Newborn gifts

[FunnyOrca]

Hello,

Our daughter (PFB)!will be two months old this Christmas. My husband and I are happy getting her a little outfit and a special book. We’re not really into big gifting, but have lots of family members who are. They are already asking what we would like for her. I have said we’re not doing anything big this year but that hasn’t been received well! A few family members have a strong urge to wrap gifts!

Does anyone have any suggestions of things they found they needed at this stage or any particular toys they found good in the first 6 months - a year?

My daughter will be 4 months old at Xmas and family are also asking what to buy for her. I had the same conversation as you, she’s tiny and doesn’t need a lot, but my family really want to buy presents. I’ve put together an Amazon wish list to give them some ideas - things like bath toys, baby books, teethers, wooden toys like a shape sorter and activity cube thing. One of those vtech balls that they crawl after. Stacking cups. None of it very expensive, but all things she’ll probably start using in a few months time.

Books ar

More bibs and more muslins
Tummy time mat
Ewan the Dream Sheep
Night light/room projector
Foot muff for the pushchair

If you have space think ahead. Can they club together for a high char maybe?

Otherwise:
ball pool (ours was just a small paddling pool filled with them)
books
pram toys
sleeping bag next size up
voucher for a baby class

I would ask for items of clothing for the next ages, so 3 to 6 months,
some lovely books for the future ,anything by Shirley hughes are lovely,
bath toys that won't go moldy such as changing colour bath books or boats etc.
Montessori type toys or learning resources toys so not just all random plastic toys.

Weaning bits like bibs etc.
Nice bath stuff for her
Foot muff
Playmat
Teethers
Pram suit in 3-6
Clothes in 6-9 or 9-12 as those are the sizes we got less gifts in and it comes around soon!

If grandparents want to do something bigger I'd suggest getting them to pay for a class you can do or maybe put money in her ISA.

I don’t have any specific suggestions as it’s so long since I had a baby, but I do remember back I those days at least there were toys labelled from 6 months and others from 9 months as they develop such a lot in the second 6 months. Maybe take the opportunity to stock up on those. Also check out the clothes you have already and see if you are short of anything in sizes up to a year. Think about coats, hats and kits, cardigans, nightwear, socks, vests as well as outfits.
if people want to buy gifts, they will buy them so it might as well be things you want / need.

There have been lots of great suggestions already, so just a tip I’d add! For our daughter’s first Christmas last year (she was 3 months) I wrote down who got her what as we opened presents - otherwise it’s completely impossible to remember.

In terms of the best gifts we got: bath toys, clothes in bigger sizes (practical clothes, not fiddly dresses), weaning stuff (cups, bowls etc), and baby books.

Ask for money into DC ISA or if DC doesn't have one then open one.

The relatives will be really excited and it’s nice that they want to get her some things.

You could suggest a small gift, like a book and then a donation into a Junior Isa or, if they want to get her something bigger how about one of these:

A nice Star Wrap

An annual pass to the nearest Zoo or Farm

Some books

A swimming costume or swimming bag. My DD was given a personalised swimming bag which she used for years

A night light for when she moved to her own room

Clothes in age 3 to 6 months

Photo session

Some toys suitable from 3 to 6 months

A Christmas tree decoration

If you ask for clothes, ask people to get the right season for the age she’ll be in that season!

And think ahead to bits she might need once she’s standing, sitting, toddling - maybe bits you wouldn’t always buy for yourself, like a bumbo, a jumperoo, a walker, a rocking toy (like a horse), a ride on toy for scooting inside the house etc.

For a Gdd born in January, I bought a sheepskin, specially made for babies, from Celtic. Not cheap, but lovely and cosy to lie on, and for tummy time on hard floors. And washable, IIRC.

Lots and lots of books, we didn't really read to ours at night until they were 6+ months but we read so much now we get bored of the same ones
Plus stacking cups, shape sorter, and anything in the next size up

Mine will be nine months and here’s what’s on my list for him for Christmas and his birthday. A lot of it is for him to grow into. It’s also really long because I feel awkward doing a list in the first place and I want people to have as much choice as possible. The other thing which depends on budgets is something like. Lovevery kit. The spinning drum is one of my son’s favourites. At the moment he has and loves an O ball, a wobble toy, stacking rainbow, one of the lad two pieces jigsaws, matchstick monkey, Lamaze Captain calamari. Maybe some things for weaning too like plates and bibs?
• stacking cups
• Schleich animals
• Duplo
• play couch
• books - especially certain Little People Big Dreams ones and ones with felt flaps
• helper tower
• stacking cups
• one of the cog spinning towers
• puppets
• bath toys
• hammer bench
• Scuttlebug
• height chart
• Grimms rainbow
• . helper tower
• Pikler triangle
• Instruments

Bigger items that I really appreciated having my for my dc when they were little - wooden walker/baby activity cube, baby gym, Duplo, Grimm’s rainbow, sheepskin liner for pram. Now that my kids are bigger they have Yoto players which also double up as a nightlight/brown noise machine and then can play audio books when they’re older.

Absolutely nothing essential here! But if you have relatives feels excited and wanting to buy a bigger ticket item then the above will get tons of use and be a lovely gift for the next year or so ahead for your baby.

Another vote for a projector for night time/bedtime. My LO was obsessed with one that projected galaxies onto the ceiling (it’s on Amazon, it looks like an astronaut) it was a lovely part of bedtime routine.

Books with texture, the ‘that’s not my…animal name’ range was a hit. There are load of them.

Cheap item and a big hit was a medical foil blanket. It’s huge and baby can lie on it or have tummy time and crinkle it.

The projector is a great idea - we bought one around that age and still use it nightly for DD 18 months. I would advise people against clothes personally. We always end up with lots that aren't to our taste or the wrong size/season. I also like high quality soft toys e.g. from Maileg or Ollie Ella - she might be too young to enjoy them for now, but they're lovely keepsakes and will get use when she's older :)