1st birthday present

[stircrazymum]

Its my dd 1st birthday in a few weeks. I feel like this is a real milestone and feel great that we have got to this stage (there were times when I thoughts we wouldn't!). I want to get her a meaningful but not soppy present that she will enjoy. She has loads of clothes, soft toys, several 'sit and rides' ready from relatives for presents.

Any ideas from experinces '1st birthday' parents??

We were given a charm bracelet for DD with one charm. The idea is that she'll get a new charm each birthday. I thought that it was a really nice idea, and hopefully one that she'll really appreciate when she's a grown-up.

stir crazy - when my dd1 was just born and when she turned 1, I wrote her a letter. I included what had happened in the news, what she was able to do, what she did to make me laugh, happy and sad things that had happened in my family.

I just came across it the other day, it was nice to have a snapshot of how she was, I hope she would like to read this in years to come too.

We didn't get our dd anything at all on her first birthday because she was getting so much stuff from everybody else (bad mummy).

kathy - I did the same too. Although I had spent a fortune in clothes

Oh yes, the bracelet wasn't from us, all we got her was her outfit. I'm being pushed by family to get her something for Christmas at the mo, but I don't see the point. She already has everything! Everyone else is buying for her! She'll be more excited by the company and the wrapping paper than anything else!

Great ideas, thanks. I feel like I don't have to buy another expensive gift just for the sake of it!

DD just turned one has lots of toys but the biggest hit is her trike (sounds like you've got one) and her dolls house (ELC).

She is going to need different toys between now and when she is 2, its so difficult when their birthdays is close to Christmas. We've asked people to buy toys she can grow into e.g. Happyland stuff.

A doll's buggy (a nice sturdy one).
A doll's bed and bedding.
A tent/playhouse/wigwam.

We did the charm bracelet thing for DD too as we knew she would get toys/clothes/books from other people and we wanted to mark her first year with something special. She is now nearly 5, has 6 or 7 charms (from us and others) and LOVES the bracelet. It is kept somewhere safe but she has supervised access to it. When she is older we will give it to her to look after.

MUCH, MUCH harder to find something along the same lines for DS!!

I love buying stuff for DS, mostly 2nd hand, but both my mum and SIL have said about not buying stuff for him to grow out of just because its Christmas. He will be 1 at the end of January. Has anyone used Vsmile baby? I thought that would last him a while, or is a cheque a better idea?
I love the suggestion about the letter MARGOs and agree with the lack of boy equivalent to charm bracelet idea Feetheart.