What is a good birthday present for a friend's baby's first birthday?

January 13, 2005 5:56 AM

What is a good birthday present for a baby's first birthday?
A friend of ours is having a birthday party for her 1 year old today and my wife and I have no idea what might be appropriate for that age. Also, our friend says the baby already has too many toys, so we are stumped.
posted by uramesiya to shopping (23 comments total)

Baby books. The kind they can chew on.

Also, cute baby clothes would be an idea.
posted by konolia at 5:59 AM on January 13, 2005

Your friend may be nicely trying to tell you that you don't need to really bring anything. The kinds of books konolia is talking about are called board books and are usually okay even for a kid that has too many toys. They're blocky, fairly indestrictible, and small enough to not create storage problems.
posted by jessamyn at 6:10 AM on January 13, 2005

Money for the parents to put into education savings for the kid. Seriously. Every litte bit helps.

Or, do something for the parents! A one year old doesn't "get" what is happening at their birthday and will probably get loads of gifts from everyone else, they'll be overwhelmed. They won't miss unwrapping a gift from you. The parents will probably do more of the unwrapping anyways. The parents have been working hard for a year already, and they could use a pat on the back. Give them a spa package, or a 'certificate' for free babysitting some night so they can go out for supper and a movie (people with small children never get to see movies).

(My daughter will soon celebrate her 2nd birthday, and I would appreciate any of this).
posted by raedyn at 6:15 AM on January 13, 2005

What raedyn said.... right on!
posted by HuronBob at 6:21 AM on January 13, 2005

A couple of ideas ...
One of those big jugs of Animal Crackers
An offer to babysit for them some time
posted by forforf at 6:22 AM on January 13, 2005

Get the kid some canning jar lids.. the metal rings... and one of those round cardboard oatmeal boxes to put them in.

Kids that age don't need "stuff". A few bucks for the education fund is nice, but if you really want to gift the parents.. offer to babysit so they can go somewhere by themselves for dinner.
posted by reflecked at 6:26 AM on January 13, 2005

I think the babysitting idea would be good but they live a little over an hour away. They are friends from when we were in school and we really don't get to see them that much (since they had the baby) and we are making a trip up to see them for the party.

Would a gift certificate to somewhere like babyGap be good?
Are baby's clothes pretty much made to fit a range of sizes? I think he is pretty average sized.
posted by uramesiya at 6:35 AM on January 13, 2005

Diapers

A parent can never be given too many diapers.
posted by onhazier at 6:46 AM on January 13, 2005

I like the idea of a financial contribution toward the baby's future. I think a couple of shares of a solid stock is a nice gift, or a savings bond type of thing (if they still issue those).

Or perhaps a gift certificate for a few hours at a drop-off day care center near them, so they still can go catch that movie, even if you live too far away to babysit. Perhaps family or friends in their city can help you find a good place.
posted by boomchicka at 6:51 AM on January 13, 2005

I was gonna say clothes... they go through stuff pretty fast at that age so they'll always be looking for new clothes (& if you're not sure of the size, go a bit large since they actually will grow into it). Plus you can get them something cute that the parents might not bother spending on.
posted by mdn at 6:52 AM on January 13, 2005

Is the baby talking yet? Are the parents progressive? One thing that may help both the parents and the baby would be the ability to Sign. We've had a lot of friends teach their infants to sign and they seem to learn to speak faster than our other friends' children. It also cuts down on the frustration and tantrums when the child is unable to explain to the parents when they want. I recommend Signing Time vol 1 on DVD or VHS as well as Sign with your Baby.

While they say babies really can't learn the signs until 6mo., Our son Will loved watching the DVDs as early as 3-4mo. He's now coming up on 8mo and is starting to learn the signs.

It may be awkward giving money -especially if the parents haven't setup a 529 or bank account for the child yet. And double-check that the child isn't getting hand-me-downs from a friend or relative. Our son didn't need any clothes because his cousin had plenty - some outfits he only wore once!
posted by bkdelong at 7:02 AM on January 13, 2005

A savings bond is another good idea.
posted by cass at 7:03 AM on January 13, 2005

Some of the best gifts my two year old received when she was one:

money for her savings account
those baby einstein videos
children's music
diapers
wipes

I wouldn't waste money on clothes and gift certificates for clothes. The only gift certificate I would get for someone that age is for a photography studio so the parents could have the one year old pictures done.
posted by jasonspaceman at 7:32 AM on January 13, 2005

I second the Baby Einstein videos. Total eye candy for one year olds. My son started getting into them right around then and it was a joy to sit and watch with him.

Other than that, most one year olds have all the toys and stuffed animals they need. Books are always good but at that age a kid can look through a Sears catalog and be happy.

Get something for the parents like a nice bottle of wine for when the kid is off to bed.
posted by bondcliff at 7:48 AM on January 13, 2005

I'd advise against anything which locks parents into anything which may run counter to their preferences, like a gift certificate to one particular store or any kind of diapers or wipes. Clothing and diapering choices vary widely from parent to parent, unless you know for certain what they use, your gift could end up being useless or even offensive. Even Baby Einstein doesn't work if mom and dad don't want their bairn in front of a television, which many do not.

Books, however, are universal. All parents with any sense read to their kids. All babies love colorful block books. Books also indicate that you are encouraging the kid to grow a brain which is always a positive thing.

In shot, this mom, who has presided over 6 first birthday parties, gives two hearty thumbs up for books. Go for the books.
posted by Dreama at 8:09 AM on January 13, 2005

Thanks. I think we will go with a book.
posted by uramesiya at 8:13 AM on January 13, 2005

Perhaps a bit late, but cute-yet-tasteful baby-themed picture frames could be appropriate. Its more of a gift for the parents, but they never wear out and go well with the many, many pictures of baby that are probably at hand.
posted by Avogadro at 8:41 AM on January 13, 2005

A parent can never be given too many diapers.

Along what Dreama said if you go this route make sure they aren't using cloth as they are probably already set in this department if they are.
posted by Mitheral at 10:35 AM on January 13, 2005

It's too late for TODAY, but I highly recommend Raymond Scott's Soothing Sounds for Babies series. There's one for newborns, one for slightly older (6-12 months) and one for even older than that (12-18 months). I've purchased these for friends with newborns and have gotten rave reviews from them. It'll turn a fussy, crying baby into an intrigued and calm one. Here's the amazon link for the first one.
posted by crunchland at 10:50 AM on January 13, 2005

Babies and young children can be read to, so any book that you loved as a child is a good gift. Children 'grow into' books, like clothes, and a good book will get appreciated. Savings bonds are a traditional way to give money. If you're a good babysitter, a serious offer of a couple of evenings of babysitting is nice. Or a gift certificate for a cleaning service, great takeout restaurant, etc.
posted by theora55 at 12:45 PM on January 13, 2005

I have two kids and good books are always great as are gift certificates. I especially like the cash in a college savings account idea. Whatever happened to giving babies savings bonds. Nice of you to put this much though into it.
posted by mookie at 1:25 PM on January 13, 2005

I'm a little late to the question but I gave my nephew a single share of stock framed and issued in his name for his first birthday. I used OneShare and was very happy with the pricing options and the level of service but there are others.
posted by geekyguy at 9:15 PM on January 13, 2005

We went to BabyGap just to see what they had and we got him a little pin-striped blazer and they loved it. We bought it the next size up so that they could at least get some use out of it for this year's holiday season. They didn't have any dress-up clothes for him, so we lucked out.
posted by Hillman Cobs at 7:01 AM on January 14, 2005