First birthday present?

[charlie01]

Has anyone got any ideas of something useful I could buy my DS for his first birthday? He got so much for Christmas I really can't think of anything I could get that he will actually play with. Would it be really awful not to get him a proper present? I've got him some books but can't think of anything that wouldn't be a waste of money. Only possibilities are a tunnel (?!) or one of those rocking caterpillars? Any thoughts?

yes please!

For our ds's first birthday we got him a small bumblebee wheely bug . It was a bit large for him initially but he grew into it within a few months and still just squeezes onto it now at 4½.
For my dd we bought an adorable wicker pram which she just loves.
The idea being we wanted to get them an heirloom of a toy which they could always keep as a memento of their babyhood!

How about some outside toys for the spring if you have a garden or balcony such as a ride on, sand/water table here or indoor play table this one , swing, small slide or mini climbing frame such as these

a sand pit
dd had one aged about 18mths and it has been the single most consistently popular toy with her and all friends who come visiting. ds now 1 (today!) also loves it and has virtually stopped trying to cram handfuls of sand into his mouth. he now tries to put handfuls of sand into my pockets instead.
get one with a lid.
even if you don't have outdoor space, the sand & water play tables don't take up much room.

We got her a Winnie the Pooh ride on fire engine that played tunes, sirens, had a revving engine and (the best bit) blew bubbles out of the hose. She loves it and its always played with when other come.

We got our DS This

I got my son an inflatable chair from The Disney Store. It's the genie in the Aladin film. It takes about 20 minutes to blow up, and you feel like you are going to pass out, but he absolutely adores it.. When he goes to his grandparent's they have one each and as soon as he see's it he is calm and relaxed and jumps up and down on it. It costs only £5, but in the sales at the moment they are only £2. I appreciate it won't be his main present, but it has totally transformed my son's life, as it is HIS CHAIR!!

We had same problem as DS1's birthday is just after Xmas (today in fact!) We bought a height measure thingy to go on the wall. Not much play value there obviously but him and DS2 like getting measured evry so often!