1 year old birthday present ideas?

[3lele]

Hi everyone,

my little girl is turning 1 at the end of October but I want to start buying presents now. Maybe 1 or 2 each month but I have no idea where to start lol. She’s my first child. Any ideas or suggestions please?

A play kitchen is always a big hit.

My son loves his giggle and spin giraffe (Amazon). Worth its weight in gold!

Scuttlebugs can be very hit and miss at that age, but we bought one. He's starting to enjoy it!

If you have the space, slide or swing for the garden

Ball pit

12/24 presents will be overwhelming at that age. If you want to budget just the money to one side and wait to see what she is into then. There is a huge variation in ability and interest at this age.

Thanks! :)

I think after 1 is when the boys/girls toys seem to start being a bit different (rightly or wrongly). Girls often get a pram for their first birthday. My little boy got a play kitchen, we had a voucher for a big workbench with tools similar to a play kitchen so bought that around the same time, he got a soft play slide and ball pit (although I said I wasn’t having a ball pit, it’s now away in the cupboard for a break 🙈).

One of the best things he got was this little bike called a Q play cutey bike, I think you can get them in smyths, he couldn’t go it at first but uses it every day now zooming round the house and he takes it out a walk too, it’s been a good one for when he’s still too small for a balance bike. He got a red and yellow little tikes car for Christmas at 18 months and my friend just got one for her little girl’s birthday but I’d say it’s more towards age 2 they’re actually usable. He also loves the happy land toys from ELC so we have built up that gradually with gifts and he has my old wooden train set from when I was little that he’s loved since just after 12 months

I went very low key on the presents when DD turned 1. They don't have interest in a big heap of presents so unless you're the only people who will buy her a present, I'd probably hang back a bit.

My parents got DD a skuttlebug which she liked from the off and still won't let go of now (she's 5!)

I got DD a ragdoll, a big ball for the garden and a mobile for her ceiling (not a spinning baby one; just a decorative one that goes with the theme of her room)

By her 2nd birthday it was much more obvious what she would really benefit from and enjoy and she got bigger things like a slide, rocking toy, jigsaws etc.

Honestly, don't. With hindsight I wished I hadn't spent so much on buying toys that never got played with. DD was overwhelmed and most things lived in boxes untouched really.

I would put some of the money aside and start a SIPP and the rest I'd buy one bigger thing.

If my DD was small now I would buy her a Pikler style wooden climbing triangle thing, with rocker and slide, I believe they are quite expensive but great for creative play and development and last a long time. I'd leave a cooker until Christmas or even the next year when role play really starts.

Cheaper things that were a hit at that age included musical instruments and shakers and an aqua draw.

I actually went so low key on dds first birthday, spent about £30 in mothercare on some garden toys (June birthday) and then just got a teddy I think.
MIL bought a swing and my mum bought a slide. She was so spoilt, we had a big family party because we had just moved house and tied the two together, housewarming birthday party.
You really don’t need to go over the top, subsequent birthdays when they can remember them are the times you wish you could get away with them being delighted at the low key presents 😂
(not that you have to go over the top ever but you know what I mean)

https://charnwoodschild.co.uk/collections/gifts-for-a-1st-birthday

I used this shop's gift guides, the little dutch range is great for 1 year olds

Honestly just buy a couple of bits and save the money. Every one else went mad and she got so much it was overwhelming.

My 14m old currently loves any sort of ball so I would say that's a cheap win! Among her birthday/Christmas presents the biggest successes have been the bubble machine and bath toys. She is currently not playing with toys much as wants to be on the move constantly. If we had space I would definitely get a ball pool as she loves the one at her friends house.

The scuttlebug is great for that age.

A trike … we use it over the pram on days out as she can see so much more

Gonna be boring and say money in a savings account

DD1 was probably 4 before we bought her an actual birthday present. Just wrap something you already have to pose for a photo. Baby won't know any different. You'll be glad of some extra cash in the bank when you have a teenager needing a laptop or heading off to college.

People have offered some really great suggestions already but if you have a fairly big budget then save the money and buy her a few things throughout the year. She's small enough that she won't take it for granted.

With a birthday in Autumn and then Christmas you may find she'll have sufficient presents from family and friends and then less to enjoy on summer beach trips, in the garden etc and you could then spend her birthday money on sand toys, a garden slide, a paddling pool or something similar. Or just some presents that really capture her imagination as she developed her own interests etc as she gets older. The developmental and personality difference between a 1yr old and a 2yr old is huge.

I got DD a pikler triangle and slide, it still gets daily use now and she’s nearly 3. DS (9 months) likes putting blocks down the slide and using it to pull up / cruise.

My little ones favourite 1st birthday and Christmas presents (a few months later) were a laugh and learn chair, a baby doll, a shopping trolley, a toy kitchen, an activity cube and cars. He still plays with them all now at nearly 2 :P

Thank you everyone :)

1 or 2 for the next 6 months?

But her 1 thing like a scuttle bug or puzzle something.

She'll get stuff from other people.

We got our one year old a xylophone and some books/clothes (he didn't get anything from anyone else as we told them not to bother). We also took him to an aquarium as he enjoyed looking at fish and coloured lights.

One year olds don't understand the concept of a birthday or presents yet so I'd save your money until your child is older 🙂

Our son is now nearly three and definitely knows what a birthday is so we'll make a bigger deal of it this year.

We got a teddy and a helium balloon for DC1 first birthday. The helium balloon was a big hit!

A little musical keyboard on a stand went down brilliantly

Things for the garden - water play table, sand pit, paddling pool, slide or swing

Toys for the bath

PIL also suggested a few fish and a fish tank

I really wouldn’t!

Family and friends will probably want to buy lots of presents for her first birthday, so I would have a list of suggestions ready for if people ask, rather than buying the things yourself.

Also she will change so much between now and October.

Actual suggestions though:
play kitchen
toddler sized table and chairs
happyland figures
toot toot cars
leap frog picnic basket
wooden fruit that you cut in half