My Gift Guide: First Birthday

Our daughter's first birthday is in May! How exciting is that?!
In my head I started planning her first birthday party when she was around 6 months old! LOL
I'll share details of the party with pictures and tips in May or June, so stay tuned for that.
For now it's about the sensitive topic of gifts.
She honestly has everything she needs and no child needs a ton of toys to be happy...

...but since nobody can ever resist getting her gifts and it just shows that she is loved and family and friends care about her I thought I'll share a little gift guide.

"Something you want,

something you need,

something to wear 

and something to read"

I don't know where this approach or so-called "four-gift rule" comes from but I really like it.
This is what I picked for each category:

Toys

"Something you want..."

So since our Baby Girl is turning one she can't express what she wants yet. 

We're just assuming it's toys, right?


1. Ball Track

Ball Tracker 

Babies enjoy watching the ball go from side to side until it reaches the ground. It's an activity they can repeat multiple times by placing the ball on top of the track. It takes a little practice though. Once they figure that out this toy can keep them occupied for a while!

2. Wooden Rainbow

Wooden Rainbow

The price tag on this one is a little shocking considering it seems like you're paying a fortune for 12 pieces of colorful wood BUT hear me out:

It's sustainably handmade in Germany with non-toxic stains, so it's durable and will last forever!
It's really big, colorful and the play opportunities are endless! Open-ended play is something you want to promote for your little one because it makes them smart! While kids use this toy they have to come up with ways to play with it, rather than just being entertained by it.

"It's a stacker & puzzle, plus pieces can be used as bridges, tunnels, fences, beds & more!"


3. (Large) Schleich animals

Animal figurines are one of the few must-haves for children in my opinion. These by Schleich are very realistic, detailed and well made. I'm going to mention open-ended and creative play again with these, because children have to come up with their own ideas and stories to play with the animals. The rainbow and the Schleich animals can, by the way, be combined in play very well.

 

Since our daughter is only turning one year old I would suggest the larger animals since they are less likely to pose a choking hazard. The manufacturer only suggests playing with those from the age of 36 months... Probably to be safe. But use these suggestions at your own discretion. It's probably best to not leave your child unsupervised while playing with these toys.

Necessities 

It's hard to say what she really NEEDS except for food and love (right?) but I feel like these items will really make an impact developmentally and are ones she probably wouldn't put on her list of "wants".

1. Kitchen Step / Learning Tower / Learning Step

I originally wanted to build one out of an IKEA step stool and a stool or chair but they are sold out in all of the IKEAS nearby and they don't sell them online. Other online sources like eBay etc sell just the stool we'd need for the base for $80. Might as well get the actual thing for that price. 

2. Wooden Walk and Push Cart / Trolley

or

These are very helpful while Baby Girl learns how to stand up and walk on her own. Once she can walk she will also be able to transport toys or other treasures in the cart! How cute is that! 

I've heard that these trolleys also don't move away forward as easily when babies first learn how to stand up and can't balance so well yet, which helps them not to fall over. 

Clothes

"Something to wear..."

I personally love getting clothes for the little ones and I did even before I had my own child. There are so many pretty and cute things for children out there!
My daughter wears a lot of clothes I originally got and we now got back from my friend's daughter! So she has a lot of things to wear but there are still some special pieces out there I would love to see her in.

1. Hunter Boots

These are so ridiculously cute! Our Baby Girl will need rain boots once she can walk on her own since we usually walk everywhere in our village and so she can jump into muddy puddles in Peppa pig style. I've seen those boots on a lot of kids on Pinterest and Instagram (obviously! lol) and find them so cute in yellow and black! I would probably recommend getting them in a bigger size then for a 1-year-old since most toddlers that age I've experienced don't really walk that much on their own yet.

2. Pajamas

We recently purchased 2 pairs of pajamas by Burts Bees Baby and I'm so in love with them! We bought them in the size 18 months since we already have a lot pajamas in size 9 to 12 months, so now I'm impatiently waiting for them to fit her! They are made from organic cotton, so they are nice and soft and they zip up - for mommy's and daddy's sanity while getting our Baby Girl dressed and ready for bed.

I love these patterns:
Floral Purple
Etched Evergreens Tree
I see Seahorses
Surf's Up
Twinkle Bee

Books

"and something to read"


1. Karen Katz books with flaps

Where is Baby's puppy?

by Karen Katz

Where is Baby's birthday cake?

by Karen Katz

Our daughter has been loving these type of books since she turned 7 months old. When she was 8 months old she was able to lift the flaps with a little help as well. I think that we will be using those books for a while because they will help with language development long after discovering what's under the flap gets boring. And the illustrations are so cute! I love how in "Where is Baby's home?", which we borrowed from our local library, the baby discovers animal's homes while exploring but is always with a parent - mom OR dad. There is so much thought in that.

We already own "Where is baby's bellybutton?" and "Toes, Ears & Nose!"



2. Ginger Swift books with flaps

4-Pack of Animal Babies books

by Ginger Swift

We own the Babies in the forest book in Polish, which is called "Lesne Maluchy" and it's so dearly loved! We read almost every day! These are chunky, somewhat heavy little books and the flaps are really easy to open. The illustrations are also very cute and detailed. 

3. Books with mirrors

Making Faces 

by Abrams Appleseed

This is apparently a classic but I have never heard of it before I randomly picked it out of the board books shelf in the library, only because it has a mirror in the back. Our daughter loves mirrors and she finds the faces in the books interesting as well. 

My first I SEE YOU

by Eric Carle 

This book is also filled with mirrors so I'm pretty positive that it will be loved by our girl!


Obviously these are very personal picks matching our daughters development and interests at the moment. If you're not sure what to get a little one you know and love it's best to ask their parents!

Thank you for visiting my blog!
Mery