Unfortunately you can't ask a baby what gift they would like. Well you can, but you wont get a sensible answer! And babies and toddlers are too young to have developed interests so a set of golf clubs wont get a lot of use. If you are an Aunt, Uncle or Godparent then you will probably struggle with gift ideas, especially if this is the first time you have had anything to do with a baby since you were in nappies.
If you are looking for ideas then our baby and toddler gift buying guide will help you. As parents we at The Little Nut Tree have a lot of experience and have some truly great baby gift ideas for you.
Please note that apart from the small number of clothing suggestions from The Little Nut Tree, all our product ideas are completely independant - we receive no reward or incentive for linking to other pages.
This gift buying guide is broken up into the following sections
Children under two grow faster then you could possibly imagine, not only in physical size but also in mental ability. Remember this if you havent seen them for a few weeks - they will have changed a lot. For example, if you buy a 9 month old baby a toy that is suitable for 3+ months , the chances are they will pick it up, try to eat it, realise its not edible, doesn't do anything interesting and drop it on the floor. Avoid the basic mistakes when gift buying and bear the following in mind;
Most baby toys come with an indication of the age level the toy is aimed at. Pay attention to this. If the child is 1 year don’t buy a toy for 6 months plus. Even if the toy still has value for the older child, the child will not get the maximum use out of it. It is better to get something for a slightly older child (I am sure they are a very intelligent baby anyway ;) ). Below you will find some good toy ideas for babies and toddlers of different age groups;
If the baby or toddler already has lots of battery operated toys, does he or she really need another one? There are plenty of fascinating toys for kids that dont use batteries and allow them to explore other parts of their learning. Manual dexterity for example, doesnt require flashing lights and music (and headaches). Try Little Nut Tree Toys for a varied selection of interesting toys without batteries. If a gift comes with batteries, think about giving some batteries at the same time.
How much space do the parents have? If it’s a small house bear that in mind that a battery propelled baby swing will turn the lounge into a children's playground. If they have a large garden and the time of year is right, perhaps some outdoor toys could be appropriate? Tesco.com Direct have a good range of outdoor activity centres that can be used from 12+ months but they are pricey. Mothercare have a great blow-up indoor-outdoor play area, the Happy Safari Play Arena from 12 months.
Does the baby have any older brothers or sisters? Think about what toys may have been handed down. If you are buying a gift for a baby girl with an older brother then why not treat her to something girly as most of her toys would have been originally bought with a boy in mind. Alternativeky buy something very new, the latest from those wacky designers at Habitat or perhaps VertBaudet for more unusual and colourful toys.
To encourage learning at an early age you might want to consider buying a toy with more traditional educational value. Did you know that baby toys for learning French exist? Leapfrog make a great Learn & Groove Alphabet Drum, which not only can a child bang on, they can also learn the alphabet in French and English! And its never too young to start children on books, even though they cant read. There are books designed for babies and toddlers which stimulate touch and sound. Have a look at 'Taggies' which are books full of tags that babies like to chew, sounds strange but it works! Or try the Usborne Touchy Feely Books. Both available at Amazon .
A soft toy is everybody's favourite baby gift. But in reality they are generally of very little use. Most babies will collect an entire troop of teddy bears and only play with one or two. Best avoided if you want originality, but good for the cute factor.
If you really want to get some soft toys why not try something a little different such as the Activity Noah's Ark Toy available at JammyJoes
All babies and toddlers need lots of clothes. Not only do they grow so fast (very fast in early months) but babies are very messy and it doesn't take long to fill a washing basket. Below are some guidelines to think about when buying clothes, along with some good shopping websites.
It s very important to consider practicality when choosing clothes for a baby or toddler. Can the baby's nappy be changed without removing the whole outfit? Is it easy to get on and off without too much fuss and stress? How hard wearing is it for when the baby becomes starts to crawl (about 8-9 months)? The Little Nut Tree designs its clothes with these questions in mind. An unusual idea to consider is the Reversible Travel Jacket "Teddy" Fleece found at Babyworld. It is comfortable, warm, reversible and machine washable and incredibly cute.
