What to buy dd six months for Xmas?

[ScaryFairy28]

Please help she needs nothing!!

Stuff that she will grow into in the year, or make the most of it while she doesn't understand and hasn't got an expensive list?!

I'm a keepsake fanatic, so apologies if none of this floats your boat!

1st Christmas bauble. Mothercare have them on offer at the moment at £10 (was £12). Personalised with child's name, year, and space (4 short lines I think) for a personal message. Each of my kids have a bauble from their year of birth. They are quite heavy, being china, so have to hang carefully on the tree. Can order online at mothercare.

Also, my kids got a Harrods Christmas Bear in their year of birth (new one out each year), which has the year stitched on his paw. They were £5 off last week (£24.99 down to £19.99), really lovely bears. Available online type 'freddie' on Harrods search engine.

Really cheap one is a presentation pack of the 2011 Christmas stamps. I think they're around £7 and can get them at the post office or online at the Royal Mail. www.royalmail.com/Christmas-2011

For around £20ish you can get a baby gift set of the full set of 2011 Royal Mint coins online at the Royal Mint. www.royalmint.com then under the 'gifts' tab, select 'baby and christening'.

And I just put some pennies in baby's trust fund account rather than getting more stuff that she didn't need, so all kids have the same spent on them regardless of age.

hope this helps.

Thanks MarksPA I love those ideas!

So glad the ideas were helpful.

Last one, and almost an absolute necessity for that precious first Christmas - a letter from Father Christmas! I did mine through the NSPCC. Gave child's name, address, best friend (I inserted elder sister here) and we are expecting a letter from NSPCC Father Christmas in the next couple of weeks addressed to child. Suggested donation £5 per letter. There is a link to the Letter on the NSPCC homepage at www.nspcc.org.uk

Just wanted to say thanks MarksPA for the letter idea. I've just ordered mine, thanks!

Empty boxes + wrapping paper = hours of fun for a small child.

Depends on budget but we found a Jumperoo a godsend for ds. We just sold ours (immaculate condition) for £31 on ebay so have a look on there & see if there are any collect only auctions & you may get a bargain.

DD got a first Christmas Bauble and a Harrods teddy as she was only 5 days old. Then for her first birthday we got her an engraved photo frame as she received tonnes of toys for her birthday.

We got a £5 bag of ball pit balls and put them in a giant cardboard box wrapped in a giant ribbon for DS when he was 6mo at Christmas and he loved it! I also heard of the even cheaper but just as fun alternative to fill the box with balloons.

Yep someone suggested box of balloons to me!

My parents have just bought a Jumparoo on ebay for my DD (6months) and I second 4forks that it is brilliant. She absolutely loves it.

You're welcome Broom

this lovely book. it starts with classic nursery rhymes and very short stories for babies, goes on to longer picture stories (such as Little Princess and Alfie stories), as well as poems, and excerpts from books for older readers (Roald Dahl, CS Lewis). DD1 (4) loves it, and has done from being tiny. Best of all there's still some stuff for her to grow into.

Missed jumperoo comment that's what she'd be getting if she hadnt been given one by my work

I've just ordered a few Lamaze toys on Amazon that were reasonably discounted for my nephew. My sister has bought him a bike to put away, one of those they can use from 9 months with a sunshade on the top, that grows with them. The little tikes one was down to £35 in Asda.

Little musical instruments. We did this for DD's first Christmas - got a hatbox and put some jingle bells and maracas and things in. We've added to it most years, it's now full of great instruments and both of them (now 5 and 2) still get a lot of use out of them.