Merry First Christmas, Baby Boy

December 15, 2005 8:42 AM

What is a good Christmas present for a six-month-old boy?

This will be my son's first Christmas and I want to get hm something special but have no idea where to begin. I'd like to get him something that engages his curiosity and expands his mind, and also something interactive that I can play with, too.

He's super curious and every photo ever taken of him shows an inquisitve stare.

He's not hugely into toys yet, unless he can chew on them. He has a decent library of books already and a big stash of stuffed animals, some Baby Einstein videos, and a most of the currently popular baby toys.

I want to get him something special. But I'm stumped.

So...I guess what I'm asking for is anecdotal advice from new dads who have been in my shoes. What did you get your son for his first Christmas?

posted by mds35 to shopping (22 comments total)

Here is a photo of the boy and his mother reading MeFi. See what I mean about the curious thing?
posted by mds35 at 8:44 AM on December 15, 2005

A medium to large sized cardboard box that he can fit in and get out of. Seriously.
posted by ruwan at 8:47 AM on December 15, 2005

I don't have any great experience on gifts but he is adorable.

My friends have been very happy with this as a gift as it seems to really grasp their child's attention.
posted by Lola_G at 8:55 AM on December 15, 2005

He's not hugely into toys yet, unless he can chew on them.

You took the words out of my mouth... I was going to say that he'll love anything that he can jam into his pie-hole.

Whoozit was a hit with one of my kids at that age. You should be able to get them at lots of local toy stores.
posted by GuyZero at 8:59 AM on December 15, 2005

Put away some money for his university education. Grandparents and everybody else under the sun will overwhelm him with gifts this christmas (and the next couple) so something really practical like that is great.

/mother of an almost three year old girl
posted by raedyn at 9:02 AM on December 15, 2005

Sorry about the screwed up link.

This should be what I was referring to.
posted by Lola_G at 9:07 AM on December 15, 2005

Lolo_G, the link you provided isn't working for me.

raedyn, an excellent suggestion, but I already put away a little bit each month into an account for him.
posted by mds35 at 9:09 AM on December 15, 2005

Thanks, Lola_G!
posted by mds35 at 9:11 AM on December 15, 2005

For my daughter's first Christmas we got her a comfy, overstuffed child-sized chair. She'll be four soon and it has received more use than almost anything we've ever bought her. She "reads" in it, pulls it up to the coffee table for crafts and playdough and generally just chills out there.

In fact, right this very second, she's sitting in it wearing a cape and crown and carrying a sceptre, so apparently it also doubles as a throne. (It has also been an island, the base for many tents, a stage and about a zillion other things.)
posted by jrossi4r at 9:15 AM on December 15, 2005

Back to Basics toys has got some great suggestions for babies.

One of my favorite toys as a tot was my wagon, much like this one. I could pull toys around in it, and later, my sibs. We napped in it and my parents sometimes used it as a stroller of sorts when we went places like the zoo. I suppose he's a little too young to get excited by something like this, though.
posted by Sully6 at 9:39 AM on December 15, 2005

PS Your son is completely adorable. I think he needs a pair of these just on principle. (Link to overpriced baby wear.)
posted by Sully6 at 9:44 AM on December 15, 2005

If your son enjoys crawling and physical play, maybe one of these tunnels would be fun for him. Also rocking animals, if he sit up and hold onto one.


But hear this, and hear it good: a big box really REALLY would make him happy. He can crawl into it, climb on it, kick it, flatten it, take toys into and out of it, ect. His granparents and family will get him shiny noisy things, and he will not remember these toys or anything else. The box works. Trust me ( and ruwan, above, also).
posted by slimslowslider at 10:13 AM on December 15, 2005

Also seconding Back to Basics Toys. It's my four year old's favorite piece of mail.
posted by slimslowslider at 10:15 AM on December 15, 2005

ruwan is right on. You can get cardboard boxes cut into the shapes of cars or fire engines too.
posted by ldenneau at 10:19 AM on December 15, 2005

Board books. We used to be big into the Boynton ones, but any of them that take your fancy. Six-month-olds will spend more time chewing them than looking at the pictures, but they already like to be read to and it is never too young to start them on books!
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 10:40 AM on December 15, 2005

For some reason the Fisher Price Little People Bus seems to make kids go insane with delight. We got ours when our son was 9 mos old. Check out amazon reviews too - you can search for toys for various age ranges and I was amazed at how many reviews some toys got.
posted by selfmedicating at 11:33 AM on December 15, 2005

Oooh! Oooh! I almost forgot this one.

It's the Tomy Gearation. One bright plastic gear in the middle turns. You can set additional gears interlocking with it to create an insane mesmerizing wall of gears. It's supposedly for age 3 and up but it was one of the first toys my son played with at about 6 mos. No small parts. He still loves it. It's awesome for a curious and mechanically inclined kid.

We got ours at a garage sale - the 14 yr old girl selling it said she still liked to use it. I haven't seen any in the stores, but I think there is a refrigerator magnet version too.
posted by selfmedicating at 11:40 AM on December 15, 2005

I don't mean to be rude at all, just curious, as a non-parent. Is the child really able to appreciate the gift? I'm sure the kid won't be able to remember it later. Maybe something like a college fund, or a car fund, or a travel fund, or something like that would be better.

I'm puzzled about gifts to babies and pets during the holidays. If the child/pet is oblivious that there's a holiday, why even give them a gift at that time?

I really don't mean this to be offensive. Maybe when I have kids/pets of my own I'll just understand.
posted by Amizu at 12:08 PM on December 15, 2005

Amizu, it probably does mean more to the parent than to the kid but that's not a bad thing.
posted by winston at 2:38 PM on December 15, 2005

Amizu: winston is right. And no offense taken.

everyone else: I'll get a big box right away, but I'm still open to suggestions for Christmas gifts.
posted by mds35 at 4:48 PM on December 15, 2005

Bear in mind that this year, and maybe next year, are going to be the last times you can get away with really cheap, uncomplicated, not-terribly-commercial gifts.

He might dig a mirror. A nerf ball (and his dad playing modified catch with him). A plastic prism. His own set of rainbow Post-its, or maybe just some cellophane tape. Or all of the above.
posted by MollyNYC at 1:10 PM on December 16, 2005

Thanks everyone. I ended up getting him a xylophone that he can play with in a few months, and a stuffed frog toy that he just loooooves.

But his favorite part of christmas was no doubt the packaging and the pretty paper. Funny how very similar my son is to every cat I have known when it comes to christmas wrapping.
posted by mds35 at 1:21 PM on January 27, 2006