First Year Birthday

Do you have a Snack Trap? If not, you should get him one of those. It's a little cup that holds cheerios or crackers or whatever, and has a special lid that keeps the food in, but the kids can still reach inside easily. There are lots of these types of things out there, but the Snack Trap is by far the best! We have several of them and take them everywhere! Just Google "Snack Trap" and you'll find a million places that sell them. Other than that, my daughter got a Fisher Price Little People Barn/Farm for her first birthday and she STILL plays with it, and she'll be 4 on Tuesday. They have them at Target or Walmart for about 20$.

My little boy will be one on June 1 and we decided to get him a little kiddie pool. Since they might put the diaper ban at public pools it will be a good way to get out of the house and enjoy the sun.

Hi K.!
You may feel like you have to spend a lot of money for your son's birthday, but take it from another mom - save your money for when he's a teenager! Ha! The best present ever is a great big bouncy ball. They are so inexpensive, but I guarantee it will be his favorite present ever! If you feel the need to spend a lot - get his photos taken for you or take him to the zoo or another fun activity.
K.

Hi , I bought my grandaughter a Fischer Price storybook chair for her first bithday . She absolutely loves it . They have them at Wal-mart , Shop -ko .C.

Something we received around our son's first birthday was a portable booster seat. The one we have is made by The First Years (I think). It is canvas and has a type of rubber tube inside that you can pump up to the hieght you need....or deflate it for travel. It folds up and is very easy to fit in a suitcase or under a car seat. The back flips up and there are straps that attach it to any regular chair. It's wonderful!! Check it out!

Also....I know different parents have different beliefs about their children watching tv/movies, but we travel regularly to my mom's house 5 hours away. For us a portable DVD player that straps to the back of one of the seats was an absolute NECESSITY!!

My baby had so many toys and clothes from other people that my husband and I got her a savings bond and just a little toy. she likes the little toy but got so many and she won't remember anyway. we felt like the savings bond was a great idea. now my oldest has gotten several of them from other family members for each holiday, she has several hundred dollars and I know she won't be able to spend them willy nilly, sh'll have to wait until they and she reach maturity! good luck and happy birthday!

I was overwhelmed at first with the planning and ideas, and then I just realized that my son, now 15 months, needed toddler books instead of more toys. Also, we enrolled him in a music together class and are still taking them. I really would have liked a nonskid plate and utensil set with a placemat or one of the turtle lights for his room at night. Soon he will need a booster chair. Hope this helps and congratulations!

My little one loves to play in the water so we got her a water table for her 1st birthday and it turned out to be a great present. When its a nice day, I fill it up for my girls (I have a one year old and four year old) and they just go to town splashing and what not.

We got some great practical stuff for her birthday from friends. One of my friends gave her teething tablets and eczema cream. We also got sand toys for playing outside and some clothes.

My oldest when she turned one, got a little sofa the one that folds out into a bed and she just LOVED it.

It is really hard buying for a first birthday because they arent old enough yet for the really fun stuff but all the things for their age range are noisy. I cant stand any more noisy toys. Thats just me though.

I really like the suggestion of sippy cups and other "hardware". My 1 year old really likes the nuby straw cups. They are fabulous and the only things she will drink out of that dont spill easily. Maybe even a new bib. I really like the bumkin ones that are wipeable and have snaps on the crumb catcher that you can easily clean. They also have knock off ones at Walmart that are much cheaper.

Walking shoes would be a good present too. Get a good brand like stride rite or the new walker shoes made by robeez. Anything with a soft sole is what the pediatricians recommend for walking now, not those hard shoes that we wore as kids. My daughter got a pair of stride rite shoes too. So cute, I got them at Ross on clearance for $9.00. I hate spending alot of money on kids shoes you know. But I like getting good brands.

You have great ideas here - I will share what my daughter's favorite toy was she got for her 1st birthday.

She got a drum filled with cute bug instruments. She plays and sings and dances with the instruments ALL the time.

We got them at Target - I believe they are Parent's brand. They're cute for a girl or a boy. They're just bugs!

My in-laws saw that my daughter didnt' really "need" any toys, and they opted to start a savings account for her at my husband and my bank. (easy access and managing for us then) Anyway, from her 1st birthday, they have deposited about $25 each holiday. It really adds up fast! (Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc.)

There are some different ideas - have a great time! It's a bittersweet birthday - exciting and kinda sad that a whole year has already gone by. Happy Birthday little one!

Now is the perfect time to start sippy cups or strawed cups. Have them be fun characters.
Get toys he can grow into so it isn't a waste for just the year mark. I always got toys that were a large span for age group to play with so they enjoyed them longer.
For my son's first bday he got his first big plastic Tonka truck and still plays with it. I filled it up with plastic balls or blocks on his bday and he loved pushing it around and dumping the stuff out.

I am mother or 2 boys, 3.5 and 6 yrs, and have found it so rewarding to get them gifts of the outdoors. They get toys and money from other family so I have tried to focus on things we need for our canoeing, skiing, hiking, biking, camping etc. At one yr old they are not going to remember or care what you purchased as a birthday gift but if it allows quality time together they will always be stronger because of the bond you have built and their character grows with the number of activities they get to enjoy. I consider such items an investment as well as a gift. Things we have "invested" in: infant/ toddler backpack,sun hats, baby pool, tiny hiking boots, children's sleeping bag, outdoor wear such has vest, hat etc, sand/water toys for going to the lake or pool, kiddy umbrella, kiddy hydro pak, bike trailer, helmet for in the trailer, kiddy fishing pole, toy binoculars, swimmer diapers. Target currently has a great deal of childrens outdoor stuff from infant toys to water play stuff to gardening tools and digging toys. Hope this helps a little and have a great birthday! (p.s. NO dark blue frosting- stains every thing, even the bath tub!) :)
Thank God for boys!

We found that age appropriate interactive toys were a big help. Yes, some of those will be noise-makers, so you will have to decide what you can tolerate and what you can't. Things like that helped with car trips.

Clothes are always helpful, especially since by this age, kids are expanding what they eat and frequently want to try eating by themselves.

By that age, my daughter had already chewed through the softer mouth-piece sippy cups, so harder mouth-piece type cup is good. The cups that also have the snack cup on the bottom were also helpful.

Depending on the types of activities you plan on doing outside, you may also wish to consider a stroller that meets those needs and I suggest you get the type that has a basket underneath it. That way you have a place to tuck the diaper-bag or anything else you don't want to carry.

Books, a ride on toy (trike-like), finger paints w/ a smock, bigger balls to chase in the yard, bubbles, small swimming pool, fun sprinkler.

I like toys that get them out of the house and running. Your son is at a great age to play. His body is growing and learning it can do new things everyday. Get toys that encourage that growth.

Enjoy this age... they grow too quickly.

Mom to 3 kids, 7, 4, and 2