Giving the gift of…?

December 12, 2005 1:15 PM

What gift to put under a far-away-tree for a one-year-old boy?

A very old and dear friend who has moved to another country now has a bouncing baby boy. He's extra adorable -- like his mum -- and I want to get him a cool present-o for Christmas.

But: have never met him 'cause they live in New York and I’m in Australia. In fact I don't think I have ever met a one-year-old of any gender -- his ma is the only one of my friends to have kids so far. Have no idea at all what a child that age would like / play with / choke on.

Also: it has to be easily postable and fairly inexpensive. I'm studying and my only income is freelance, so I'm... pretty poor. (This is the first time I’ve had any cash at all for a pressie since the little guy was born.) My budget for the gift itself is AUD $25. I already have a card, paper and $10 set aside for mailing.

So, all you with MeFites with kids/nieces/nephews/other little ones in your lives -- what d'you think a one-year-old boy-child might like for Chrissymess?

posted by t0astie to shopping (14 comments total)

sock monkey.
posted by 3.2.3 at 1:21 PM on December 12, 2005

Since he won't remember it, how about a My First Christmas ornament? The parents will keep it forever, and if you get something Aussie-themed, there's no chance their US pals will get the exact same one.
posted by GaelFC at 1:22 PM on December 12, 2005

For Christmas for my friend's one year old, I've bought a sock monkey (all one piece and safe for all ages) and a set of those new extra-giant Legos/Duplos. They're called "Quatros" and are good for ages 1 and up.

(On preview: a second for a sock monkey, then!)
posted by divka at 1:23 PM on December 12, 2005

Books, books, books, books, books
You can probably find some cool books that ain't available in the states and early-years books can get boring for parents, so variety is appreciated. Book salesfolk can help you with age levels.

Clothes. Kids outgrow them before they wear them out. Talk to the parents and find out what they need.

Play off the geographical distance. Get something that is unique to Australia. Though I still have my sock monkey from decades ago.
posted by Seamus at 1:35 PM on December 12, 2005

Get something that is unique to Australia.

I strongly second this.

but, not living in Australia, I have no idea what that might be.
posted by anastasiav at 1:46 PM on December 12, 2005

Stuffed Koala!
posted by pazazygeek at 1:52 PM on December 12, 2005

An Australian gift sounds kind of cool: My boys, when they were little, absolutely adored Australian rain sticks whenever we went into those Discovery Stores. I don't know how expensive they are around in your parts, but they never charged more than 20.00 USD when we were looking at them.

Of course, the noise they make may be too much for the parents in the long run. Best check on their noise-tolerance on that gift prior to shipping.
posted by thanotopsis at 2:24 PM on December 12, 2005

A good Aussie gift would be great. I am sure your friend wants their child to have some ties to home. They will enjoy playing with it with the baby. I ship packages from New Zealand to the States often and weight is key. Books are flat but can be heavy. While stuffed animals are just fluff so they are light and can be squished to fit any box.

If you are looking for ease and assured xmas delivery you can shop American websites. Amazon has everything and often ships free if you meet a certain price. By the time you factor in conversion rates it will probably end up the same cost as shipping from Australia if not cheaper.
posted by arruns at 4:33 PM on December 12, 2005

Baby Einstein DVDs are a godsend ... not sure if there are region code issues with Australia, though.
posted by frogan at 5:23 PM on December 12, 2005

Plant a tree? Send some of my very favorite board books? Send a swarm of bees in the little nipper's name?
posted by ersatzkat at 6:18 PM on December 12, 2005

Blocks. Wooden blocks. You're never too young or old for blocks.
posted by SPrintF at 7:17 PM on December 12, 2005

Richard Scarrey books.

Ambien. For the mother, not the child.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:22 PM on December 12, 2005

I brought a stuffed platypus back for a friend--I thought kangaroos and koalas were too obvious. I think one is a bit too young for books--and I don't like how classics--even Dr. Seuss!-- are dumbed down for board and picture books.
posted by brujita at 10:40 PM on December 12, 2005

Thanks everyone! Australiana's not quite so popular with Australians (or... that could just be me) but sock monkey... woo hoo!

Couldn't find one here, but got a sort of... sock turtle bath thing which should do the trick. So thank you all for suggestions - dilemma solved.

Damn. Now *I* want a sock monkey.
posted by t0astie at 4:48 PM on December 14, 2005