Christmas Toys - Billings,MT

I remember telling my family that this is a Christmas that they can enjoy gift free. Most kids really need very litte until they're about 2 or 3 - even then kids have way too many toys. I'd go with the college account suggestion from Denise P. below -. My inlaws actually went into debt buying all these expensive presents for my kids and I used to beg them to instead buy a small gift and deposit the money they'd otherwise spend into their 529 account. I even gave them the deposit slips! Nothing. Now they're teens and we have bins of American Girl dolls & accessories, race car & train sets, etc.

Books!!! My kids get nice books every holiday and they have quite the collection already! Really nice hardcover books that will last from now until the school age years.

My 6 year old daughter still reads books we've bought for her when she was a baby :) "I'll love you forever" is her favorite (mine too!!) Mother goose is a great choice, short and simple for babies and when they start reading they are easy words!!

Another thought, maybe for you to get is a personalized book. I saw one at a craft show and ordered it online later. IT is the sweetest thing, it's all about her birth, personalized with her name, birth weight, dr.'s name etc. It's such a great keepsake!

Tell them that you've opened (or are opening) a 529 college fund. A 6 mo doesn't need a lot of toys, so encourage them to contribute to her future!

At that age my kids loved to look at pictures of other babies so my mom found board books with pictures of babies and animals. Also I got a stuffed mirror that was a big hit with both my kids. V-Tech makes a rolling ball that plays music when hit that was played with quiet a bit but not as much as some of the other non-electric toys. Also toys r us had some little balls that had sqeekers, cybols and rattles it them that were just the right size for both my kids hands and had bright colors and noise when shaken those are still played with. Tub toys are also a good idea. My mom also gave my kids "grandma time" certificates good for one day with grandma, all of us won on that one!!!

Lots of great responses. Love the college savings account, books (can never have enough of either), toys for her to grow into. The only other thing I would suggest is clothing for her next sizes or her big girl carseat if you do not have it yet. We were so bombarded with clothes when our baby was born but now that we are needing 12mo, 18mo + clothing we have nothing. So it is always nice to have things in the closet for her to grow into, as overwhelming as it may seem at the time. Also, may want to check top sellers on amazon.com (reviews are SO helpful) and you can narrow the search to her age range and see what is popular. Good Luck!

Think about next spring/summer and think about what would be fun to use outside. Blow-up pool, fun sprinkler, slide, balls, wagon, some type of scooter or small trike, etc.

just like gifts you get at a baby shower...a basket w/diapers, lotion, soap, wipes etc...is ALWAYS needed and it can include an educational toy as per Jenny's post.

Kids out grow their toys fast, so I would look for things that have adjustments you can make to get them to last at older ages.

books, shape sorting toys, soft blocks, contribution to a 529B (college savings). diapers too if they don't mind something that isn't "fun". Or, you can just tell the people asking to look on Toys R US and Babies R US websites and look at age appropriate toys and let them do the research.

my son was 5mnths last year at christmas, here is what he got. an activity bouncer (which sounds like you've covered.) baby einstein dvd (which he loves and in fact is watching right now) blocks, a glow worm, a laugh and learn puppy, and set of rings on a peg (the classic kind that I remeber from my childhood. and some cloth books. instead of looking at birth to 12mnths toys try the ones the specifically say 6mnths

I always like the Little Einstein DVD's which are educational and fun for babies.

stacking cups
board books
CD's with classical music
Mozart Cube (really hard to find but totally worth it)
soft blocks
things with wheels
gift cards

TOYS FOR THE NEXT YEAR! We found that everyone went way over-the-top for his first Christmas, so we requested some "big boy" toys too so that he would have things to play with throughout the upcoming months.

Someone could start a Christmas book collection for her. We get ours out every year after Thanksgiving and read them all December long and then pack them back away with the Christmas decorations. My kids (6 and 8) really look forward to hearing them each year!

My grandfather always gets my kids savings bonds, but for my 6 month old, I think my son got one of those table that they push buttons on for music, words, etc. I think it was leapfrog. My daughter is now harder, because she has all those things. She loves teethers and anything she can manipulate with her hands and then shove in her mouth, books were great. You can walk down that age of a toy store just to get an idea.

membership to the children's museum or zoo? or whatever is in your area...

Check out my Christmas Toy Guide for great ideas for your little one this year. I just went through the same process with my in-laws and parents for my 8 month old boy. Its tough at this age but there are some cute gifts for them out there.

http://www.ittakesavillagedallas.com/It_takes_a_village/B...

My list for kiddos your age is for some top selling items that kids love. If you already have some of these you can also try:

1. Whats inside the box? http://www.amazon.com/One-Step-Ahead-Whats-Inside/dp/B002...

2. Nest and Stack buckets (my kids loved these) - http://www.amazon.com/I-Play-G02082-Nest-Stack-Buckets/dp...

3. Personalized photo book - I just bought this and got it last night for my son. The quality is great and I love that you can personalize it!
http://www.toystogrowon.com/sku200P

Good Luck
VillageMom
www.ittakesavillagedallas.com

Two of my favorites for a 6 month old:

Try-Angle: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...

Go Go Caterpillar: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...

Check out these and more at http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

K.
Make your holiday shopping easy! Choose Discovery Toys and invest in your child's future.