Needing Ideas for Son's First Birthday

Sounds like you're getting some good ideas and here's mine: My son is 2 1/5 and he is obsessed with balls. He loves his Little Tykes adjustable basketball hoop we also have a Nerf one that goes over his bedroom door. The Little Tykes was about 29 dollars and the Nerf one was 4 dollars at WalMart. He also likes these Velcro "mitts" that you can catch a tennis ball on. I think I got that at a garage sale. I will also put in a plug for the 2 dollar play ball from WalMart. He received one for Xmas along with probably 6 other balls from friends and family and this is by far his favorite ball. It doesn't cost too much to please a ball fanatic!

Have a happy b'day!

J.

Hit some garage sales! Maybe try and find a slide or small playset that you couldn't buy from the store because we all know they are outrageous! My sister in law is the garage sale queen and has found a couple playsets for my neice. You can't tell they are used and does it really matter to the kiddos anyway?
Good luck!

My son will be 1 tomorrow. With my 1st child, we got them big, expensive gifts. We have since learned better. Now, my son will get a big ball from Wal-Mart ($2) and maybe some blocks. The simple toys are what they play with more than anything.

Hi! I know what you mean about the first birthday thing. When my son turned one we got him a little music set from Walmart. It had drums, bells and guitar. We also got him one of those giant playground balls, and a bubble machine. We didn't go really crazy on the present because his grandparents and great parents got him several things. You don't have to go overboard. Simple is better. Just make sure you take alot pictures or videotape. One thing that I feel you have to have is a little cake just for your son. We had for our son and it was so much fun watching him eat it.

My daughter's first birthday was a week before Christmas ( I know bad timing.) I had went to the Just between friends consignment sale and bought things. I'm telling you, it seems like the more money you spend on a toy, the less they are likely to play with it (I've got a battery operated barbie jeep in the garage to prove it) . I suggest consignment stores like Children's orchard. They have great things at good prices, and if you sign up on they're mailing list they email awesome coupons and special events at their store. What is something he truly loves? My daughter loved elmo, we just bought her some elmo things and they are so easy to come by. The best thing we ever got for our daughter was a zoo pass. Last week I know it was $65.00 for a year for the whole family! The great thing about that is you can go as many times as you want and if he starts getting fussy you can leave... it's not like you had to pay to park and admission! We go about every week, we just go in and she picks out what she wants to look at, we aren't forced to look at EVERYTHING because hey, who wants to spend the money and not get their money worth?! It's also not something he'll just get tired of like most toys! It's a great investment and it's a learning experience.

My one year old son,my one year old niece,and my 2 year old nephew all have the fisher price chair and all seem to really like it.We also have the bounce and spin zebra and a lights and music piano(also by fisher price) that they play with alot.I think they were all $30-$50.Oh and we have a leap frog learning train that my son got for christmas ($30) and he plays with that constantly and so does my niece and daughter.In fact every kid that comes in goes straight to eat.It also teaches the alphbets.We have a lot of leap frog things and the kids like them all.One thing my son also played with constantly for a while was his sisters alphabet magnets by leapfrog(and he learned to sing his alphabets between that and the train.)

We bought our son a wagon for his first birthday in March. Although it's not something he actually plays with (not yet anyway), he loves to ride around in it. We take him for long walks every night. Just a thought.

Hi M.,
My kids (including daycare ones) love the fridge phonics and the fridge farm we have both. And it's a learning toy, it's magnetic and so are the letters and the animals. My 6 yr old plays with it also, so they won't grow out of it in a year or so. Hope this helps W..

I just bought my one year old a bubble mower and he LOVES it! Plus it was only 14.99.

I would say because your son is only one, he wont really know the difference, in fact, I know he wont know the difference.

Instead of a "gift" - you could maybe just dedicate the whole day to him. Take him to the park for a morning, or to the pool after naptime. There is always the "Blueberry Patch" or the Zoo... there is also that Farm Animal place where kids can pet the animals, and walk through a textured garden (I cant remember the name). Most importantly, spend time together as a whole family.

Have A Wonderful Happy First Birthday with your son!!!

Check out craigslist.com , We bought our son a little tikes cube climber for $30 and it's like new (w/o the price tag) Plus little tikes stuff last and last so you can always resell when he out grows! Good Luck! My son turns one in July also!

When my son turned one last Nov, we got him the fisher price bounce and spin zebra, he liked to climb on that, and still does. He doesn't sit on it for long periods of time, but goes to it several times throughout the day. I think it was about $40. But, it was something we put together and had all set up for him to come out and see and immediately play with.

The thing with kids that age is that the cost does not matter......they are still in the bigger must be better phase!!! My kids are much older now so I am not in tune with the newest toys that are out. Also if you give him several smaller gifts he will think hat is great as well!

I got my son the Peek-a-blocks Gobble & Go Hippo for his first birthday and he has loved it!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997...

M.~ My suggestion is to shop at the local consignment stores such as Children's Orchard. Check their website to see if they have one in your area: www.childrensorchard.com. They are very picky about the stuff that they sell so you know it will be in good working order with all the pieces. They have everything from Little Tykes climbers to books and puzzles and for a mere fraction of the price you would pay somewhere else. There simply isn't the need to spend three times as much for the same toy just because it has already been gently loved by another child. He will never know if you spent $50 or $5 on his gift :-)

At that age my children's favorite toys were the Fisher Price Little People sets such as the farm, playhouse, Noah's Ark, garage, etc. My girls are 3 and 5 now and still pull these out to play with on a regular basis. They make sounds and have doors and stuff that open so it really keeps them busy. I see them at consignment stores all the time. Here is the link if you want to take a look at them:
http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=littlepeople

I highly recommend these! Also that website will let you look at toys according to his age, so will www.toysrus.com, and maybe that will give you some more ideas. Good luck and enjoy your son's special day!

