First birthday present - what's been the toy that keeps on giving?!

[Bumperlicioso]

it's dd2's first birthday next week and I have no idea what to buy her. Think the inlaws are getting her a ride along toy. God knows what my mum is getting her, her first tab of ectasy or something equally inappropriate (see previous threads along the lines of 'my mum wants to buy my 2 year a DVD player' and 'my mum wants to buy my 3 year old an actual laptop').

Any tips on cheap and cheerful toys that will be played with?

Do you have Happyland things already? DD got a Happyland house for her 1st birthday. It's her 6th birthday next week and it still gets played with sometimes :)

Which date is your DD2's birthday? My DD's birthday is the 20th :)

Heaps of happyland! I should just wrap it up for her shouldn't it?

Birthday is 21st. Well done for surviving another year!

Happyland stuff too, or we got DS a Megablocks palytable, which he still plays with 2 years later.

A sit on wooden trike. A cheap pushchair (£8 from ELC), books especially ones with a good story and pictures so can enjoyed when older. Figures from happyland toys (or the men as DS calls them).

We got this for DD's first birthday. She's 3.8 now and still uses it all day every day given half the chance. Except she does stunts on it now! It's still her favourite toy. It's discontinued now but there are loads of similar ones.

My DD loves her pop up tent like this one - think we asked my aunt to give it to her for her 1st birthday. Or was it Christmas (when she was 18 months). She loved it then, and still plays with it (inside or outside) aged 3.3.

Crayons and large pad
Finger paints plus big roll of lining paper
Aqua-draw
Mega-bloks or equivalent
Good bath toy
Cuddly toy - jellycat bashfuls a hit with our DD
Upsy daisy doll
Bubbles
Playballs and ball pit

More expensive - small table and chairs, will last for years if good quality and they love feeling grown up sitting down at their own table.

Thanks for the tips. I think my inlaws are getting a wooden bike which I think she will love, she's already been walking nearly a month. Problem is we have a lot of this stuff already from Dd1. I don't want to go mad on new stuff but would like to get her a few bits that are just hers.

The pushchair is a great idea. A nice book too. I do like the usborne books.

A pushchair was dd's favourite gift, but she got it at 18 months (1 year would have been too young). A toddle truck filled with wooden bricks was a fabulous gift. Duplo is brilliant - my dds are 5 and 7 and still play with it. Would second the pop-up tent as well.

I would agree with the mega bloks table, DS is coming up for 2 and its favourite toy at the moment.

I love barefoot books for special books.