooden toys are a must as they are eco friendly and last so much longer than plastic. Play kitchens are great. You could also get them something practical to help their parents out, like clothes or a teething toy etc, as at the age of one children don't really understand and get excited about what they are unwrapping, hope that this helps. :)

Definitely ask the parent. With that budget, they must be able to think of something really special that would be loved for a long time.