Great 1st Birthday Present Ideas

It is a special time for any parent when their baby turns one.  It seems to mark the start of the end of ‘baby’ and that can be a wrench. Sometimes it feels like there is a lot of pressure around 1st birthdays and having the perfect 1st birthday party or buying the perfect 1st birthday present so I thought I would lend a hand and write a list of great 1st birthday presents.  I have always liked to get a present that means something on their 1st Birthday.  Toys are great and so there some of those on my list of great 1st birthday present ideas, but only ones that are made to last…

1. A book or collection of classic books.  I bought my children all the Beatrix Potter books, the complete set of Mr Men books , All the Malory Towers books and the Winnie the Pooh books.  I also write something heartfelt and personal to them about their first year in the book so that they can keep it forever.
2. A bar of silver or gold so that once they are older they can have a piece of jewellery made
3. A framed family photo from their first birthday with the date engraved so they will have the moment recorded
4. A star in the sky named after them
5. A charm bracelet which you can then add to each year
6. A photo book of their first year to be kept for them once they are older
7. A teddy bear made out of their baby clothes
8. A canal system toy.  This might seem random alongside the rest of the list, but honestly this is the best toy we ever bought for our children.  It is so versatile and they will play with it again and again
9. A rocking horse.  If you get a good one they can last for many years to come
10. A wooden toy kitchen.  Part of the early years curriculum is focused on teaching children in home vocabulary so by having a toy kitchen you can encourage this area of development
11. A wooden train set.  This is a gift that children will use again and again and can fire their imagination for years to come, but the trains are chunky enough for the littlest hands to play with