For Christmas we got my son the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Home. It has so many things to do and my 3-1/2 year old even loved it. We also have the Parents Learning Cube that has several classic activities on it, such as the wire roller coaster that you find in many libraries and doctor's office waiting rooms. Both cost around $50.

A Little Tykes Basketball net. Toys R us sells them for $20. My son is also very active, he got this for his birthday and LOVES it. Its also relatively inexpensive and he'll be able to use it until he's like 4 or 5(I don't quite remember).

My 1-year-old loves balls also, and we found some really fun ones at The Learning Tree at Town Center Plaza (119th and Nall/Roe on the back side of the strip mall next to Restoration Hardware) for around $10. I gave one to my sis for her son's first birthday also, and she said that now it is his favorite toy to play with! The one I got has holes all over, and is really easy to grip. In fact, it is more "holes" than "ball". They have big ones and little ones. They had orange/blue and green/blue when I went a couple of months ago. Have fun shopping!

have you looked at craig's list? That is where I get things for a steal!

Hi M.,

When my daughters turned one, I took them to a place that they would enjoy. My first one since she was alone at that time, we took her to Chuck and Cheese, she loved it! You can also go to (I don't know where are you located) Deana Rose Farm, it's free and kids about that age love it.
Toys, we got at walmart a walking duck with wheels that makes cuacking noises when you make it walk, it is really funny, it was cheap and she loved it. Also bubbles! Any kind, they have a huge wand that makes this enormous bubbles and they have fun for along time, it is about $9 at walmart.
In the more expensive side (about $30/$40) they have at Toys for Us this inflatable games with balls inside that they can have a lot of fun too, though they might be messy!
I baked a Winnie the Pooh cake for both of them.

Have fun!

Mariana
www.mykidsfirst.com

My son loves the Go Diego Go ball pit, but I think its 3 yrs old and older. Not sure if you want to buy him a toy for that age group. hmm.. I'm trying to think of the million toys my two boys have.. Both my boys loved the little battery 4 operated wheelers ( The ones they can ride on ). Lets see.. hmm.. If you son is anything like mine, he will like the box more than the present itself. =). But I hope these ideas help you. If I can think of anything else I will let you know

The only gifts my now 2-1/2 YO still plays with from her 1st birthday are the Laugh & Learn Chair (a much better investment than the house, and cheaper too) and the Leap Frog Magnetic Farm.

My son turned 1 in April, and he loves his wagon. It's a large plastic radio flyer wagon with folding seats that face each other, thay have safety restraints. It can hold up to 200 lbs. so it will be something that he will enjoy for years to come. We purchased it at Toys R Us for $65.00. The fisher price Drop and Roar Dinosaur ($40) is also a toy that he loves to play with hope these ideas are helpful.

For my youngest son's first birthday we bought him a little Spiderman couch that folds out into a little bed. He loves it!! He can now sit on the floor with his big brothers' while they are on their bean bags during family movie night. He has a seat of his very own. We got it at Target for thirty dollars. And it is pretty durable too. He loves to climb all over it!!!
Best of luck on your search!!!

Our son's 1st birthday was at the end of June. We took a small kiddie pool and put his presents in it for him to open and that was really cute. We also are strapped for cash a lot of times. I check out garage sales and child consignment shops for good toys at a much cheaper price. He doesn't know the difference and as long as they are clean and in very good working order, I feel good about it. I think that spending time with your child doing something like going to the park or playground (indoor or outdoor) sounds like something he would love for his first birthday. As much as you love him, I'm sure spending time with you would just make his day so special. Good luck!

My children's 1st birthday was the easiest. Pretty much all the wrapping paper from gifts that others bring him will keep him busy during the entire party! Any Little Tikes products that allow a baby to crawl, lift or stand is the best. Also balls and teething toys with sounds or even at Walmart you can get numerous baby toys that range from baby telephones to little driver sets for his car set to baby toys that make all kinds of sounds, colors and letters that will help your baby's development. And they are really inexpensive. I wouldn't worry too much about a big big deal, because he is still a little baby. I made spahetti for friends and family members with garlic bread and ice tea. It was primarily a chance for friends and family to come and see my new bundle of joy. I did a theme party and bought all Teletubbie plates, streamers, small plates for the Teletubbie cake and lots of ballooms (that you can blow up yourself). I hope this gives you a few ideas.

One fun toy is a ball pit. You can get them at pretty reasonable prices, and I don't mean the enormous ones that lots of kids fit in. We have a blow-up one that's a submarine, and my two boys fit in it, and that's really it. Plus, the balls are really cheap, so when some get squished, you can get replacements easy. We just follow a no shoe and no food allowed rule, and we've had no probs. It deflates easy, too, so you can put it away when you need to.
Hours of energetic, imaginative play!!!

J.

Hi! My son loves balls too, he's 7 now and that has never changed! For his first birthday, I went to big lot & dollar general and bought a big plastic bucket and filled it with different balls. Some big bouncy balls, balls for the pool. They are really cheap at those places. We spent $20 and he had a blast playing with all the different balls.