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Original poster

What can i buy a baby for their 1st birthday?

25 replies

nicm · 19/02/2004 21:20

Hi

please help me as i don't know what to get. i know i would like to get him something he can keep. Any ideas?

Thanks

OP posts:
Galaxy · 19/02/2004 21:22

message withdrawn

suzywong · 19/02/2004 21:23

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
absolute classic book
or wooden letters to sprll out his name

katierocket · 19/02/2004 21:24

Our best friend bought DS a record for his 1st birthday - his thinking was this...when you grow up, everyone always asks you what the first record you owned was. By buying him a good first record he could always hold his head up high! lighthearted I know but I thought a great idea.

bobthebaby · 19/02/2004 23:30

I bought some musical instruments (drum, bells, woodblock)- nice wooden ones which will last.

GillW · 20/02/2004 13:23

Depends how long you mean by "keep". At one ds's favourite present was a wooden beadframe. Good investment as he still plays with it now, 18 months later, unlike most of the other things he had at one.

charlieplus3 · 20/02/2004 13:31

i did a photo album from pregnancy to age one exactly with the final photo being one of ds and her birthday cake, purely pictures of her. Will be a nice keepsake, i thought. Am doing one for ds too.

Know they cant play with it but she got so much from friends and now at 20mths she loves looking at the photos

marialuisa · 20/02/2004 13:32

DD had a wooden bus from "The toy workshop" from her godfather. That's still played with and they do a range of nice stuff like fire engines which are definitely fine for 1 years up.

wilbur · 20/02/2004 13:41

One of the best presents ds got for his first birthday was a lovely big bath towel all of his own. He'd grown out of baby towels and was just using ours, but then he was given this bright soft, high-quality towel with cars on. I realise it's not going to last forever (although I am still using beach towels from my childhood bought 35 years ago) but he loves it and it is a very special every day thing. Plus we have lots of photos of him wrapped up in it, hiding under it, pulling dd around on it....

wilbur · 20/02/2004 13:44

One of the best presents ds got for his first birthday was a lovely big bath towel all of his own. He'd grown out of baby towels and was just using ours, but then he was given this bright soft, high-quality towel with cars on. I realise it's not going to last forever (although I am still using beach towels from my childhood bought 35 years ago) but he loves it and it is a very special every day thing. Plus we have lots of photos of him wrapped up in it, hiding under it, pulling dd around on it.... Otherwise I would say a really special story book for when he is older.

wilbur · 20/02/2004 13:44

One of the best presents ds got for his first birthday was a lovely big bath towel all of his own. He'd grown out of baby towels and was just using ours, but then he was given this bright soft, high-quality towel with cars on. I realise it's not going to last forever (although I am still using beach towels from my childhood bought 35 years ago) but he loves it and it is a very special every day thing. Plus we have lots of photos of him wrapped up in it, hiding under it, pulling dd around on it.... Otherwise I would say a really special story book for when he is older.

Cha · 20/02/2004 14:35

Doll's buggy, £4.99 from Argos. Both for boys and for girls. When they're one they tend to practice walking and then race around with them, playing 'crashing' or ferrying all sorts of toys about. As they get older, they get into the straps and doing them up/ undoing them. Then it becomes the must for imaginary shopping trips. It is still one of my dd's favourite, most played with toy. It's down as No1 in the Mumsnet best toys for 1-2 year olds. Well it was last time I looked, which is why I bought it for my dd!

donnie · 20/02/2004 14:41

some bob the4 builder trucks from woolworth?

Northerner · 20/02/2004 14:53

Cha - I second the dolls buggy, it is ds's favourite too. Big fights over it when other children come round.

For ds's b'day his nicest present (IMO) was from My MUM and Dad who named a star after him, it's in a beautiful frame on his bedroom wall.

Mum2Ela · 20/02/2004 15:11

As something to 'keep', on the day DD was born I (well, not actually me) bought all the newspapers from the day and also the single and album at no. 1 in the charts.

Coudl you do somehting like that, and put them into a nice box that wouldn't take up too much room but may fit under their bed or similar, so they can bring it out now and again?

LadyCodworth · 20/02/2004 19:09

Fisher Price Garage - he ll keep that fro a couple of years or so!

suzywong · 20/02/2004 19:26

Doll's pushchair very good idea for both boys and girls

Marina · 20/02/2004 20:44

Again depending on what you mean by "keep"...ds got a wooden toddle truck with simple alphabet blocks in. It helped him learn to walk at one...at two he pushed toys round the house in it...at three we did "tobogganning" by pushing him along the hall in it...at four he uses the bricks for monster lairs and spelling out new words. And it gets played with by all our guests. Really good play value!
Failing that, how about a really nice piggy bank? Or some Cheeky Chops or Royal Doulton china?

Original poster
nicm · 21/02/2004 21:23

Hi

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I'm quite interested in the naming a star, Northerner do you know where or how you do that?

Thanks again

OP posts:
Davros · 22/02/2004 10:02

My baby will be 1 in a few weeks and I am planning on inviting the relatives over for birthday tea, nothing elaborate, just a photo opp. Baby won't know what's going on but she'll get lots of attention and will have the photos to keep and look at. Therefore some nice, crafty/bright photo frames for some of the photos or a magnetic board or similar for her room to put some on would be nice. I don't want any sentimental stuff, I'd rather have a nice clock for her room and a mirror, maybe a couple of next size Grobags and some good toys. There's some nice ideas here like wooden letters, big bath towel, it will also depend if there's older siblings as we already have doll's pushchair, garage etc. We already got stuff to keep when she was born, I want things for her to play with and make her room nice, especially as I almost never go shopping. Obviously it depends on what the parents are like but this is the sort of thing I would get for a first birthday.

jampot · 22/02/2004 10:04

My Godmother bought me a premium bond for my first (34 years ago). National Savings Bonds are also very worthwhile.

SignatureScent · 14/05/2010 14:06

Hmm - I LOVE the idea of doing a keepsake book documenting the pregnancy etc etc, but honestly speaking I know I just won't find the time to do this.

Had forgotten how much one year olds love those baby buggies. Think my older ones would still be playing with them now if I hadn't told them it looks too babyish.

stealthsquiggle · 14/05/2010 14:13

We bought DD worthy presents (well, fairly) for her birthday. 2 months later friends bought her a doll for Christmas - she literally jumped up and down and squealed - and we saw how wrong we had got it

I vote classic books. Or a lovely picture for his room? Or... PIL bought each of our DC a wooden "treasure chest" (about 2ft * 1ft) for their first birthdays - they are gorgeous - DS's is a "pirate chest" and DD's is a flat-topped box and I can absolutely see them keeping and valuing them for life.

jellybeans · 14/05/2010 14:16

I have 5 DC and learned through great expense that most toys are a waste of time. I spent a fortune on Fisher Price tat over the years and few have held any interest other than ride on/push along cars/toys and rockers or cars/Thomas trains (if they like Thomas).

You can never have too many picture books though so maybe a personalised one? Or a lovely canvas print of their name for their room?

jellybeans · 14/05/2010 14:18

By the way, thanks for the buggy idea above, I will get one from Argos at the weekend!

SignatureScent · 14/05/2010 14:24

Good advice Jellybeans - and much respect on your five children! I have a mere four - and that's hard enough work.

Canvas print of their name - now that's a lovely idea.

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