Presents for one year old

[shreddednips]

Hi,
Hoping some other mums can help me with this. Our DS is nearly 6 months old, while it may seem premature to be thinking about Christmas and first birthday, we don't have a lot of spare money. I'd really like to start thinking about what to buy now so that we can make sure we are making the wisest possible use of our money.

When we were kids we used to get just a few really carefully chosen presents. Our parents never spent lots of money but they chose really well and we were always really grateful for what we got. I'm keen to go down the same route with our DS. We always used to get one thing we really wanted and then useful clothing, a nice book and some bits in our stockings. I don't want to be mean but we just can't afford loads and loads.

I really have no idea what DS will fancy at a year old, ideally we would like to get him one slightly more expensive item that he will get lots of fun/use out of for as long as possible, some clothing that he will wear again and again (dressing gown, maybe coat or something), a book that he's likely to really love and some small bits and bobs that don't cost too much but that he also won't lose interest in after a day.

I would be so grateful for any suggestions as we would like to spread the cost over the next few months and want to choose really well. Obviously at one he will have limited understanding of presents anyway but if we're spending money, we want to spend it well if that makes sense!

Thanks so much!

Hi,
My daughter just turned one, and the things she loves playing with most are:

• it's like a small tower that you stack the rings on top of (really cheap)
• a small toy box - she just loves putting things into it (anything at all really) and taking them back out
• musical books.

These were all gifts from other people. For her present from us, we got her a little walker thing that you push along (like a Zimmer frame for babies haha), was about £25

Brilliant, thank you! I love the idea of a toy box, or maybe a dressing up box.

I would seriously look in charity shops. My LO is 10 months old and whilst I've kept some stuff that he has played with in case we have another () the stuff that has gone largely untouched I've given batches to the MIL for the charity shop she volunteers at.

Baby toys are so hit and miss and just take up so much room that I am going to have a look in charity shops for the next lot, rather than amazon etc.

His current faves are plastic kitchen utensils so go figure!

We’re not exactly rolling in it currently so I think DS’ first birthday present from us might end up being his first holiday abroad.

Oh, and my LO LOVES stacking cups, which were from the charity shop! He can't quite stack them himself yet but goes bat shit crazy with excitement when I stack them up in front of him! Babies are mad 😂

Stacking cups, stacking rings, these wee plastic egg things in the box, some tambourines / shaker things were all popular with DD when she had her first Christmas at 9 months. I think the simpler the better at that age. Re books, she enjoyed listening to Julia Donaldson (I think it was the rhymes) and also quite liked lift the flap books.

do you have a garden OP? if so, a swing that can grow with your dc, like this might be a good idea. it starts from a baby swing, and as they grow, turns into a proper swing (for ages 4+).

if not, an indoor baby trampoline is a good way for them to burn off steam and improve their coordination by jumping x

How about my first crayons, it's been DS birth day today..
He got a ride along he likes, lots of books, simple 3 peice jigsaw, crayons, skittles, clothes, a cake (was a gift) a football. Blow up paddling pool.

Oh and his favourite you at the moment it a cookie shape sorted comes out every day! X

We got our son a ball pit for his first birthday and I'm not joking, it is his favourite thing in the entire world. Highly recommend. It has a lovely foam pit bit too - I got it on Amazon, so much cheaper than other places I've seen it online!
The second one was a play kitchen. Got it from Asda. He was kind of into it at first, but he is so much more into it now at 19m, so it's proving to be a toy that is growing with him.

We bought Dd a ball pool and balls at a year old. She is nearly three and still gets a lot of fun out of it both inside and out.
Shops will be selling off their ‘summer toys’ soon so you would probably find one quite cheaply.
She also has a skuttle bug that I bought from eBay for £5 that she still loves.

Haha crossed post. Great minds and all that.

Some good toys for this age are these .... .... and these ....

Along with books, which are great at any age :)

But for the first birthday and first christmas I'd say: Don't buy a gift just for the sake of it. At that age, they don't understand it anyway and therefore don't care. Buy things if you think he needs them or should have them, because, obviously. children should have some toys.

