What's a good gift for a 1st birthday?
I've been invited to a first birthday bash for a family member. It's been a while since I've had a one-year-old and I am a terrible gift-buyer. If you have a one year old, what would be a good present? They live in the Bay Area, and they aren't rich but they can mostly buy whatever they need for their child. I want to spend $35-50. Suggestions?
Sep 20, 2023
Parent Replies
I would recommend asking the parent if they have a wishlist and if not, would they like a toy gift, clothes, or an experience? Experience gifts would be like tickets to Fairyland, a pack of tickets to the Steam Train, etc. Usually the parent(s) can help guide. If not, you can go to a local toy or gift store and they should be able to help you. For example, Jenny K in El Cerrito is great at helping pick out gifts and they can ship for you if you're not local.
Even though one-year-olds can't read, board books are wonderful gifts. Especially those tactile ones that the child can touch. Oooh and grunting during the reading goes a lot way to making the book a wonderful experience the child will ask for again and again. I recommend Peek-A-Who? You really can't go wrong with that book.
Keep it simple. Target gift card.
Don't forget the birthday card.
And include a gift receipt in case it does not work.
Our go-to-gift for the first birthday is a clear acrylic bird feeder (like this) and a big bag of bird seed. One-year-olds LOVE to watch birds, and they don't really need toys at that age.
I think books are great, especially since there are so many options you are unlikely to duplicate one they already have, and (to my mind, anyway) a kid can't have too many books. When my daughter was learning to talk, she really loved My Very First Mother Goose (edited by Iona Opie and illustrated by Rosemary Wells), just flipping through the book and naming things in the pictures that she knew the word for. She knew where to find every horse picture in the book and would flip through the book to show me.
Echoing the book suggestion - and it doesn't have to be limited to a board book or toddler book; you can give a classic that you loved as an older child. That said, someone gave my son "Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks" (Calef Brown) which consists of 14 poems that are also mini-stories, with amazing illustrations, when he was either one or two. We read it almost every night for YEARS. It is the perfect bedtime book length, too; takes about 20 min. to read.
Musical instruments — the Hape pounding balls with xylophone is awesome, or get them a tongue drum! The tone is so much less jarring for the parents than the typical children’s toys and my kiddo loves theirs. This is not marketed to babies but the parents can just supervise when baby has the sticks.
Bath crayons and toddler crayons and a roll of huge paper (can get that from IKEA)
Board books!!! Some favorites:
- Big red barn by Margaret Wise Brown (author of goodnight moon) Amazing one for putting baby to sleep
- The very lonely firefly by Eric carle (less well-known than very hungry caterpillar but very fun and the end has a surprise!)
- Dinosnores OR The Going to Bed Book, both by Sandra Boynton (so cute and fun to read for parents)
There are many good lists of best board books for one year olds online as well.
A puppet! The folkmanis ones at Five Little Monkeys are amazing and kids at that age love the idea of a stuffed animal moving and interacting with them.
A well chosen board book makes a great gift. I prefer realistic ones with beautiful artwork, which is a Montessori concept, (I howl I growl is my baby’s current favorite book). Sandra Boynton books and Dr Seuss are worthy exceptions to this in my opinion though! Also wooden toys like stacking rings, shape sorters, or those things you push around and they clack… these are some ideas based on what my one year old is into these days! Good luck :)