Contrary to popular opinion, size is very important! If in doubt always buy the next size up as the child can grow into it. Babies are also less likely to already have lots of clothes for the larger sizes, and therefore these gifts will always be greatly appreciated by parents.
Children are stimulated by colours. Try and remember that when buying clothes and get the something bright rather than dull pastels . Despite this many mothers are still insistent on baby blues, soft pinks and beige. It is reassuring to see recent trends start to move towards brighter colours. For colourful clothes the The Little Nut Tree has lots of designs, or try Stardust Kids for bright and punky style kids clothes.
Baby and Toddler Clothes can be personalized for that special and thoughtful touch. This is particularly useful if the baby has inherited lots of hand-me-downs from older brothers or sisters. Personalised clothing helps the new baby stand out as unique. The Little Nut Tree do some cool personalised cardigans. Stardust Kids have some great slogan t-shirts and for the ultimate in techno-chic and expense, you can by programmable t-shirts at CyberDog
If buying an outfit as a gift, be sure to consider the time of year that the baby or toddler will have grown enough to fit into it. Our little girl was born in the summer and we received lots of summer baby dresses for 6+ months plus as gifts. Very nice they were, but not much use in Janauary when they eventually fit her!
At Christmas it is tempting to buy baby a Santa outfit or some flashing reindeer ears. However, the child will get so little use out of them, and then the parents will just have to store them away for another year (if they still fit, which they probably won't). The same goes for Halloween, St Patricks day etc. If you really want to buy something theme related try and buy something cheap as an aside to the main present, or something that will possibly be used by other brothers or sisters. Boots and Woolworths both sell themed outfits.
Looking to buy something a bit different and slightly unusual?
Born Gifted has a whole host of personalised gifts including blankets, rattles and piggy banks. Also, Baby City offer great door plaques for the new born's room and persnalised name-framed prints with funky animals.
Born Gifted has suitable gifts for a Christian baby including bibles and lots of commemorative items.
Pottery specialists Wedgwood and Royal Worcester have a good range of commemorative gifts. A first year book for parents to fill in is a common idea, Baby Gift Gallery have a good variety. Wine buffs will appreciate a special occasion bottle of champagne/wine from Berry Brothers. Finally, Little Impressions have kits which allow parents to make impressions of tiny hands or feet as keepsakes.
Do you know how the baby’s nursery will be decorated? If so, try to pick baby clothing, nursery accessories or a keepsake baby gift that fits the theme, such as bunnies, bears, Noah’s ark, Disney, etc. If you don’t know, don’t worry. As long as the gift shows some thought and caring on your part, they’re still sure to appreciate it. Even if it looks a bit a naff...
Yes it is oh so trendy to be Green these days. The Worldland Trust will sell you an acre of rainforest to protect (just dont burn it down or pulp it please). Or you could buy a selection of organic baby products from The Green People. For the ultimate in cutting edge greenness, how about offsetting the greenhouse gases caused by babies nappies, thereby gifting guilt free nappy changing? A good present for environmentally aware parents who already have everything green that consumerism can buy.
Baby CDs have a selection of baby music cds to stimulate or relax both baby and parents. From a different genre, Rock My Baby have a variety of heavy metal like tshirts - great for the the children of Metalers. Punk Rock Baby has lullaby versions of classic tracks including rock, hip hop, punk, dance, 80s and country.
One of our favourite sites is Puppets By Post who sell glove and finger puppets of all the songs that babies learn, allowing parents to do the actions. E.g. Five Little Ducks and Incy Wincy Spider. Top gifts.
