wish list recommendations for dd's first year

[weeboagie]

DD is 11 weeks old just now and I am getting loads of requests for ideas for Christmas pressies for her. I want to be sensible and ask for stuff that will be useful in the coming year rather than receive a dozen small pink cardigans!
Do you have any advice? What item or piece of equipment could you not have done without? Already have on list - McLaren buggy, Bumbo and high chair. DH wants one of those bouncy things that you hang from the door frame but I've heard mixed reviews.
Any help appreciated.

We found our door bouncer was great, especially as the living room in our (then) house was not v big, so DD could still be mobile without being limited for space.

bumbo - good for two minutes, cant use too early as they flop and once dtrong enough they climb out and dont get a huge expensive highchair, we got an expensive chiccomama and its too big and bulky, dd hates it and prefers plastic or wood ones in resteraunts.

I bought a big comfy Cosatto high chair for DD which reclined and alsorts (v similar to the Chicco Mama) and we love it. DD found it really comfy from the day we started using it when she was around 4-5 months old and she still likes eating in it now, at (a big for her age) 2y 3m. It is a bit of a sod to clean though.

I loved our bumbo. DD hated the bouncy chair things as she prefered to sit up. It is v. handy if you are nipping out to the garden. DD used to love sitting in it watching me washing up etc. I still use it now she is 10 months. One of the best things I bought.

We have the cosatto highchair too.......it is excellent and comfy its called the aurora and available from kiddicare.com.

bean loves his bumbo, he gets a better view from the sitting position. he gets really frustrated lying on the floor when he can't see what everyone is doing. We have a maclaren buggy too, it's great. Just ordered a tripp trapp high chair, i have convinced myself it's worth the money.

I couldn't live without my grobag, bean slept through the night as soon as we got it, have now got 2 and have asked my sister to get me the next size up for xmas.

Loved our tippitoes bouncer and so did dd - have lots of photos of her beaming her head off in it! Also it would keep her entertained for 10-15 minutes whilst I washed up or made lunch or whatever - invaluable in my view!

Smaller presents - those stacking cubes are great, also bath toys as they start to get interested in the world around them. What about some nice books with strong flaps for lifting or things to touch and feel in them.

Bouncy door thing I found a waste of space - ds not really interested....how about a swing for the summer (by then dd should be able to sit upright and you can get a highbacked seat...
books
anything that plays a tune! (ds had a ball that lit up and played tunes - drove us mad, but he loved it...)

Recommend the Amazing Baby graphic board books, lovely mix of bright graphics and photos. Dd adores hers and has done since she was six months old. Real staying power, these books.
Also on the books front both our children have loved Each Peach Pear Plum, Peepo! and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, they are never too early to start being read to.
Stacking cups for the bath will come in handy quite soon.
And I've never met a baby who doesn't adore listening to this gorgeous Christmas compilation CD - it is just lovely. Enchanted Carols

An activity table might be a nice idea. We got link{http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruHome/BruBabyToys/BruBabyToysBirth/BruBabyToysPlaygymWalkers/516740?ref=Search/this} one for DS when he was about 7 months and he loves it, as do all the other kids that come round (up to about 8 years of age!!!) There are loads of different types and a huge price range on these so I would suggest going in the shop and actually having a look (and a play).

Do you have a play gym or a bouncy chair? There were invaluable to me in the first 6 months. Again there's lots of different one's but I'm sure MNers will give you feedback on these.

What about a carrier, a mobile for the cot, Grobags???

.... better stop before I take over..

BR

Books(favourties in our house where spot books, brown bear, brown bear what do you see, the hungrey catepillar, Rod Campbell books, maisey books - I could go on!), music CDS (mozart etc) and the best thing we got was a marble tree (dd1 doesn't play with it incase of marbles up the nose but she loves to watch it - and it looks good and will last her a long time! marble tree

Bum put a / instead of a \

Try {http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruHome/BruBabyToys/BruBabyToysBirth/BruBabyToysPlaygymWalkers/516740?ref=Search\this}

arrgghhh

link{http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruHome/BruBabyToys/BruBabyToysBirth/BruBabyToysPlaygymWalkers/516740?ref=Search\this}

God I'm crap today.... and determined to get this right

this

I really want one of these , have put it on my christmas list

A baby walker or brick trolley. DS had both and used to like toddling along behind them from about 10 months. ELC do a wooden brick trolley. A pushalong car. DS had one that had a support around it and electronic toy thing on that and then when he got bigger you could take it off and he could push himself around the house and then it eventually became an outside toy. I've cleaned it up and DD has been sitting in it since about 5 months. Its Chicco and I think Argos sell it.

Soft books and board books. DD is 6 months and has bedtime stories and loves manhandling those cloth books. DS has loved the Maisy books. A sand pit or that might be better next Christmas.

We're getting DD a Fisher Price Ball Blast that has been recommended on Mumsnet. It says from 9 months on it.

Fisher Price crawl to slide playground - dd loved hers from about 6 months and is now 2 and it's still used daily (small enough to sit in the corner of the lounge as well).

Wooden shape sorter toys, such as Noah's Ark and also wooden drum and xylophone were 2 of dd's favourites from about 7 months old.

Portable highchair such as the Handysitt or Tamsit.

Bath toys.

Any stacking toys.

Agree on the book front but avoid lift the flap books as they just rip the flaps off.

Hippychick hip seat - I have one now and wish I'd had it in the 1st year.

Agree Bumbos are great up until about 9 months.

If you plan a summer holiday somewhere hot, why not ask for a UVA protective sunsuit?

Think that's enough from me!

Hi,

Here is my list of items that I have found great during the past year( dd now 14mths)

Tippitoes bouncer, takes a bit of practice getting her in and out but the smiles are really worth it. They love the feeling of independence and moving when they want to. My dd had such a great time with this.

2. Graco swing, I used this from early on and found it really useful, especially if I wanted to have something to eat for lunch and she was not in the mood to sleep or just rest.
   I also found that she loved the motion and especially the bear mobile above her.

3. Cot aquarium(Fisher price I think) dd loves this, has lots of lovely tunes and fish swimming around to send them to sleep. I also found the waves etc really relaxing myself(sad I know, but I missed it when she moved out of our room)

4. Tiny love arch, she loved it when she was little and it the car or her pushchair.

My SIL did a great thing, she bough a whole load of different rattles and noisy small toys. She said I would find it really useful to have a range that I could rotate, and she was certainly right.

hope this helps a bit.