Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Gifts/traditions for 1 year old

50 replies

IcedCoffeeAlways · 09/10/2021 06:19

Our baby will be 14 months at Christmas. Gift ideas would be much appreciated? What was/is your DCs favourite toys at that age?

I also love the idea of starting some of our own family traditions. Can anyone suggest anything nice to start when they’re this young?

DHs job means that he’ll be away from home every 2nd Christmas (for a few weeks right over Xmas and new year). The family that we have close-by spend their Christmas abroad at other family so some years it will just be DS and I alone and I still want it to be exciting for him!

OP posts:
Annietheacrobat · 09/10/2021 06:23

What do you remember from your childhood?

Just10moreminutesplease · 09/10/2021 06:28

It’s my baby’s first Christmas too Grin.

So far I’m planning a nice trip to choose a bauble that can be repeated each year but I’m following for more ideas!

Original poster
IcedCoffeeAlways · 09/10/2021 06:56

@Annietheacrobat

What do you remember from your childhood?
@Annietheacrobat I don’t come from a very “family” family unfortunately so bar a few presents in the morning and a lot of arguments I don’t really have many other Christmassy memories! Most years we didn’t even all sit down to dinner 🤣

I’ll be doing things very differently in our house for my DC 😊

OP posts:
Original poster
IcedCoffeeAlways · 09/10/2021 06:58

@Just10moreminutesplease

It’s my baby’s first Christmas too Grin.

So far I’m planning a nice trip to choose a bauble that can be repeated each year but I’m following for more ideas!

@Just10moreminutesplease Hopefully people will have some nice ideas 😊 DS was 8 weeks old last year at Christmas and we had such a lovely quiet relaxing day, just the 3 of us. We got a lovely bauble, a personalised stocking and some family pjs 😊
OP posts:
JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 09/10/2021 07:02

For my son's first Christmas as a "nice" gift I got him a personalised "the book belongs to..." Stamp
It's really nice and something that can be used forever :)

adasills · 09/10/2021 07:05

dd always gets new pj's and a book on xmas eve.

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 09/10/2021 07:07

www.notonthehighstreet.com/bloomfieldandrolfe/product/junior-ex-libris-book-belongs-to-planets

I got it from here :)

gogohm · 09/10/2021 07:10

At that age they had Thomas the tank engine wooden railway (dd1) and can't remember for dd2, maybe "little people" dolls house. As for traditions, they do evolve over time but pictures with Santa we did, and a trip to the cinema and pizza on Christmas Eve (date changed over the years but we still did it until they were grown )

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/10/2021 07:14

My favourite tradition is we all open stockings in our bed. (Unless we have other family visiting, then we do it on the stairs!)

BikeRunSki · 09/10/2021 07:28

DD was also 14 months at Christmas. We have her a rag doll, who became her constant companion for years. 9 years later Dolly is still her no1 soft toy, and she adores soft toys.

We also had to get a couple of spare Dollies for when the originals were lost/filthy/left at nursery.

BikeRunSki · 09/10/2021 07:31

My dc are a bit older now (13,10), a few years ago they started going to each other’s rooms on Christmas morning and opening their stockings together, eating the chocolate and then coming into us. I’ve engineered this in our favour and added Top Trumps, a DVD and Cocopops to their stockings!

NotMaryWhitehouse · 09/10/2021 07:51

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend

For my son's first Christmas as a "nice" gift I got him a personalised "the book belongs to..." Stamp It's really nice and something that can be used forever :)
Oooh! I'm going to go and order one of those right now, what a great idea!
TeenMinusTests · 09/10/2021 07:58

Traditions are things that you do one year, think 'oh that was nice' and you do it again.

For us

  • lights up outside in time for town lights switch on
  • town late night shopping evening and rescue of father christmas (who each year seems to get stuck on local bank roof)
  • tree going up last day of term
  • fancy t-shirt in stocking
FilthyforFirth · 09/10/2021 08:41

DS2 will be 1 at Christmas, he waa 6 weeks last year. I do him and DS1 stockings. They each have something that they get each year, for DS1 it is a tsum tsum for DS2 it will be a rubber duck as he loves them!

His main present is a ride on pirate ship that his elder brother will enjoy playing with him. I've also got him some wooden puzzles and toys and a playmobil 1.2.3 bus.

Our traditions so far are a new tree dec with their name on it. A family picture in front of our tree (this will be the 5th year I will eventually make a little book of them!) we have pankcakes in festive shapes with fruit for breakfast. DS4 loves this!

We also do a light trail every year. I think DS2 will really enjoy that this year. Hope helpful!