Bright Minds and Formative Fun have a broad range of educational toys for babies. VTech and Leapfrog also have lots of interactive and even bilingual toys. The Early Learning Centre is also a good resource. For a site completely full of developmental toys try IChild
Something the child can keep forever or at least for a good section of its life can be a bit boring. A good bottle of port or wine for them to open when they’re a lot older can be a nice idea. Probably better to get them something that will keep until they’re 30 rather than 18 as at that age they would probably prefer a pint or beer and the finer points of good wine would be wasted. Also bear in mind not everything, including champagne, keeps forever. Take advice from the experts, try Berry Brothers who can advise on the gift and even store the wine for you.
Something a little different and definitely trendy for little girls would be a charm braclet onto which charms can be added as they get older. A truly prize winning charm would be from Tiffanys, but there are are plenty of others out there. Try Links of London
Little Trekkers has good gifts for the baby that comes from an active family. Possibilities include swimwear and accessories, and warm 'ski-wear'. A nice practical idea would be to create a baby swim kit with a towel or cover up, a swimsuit and some armbands. Alternatively there are things like baby football shirts and mini football boots available from all major football club shops for those children unfortunate enough to have football crazy parents.
If you fancy buying the child a star then go to Star Registry (talk about money for nothing!). If mum likes to read the horoscopes why not get one done for the baby at Baby Zodiacs.
If you really don’t know what to give to the child or they already have everything a financial gift is always an option. Every child born in the last couple of years should have a child trust fund set up. You can contribute to this, just as the parents for the details. The child will have full access to the money once they reach 18. If you prefer not to ask for details you could buy children's bonus bonds from www.nsandi.com which are tax free and only have to be held for 5 years, after which they can be cashed in by the parents or kept to gain interest. If you are so inclined you can gift shares to children or even help them to start a pension find details at Saving For Children.
Try Present Aid or Oxfam Unwrapped.
If you are buying a gift for a newborn baby, or a baby that is about to be born, here are a few points and shopping suggestions to guide you.
If the baby has not yet been born and the parents do not know the sex (or have not told you) then the gift needs to be suitable for both boys and girls. For example, you could buy baby clothing in a neutral (but not beige, pleeeease, its so dull) colour or basic baby toys aimed at neither sex. If you are buying for a baby not yet born where the sex has already been discovered you can buy a gift suitable for a boy or a girl. However bear in mind that scans which detect the sex before the baby is born are not 100% accurate so keep the receipt!
If the new baby already has an older brother or sister then the basic gift ideas have probably already been covered by previous purchases. If the gender of the newborn is known and it is different from the previous baby then focus on gender as your idea theme. However, if the gender is not known, or is the same as a previous sibling, there are still lots of gifts ideas.
Perhaps buy a gift they could share with other babies or toddlers in the family - some toys are suitable for a wide age range (e.g. from 0 or 6 months up to three years). You could also consider buying a special gift for any older siblings (you could even buy matching gifts), as they are sure to feel left out of all the attention being given to the newborn. Perhaps consider buying the new baby some unique clothing that it is unlikely to inherit from its brothers or sisters. Luxury gifts are also suitable for new borns - something designer or a personalised gift.
Don’t be afraid to ask the parents what they want...but put some thought in first! Do they have a hand blender, a sunshade for their pram, a cot mobile? Perhaps they need some clothes in the older age ranges instead of new born? Don’t just go for the easy "what would you like?". Its much better to come up with some suggestions. Many people would be too embarrassed to actually say what they would like straight out.
Good ideas for twins include personalised clothing to help tell them apart! For example, try the initial cardigan in boy and girl styles at The Little Nut Tree or TwinsUK for a whole range of twin gifts such as matching bibs and even twin birthday cards.
Buying a gift for an adopted baby is not very different to buying for any baby. However it might be worth bearing in mind that the parents are more likely to need gifts normally received for a newborn such as baby grows, blankets, sleepbags (grobags available at www.bumpto3.com are invaluable and what I bought with my gift certificates) or maybe something commemorative with the date the baby was adopted on it such as some pottery or photo frames as suggested above.
For all kinds of special needs including hearing and visual difficulties try Formative Fun and Special Needs Toys.
Sense Toys are particularly good for autism.