And you can always buy second hand!

it's my dd's first birthday next week and weve got her a trike, I bought it second hand from a lady on gumtree for about £30. also got a few other toys including a bibble machine which i got from asda for a fiver. kids go mad for bubbles so cant go wrong

It's my sons 1st birthday in a few weeks. His nan has got him a trike which will last a good few years. Me and DP have got him a tent with a tunnel leading to a ball pit. Musical book and a ball popping truck with colours, shapes and plays music. And he will get a few more presents but iv asked for people to get him books.

Oh those squeaky egg things! Had forgotten about those - mine was obsessed!

Tunnel into a tent/ball pit is a good idea - not expensive and they play with them for a long time (my 4-year-old will still play with these given the opportunity!)

Maybe a tub of Duplo/Megablocks? At one he'll enjoy tipping them out of the bucket and putting them back in but they'll get played with a lot over the next few years and you can add to the collection (it's also an easy thing for others to buy if anyone asks for suggestions)

For Christmas stocking at that age we just got them things we would have bought anyway as the joy is really in taking them out of the stocking! So some socks/bibs, a book, satsuma, new toothbrush, bubble bath... we put them in different paper bags inside the stocking and he enjoyed taking them all out (and putting them back in!)

My DD has just turned one. A few ideas for presents that she received..

A wooden rocking horse (brought second hand)
A swing (loves this. We brought it earlier in the year when Mothercare had a sale)
A paddling pool (this hasn't been out the box yet but I think she'll like it on warmer days)
Infantino sensory balls (quite likes these for the different textures)
V-Tech elephant ball popping toy (loves this but mostly just likes to hold the balls)
Clothes
Simple board books (Sainsburys sell some classics like the Hungry Caterpillar etc for about £3.50 each)
A set of little cars from ELC
A walker (so far she's just pulled on bits of it to make noises)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Snacks (Kiddylicious wafers and that sort of thing which she likes to eat)
Pop-up castle tent (quite cheap from Tiger)

Other things she quite likes - ball pool (charity shops always seem to have packs of balls for sale), rubber ducks, the Tomy squeaky eggs in an egg carton, wooden bricks/blocks, stacking cups, one of the noisy V Tech spinning ball toys.

I think one of her favourite things is a little wooden aligator xylophone toy which is about £11 from Argos. I do get a lot of her toys from charity shops though, especially wooden toys as they're so cheap. Babies go through toys so quickly that it seems silly to buy everything new. We were given one of the expensive bouncers which she used for about 4 months before she was bored of it.

They will probably prefer the boxes and packaging rather than the toy. Whatever you get make sure it’s wrapped in something shiny or sparkly.

My DD turns one this week and what we have for her is a lovely activity table, books, nice clothes, xylophone as she loves music and a nice wooden stacker. Her grandparents have got her a sandpit. All these are toys we know she will really enjoy.

I dont plan to spend much at all on Christmas. Im thinking something small, that I hope they will have for a long time as more of a memento of their first Christmas eg a book, a nice Christmas stocking and a soft toy.

These are all brilliant ideas! Thank you! Love the swing set idea or a trike, just want to get things that he will get lots of mileage out of.
What are the squeaky egg things?

TOMY Toomies Hide and Squeak Eggs, Educational Shape Sorter Baby, Toddler & Kids Toy, Suitable For 6 Months & 1, 2 & 3 Year Old Boys & Girls https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00068Q7LC/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_SzImDb4JTQER8

We got DD a trike for her first birthday and honestly it's been the best thing we've bought her. She loves it, and its handy for strapping her in to now she's not a lover of her pram!

The eggs are really popular with my one year old. We got his older brother a big box of second hand happyland for his first birthday and also got it out of storage to give it to our second. It is 5 years old and still is going strong. If money is tight, then honestly do look at second hand stuff. A lot of children’s toys are absolutely fine with a good clean.

Also lift the flap books are popular, both my boys have really loved Dear Zoo.