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 09/10/2021 08:55

@NotMaryWhitehouse

I thought it was quite sweet and fairly original.
I also got one for my dad but made to incorporate his hobbies and meaningful dates etc. It is absolutely amazing what the person did. It's a great gift for a book lover adult too.

I just did the standard globe one for DS cause obviously he has no hobbies yet 😁

MargosKaftan · 09/10/2021 09:08

We accidentally started a tradition as I went to a NCT meet up fair thing when dc1 was 11 months old k in November)and they had a stall doing bauble decoration, some were doing hand prints, dc1 had the brush and put lots of red and green lines and splodges on a pottery bauble which once fired looked amazing. Then every year in October/November, we go decorate a bauble at the pottery shop that had the stall.

Dc1 is going to be 12 this Christmas so I will have a dozen from him and then around 8 from dc2. We've said by the time they are adults, we won't have any shop bought baubles, just theirs. (Write the year on them as you go, gets confusing fast which year was robins and which year was snowmen)

shreddednips · 09/10/2021 10:08

At the same age my DS loved going round the garden centres, some of them have amazing Xmas displays. And some also have FISH, which was thrilling 😆 we still do it every year for something to do.

Original poster
IcedCoffeeAlways · 09/10/2021 10:47

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend That’s a really lovely gift idea! I’d never have thought of something like that so thank you 😊

@shreddednips don’t even get me started on fish 🙈🤣 firm favourite here too! We took DS to an aquarium a few weeks back and I thought his wee head was going to explode 😅

Garden centre is a great idea 😊 I’ve booked a Christmas light walk through thing that’s local to us too so hopefully he’ll enjoy getting to go and see the lights 😊

OP posts:
Just10moreminutesplease · 09/10/2021 12:31

@FilthyforFirth

A ride on pirate ship sounds fabulous! Would you mind sharing where you got it from?

dmudbur · 09/10/2021 14:16

New PJS, some chocolates and hot chocolate set on Christmas Eve. Maybe with an activity set for as they get older to keep them calm for 10 mins with all the excitement!

Putting out treats for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve.

Make reindeer food.

Make gingerbread or a gingerbread house. Maybe bake some mince pies etc?

Walks around your local area to see everyone's Christmas lights.

Trip to see Santa.

These are some of the things we do with our family (Aged 13 months and 3 years! 3 year old is just starting to grasp it and now tells us what we'll be doing!)

Caspianberg · 09/10/2021 15:59

Ds will be 1 1/2 this Christmas. We have just ordered him a pikler triangle set.

We almost bought it last Christmas but thought he would be too young. He’s a climber and I’m hoping it will pass lots of time during the winter if it’s too wet or cold outside. It was a tad pricey, and more than I thought we would spend on one gift but it should be long lasting and he can use in the garden when dry in summer as well.

goose1964 · 09/10/2021 16:39

Out of all his presents my grandson much preferred his piece of Yule log. You can buy him stuff he needs anyway as the box and wrapping paper will be used far more than any toy.

Incywinceyspider · 09/10/2021 20:34

My DS was 14 months last Christmas. We mostly got him toys that he would grow into, as he wasn't walking at the time. His main present was a ride on car which he eventually used to start walking a couple of months later. We also got him a tractor with animals and megabloks, both of which have been well used over the year. We got him some practical gifts as well, the best one being a backpack and reins.

My DS wasn't remotely interested in wrapping paper but he did like taking things out of his stocking, so I definitely recommend that you introduce one if you haven't already.

Most of what I got last year was stuff for future Christmases, such as a personalised Santa plate, sack and christmas eve box. I also got a bauble with the year on it, which I'm planning on doing every year.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 09/10/2021 20:45

Awww , I do envy people with small children and toddlers at Christmas .
I know they get over tired and stressed out but you get to see Christmas through their innocent eyes , even though trying to do all the buying , wrapping and hiding in secret is tough .

I have a 18yo and 22yo (by Christmas) so much more laid back Xmas Grin

We bought DS new Christmas pyjamas , put some twinkly lights in his room (out of reach)
A Christmas blanket ( Christmas bedding wasn't so popular back then)
Took him out in the backpack carrier (on DH shoulders) so see lights so he felt snuggly , safe and high up .
We went to Covent Garden where it just started to snow .
Then along Oxford Street to Regent Street to see the lights.......and he'd fallen asleep in his carrier .

Lots of photos .
My parents visited for Christmas which he loved .

Foamy bath at night to get him sorted fr sleep .

He was 3yo when DD was 6 months at her first Christmas . He was an old hand by this time Xmas Grin

Cherryrainbow · 09/10/2021 21:08

My mum is going to buy my dd an angel each year, last year it was a cute ornament for the tree as she was only 3m, this year its a small angel rag doll I believe.