I don't know about anyone else but I find first birthdays the hardest to buy for. Baby toys are just so damn ugly. Garish and colourful and most of them play annoying little tunes that get stuck in your head for an age. Oh and don't even get me started on the ones that don't have an off switch! The thought of adding to Archer's already over flowing collection is just so not appealing!
It was only after searching around for alternative baby gifts for his first birthday that I realised there IS such a thing as nice baby toys. Ones that will get used but also have the added bonus of being a bit different too
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I'm a big fan of wooden toys so that seems a good place to start.
Wooden kitchens are always a winner in my eyes as they essentially grow up with your child. Lily still plays with the kitchen she got for her first Christmas just about every single day. There is a lot of choice out there. George at Asda, My First Years and Argos all do lovely ones. However I would recommend the IKEA kitchen if you're looking for a bit of a project. It's a very plain and simple one but acts a blank canvas, allowing you to paint and decorate it however you like. We had great fun doing up Lily's.
Wooden ride on are great too, especially as they're so sturdy. We went with the Indigo Jamm Aqua scooter for Arch, which is currently on sale at Mama's and Papa's. Mama's and Papa's also do a great range of rocking horses.
Then there are gifts that are popular for children such as instruments, and taggies. You can find much more aesthetically pleasing ones on on websites such as Not on the High Street and Etsy. I love this monochrome abacus maze from as well as this mint coloured drum.
Soft toys are another one that are a big hit in our household. Lily has a toy crate full of them and honestly they are the bane of my life because they never stay in there. I adore soft toys that are a bit different to the generic fluffy smiley ones. Maileg are an absolute obsession of mine but if you can't afford maileg prices there are a lot of maileg style soft toys out there as a cheaper alternative. This rabbit is a personal fave and I love this knitted ghost .
Functional gifts such as beakers, plates and general cutlery are always a good idea too. Buddy and the Bear do my favourite range of all time and Lily already has plenty of bits from there. Teethers are a good functional gift too and Fox and Felts do a great range of teethers.
Last but certainly not least is clothes. Perhaps the most useful of gifts as you can never have too many baby clothes! For birthdays we like to buy the kids one main piece of clothing, usually a new coat or shoes. As Archer isn't walking yet I've been eyeing up coats and this penguin one from Mini Rodini has really caught my eye.
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