Suggestions for First Birthday

[cindylouhoo]

I'd like to go ahead and begin purchasing items as I find them on sale for DS's birthday. Now, granted it is over 6 mos. away, but it will be right after all the holiday hustle and bustle. Plus, I'm undecided about returning to teaching in August. So, either I will have less time if I'm working or less $ if I'm not. I'd like to get a head start and get the most out of our money. I'm thinking $300 or less for gifts. Is that a good limit? Also, he has tons of relatives and friends who will want suggestions, so I'm thinking we will get him the "big" gift(s) and let them give him the less expensive items. Any ideas for gifts? TIA

[colleenfs]

Emma will be 1 next month. Since we already have an older dd, there is not too much that we don'a already have. We have decided to keep Emma's bday lowkey. Here is what I plan to get her -

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Home
Step 2 Ride on
playsilks
Fisher Price Laugh and Learn phone from her sister
Gertie ball - it's bumpy, so baby can grab hold of it easily


~Colleen
Julia, 1-10-02
Emma, 7-27-05

[annasmom]

Well, these may not be "big" items, but some hits around here were the gertie ball, playsilks, Melissa and Doug rainbow stacker (ds LOVED it!), and our Brio pushbroom (ds uses it a lot now, at 18 months, but not so much at 12 months).

Also, you may not think of these as "boy toys" but our play kitchen and stroller are always huge hits with the boys who come to play at our house. I have had so many moms of only boys buy a small kitchen or stroller for their ds after a visit here! Just today we were at the park with a ton of kids, and it was the boys by far who were fighting over Anna's stroller!

Some other ideas - Kettler (or similar trike, I think its called the Kiddio that gets great reviews on this board), wooden blocks, balls, balls and more balls, stacking cups, small basketball hoop set, play tent and tunnel set.

HTH!! Have fun shopping!!

[jhrabosk]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm curious...are these items for a 1-year-old, or items kids like during their first year?

For example, when are kids generally ready for a trike?

All these things I hadn't thought of! So glad this thread got started... :)

[annasmom]

Well, I didn't personally get a trike for my ds when he turned one, but from what I have read here, it seems like a popular first birthday gift. My ds was definitely NOT ready for a trike at one. I did get him a Little Tikes racer for Christmas (he turned one two days later), which he was probably still too little for at the time, but now loves. I actually just got a Kettler for my dd for Christmas (she was about 2 1/2).

Everything else that I listed my ds played with at one, or soon thereafter. In any event, they are all still toys that he is interested in at 18 months.

[dules]

Hmmm, I think $300 is a nice, generous number but think you can do a lot for a 1 year old for a lot less $ if you want to.

We gave our DD the Fisher Price learning home for her first birthday, which also falls near holiday time. Over the holidays she also received the Little People house and barn, a couple of cool Haba toys from one of the Oompa or Maukilo coops that tend to be organized here, and not much else. She was thrilled and frankly more interested in the boxes, ribbons, etc. than the toys until well after the holiday "rush" was over. With that in mind, all of those toys got a lot of play time. Our total cost (a few items were gifts) was probably $100-$125.

Blocks would also be a great gift (we already had my set from when I was a child). Also balls, playsilks, maybe a first soft baby doll, etc.

For her second birthday she got a wooden kitchen, which I grabbed on a steal in July for around $200 shipped for a sink, stove and fridge. So you can definitely find "off season" deals on big items if you start looking. Then for holidays etc. she got kitchen accessories, a high chair for her doll, etc. So the birthday was a big spendy at $200 but then the holiday gifts were mostly smaller.

If you're getting a trike with a pushbar and if you live somewhere it will be used in winter that's a great idea. For us, we would never be able to use it in the northeast in winter so we waited to buy until Spring (and then we got a hand me down, no pushbar but it was free).

Hope this helps give you some ideas.


Best,
Mary

[mommab]

We got dd #1 a Madame Alexander Huggums doll for her first b-day in the $50 range, and she loved it! My dad got her the Radio Flyer All Terrain Wagon (big knobby air-filled tires), and it has been a hit! She was no where near being able to ride a trike at that age - she got a Kettler this past Christmas at age 2.25 along with the wooden kitchen available at Costco last summer. I guess I'm saying there aren't too many "big ticket" items that a 1 year-old can enjoy - maybe save those for the next year. Just my 2 cents!