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Eleanor’s first birthday is drawing nearer – I know! Wasn’t she just born?! Anyway, whilst I cry a river of tears that she will soon be a toddler (a toddler!!!) thoughts have turned to what to buy the little miss for her first ever birthday. While I have been compiling a list of ideas on my phone (I did the same for her first Christmas, handy for sieve brain mummy) I got to thinking about her absolute favourite toys, the workhorses in her toybox that get pulled out time and time again to be turned over, looked at, poked and prodded and let’s face it, eaten/licked/bitten…
There are the classic favourites: her nesting rings, stacking cups and blocks. She also loves her doll ‘Emma’ (it came with the name from my mum!) mainly due to her woolen hair I think. Anything with a different texture or interesting bits to grab are a winner. Rattles have always been popular, since she’s been able to grasp things easily, and obviously anything with noise gets the tick of approval, especially bells! As Eleanor is growing into a real little person who ‘pretend plays’ and mimics, some play food or tea set will be called for. Cars and trucks have found their way into her toy box lately too. Her ice-cream truck is often first to be grabbed, it’s a great size for her little hands and she loves to spin the rubber wheels. The police car puzzle is fantastic to keep her busy little mind amused – it’s a car, it’s a puzzle, she can’t quite figure it out and loves to play with it’s different parts, banging them together, you can almost hear the cogs turning as she thinks “I know something is meant to happen here! Go back together silly police car!” I can see that she will be more engaged with puzzles as she grows, she has one at the moment which she loves, so wooden puzzles will definitely be on the birthday/Christmas gift list.
And books! Oh books, how she loves books! At the moment I’m only game enough to leave her with board books, paper pages only under supervision. But Eleanor will happily sit and turn the pages of her board books for quite awhile, easily entertained turning the pages and looking, looking again, turning back and forth, starting again. And you can never have enough books.
Most all of the toys in Eleanor’s toy box are hand-me-down’s from her big cousins, to be honest I’ve never really bought her any toys (other than her activity thingymabob which she got for Christmas as her special Santa present, this one here is very similar). I don’t intend to be gifting her with very much for her first birthday either, I can atest to the fact that she plays a lot better with less toys. She is more engaged, less confused and overwhelmed by all the stuff and generally happier if she just has 2-3 toys out at one time. I also rotate her toys a little bit too, she’ll spend a few days with a third of her toys out to play with, then I’ll put them to the bottom of the pile and bring some ‘new’ things out.
But a few special gifts will be bought for her first birthday, especially as she grows and the way she interacts and plays changes a lot as she enters toddler years. Here’s what is on the ‘Eleanor’s first birthday list’ bouncing around in my head…
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The key I think is to get her something that will last her the next 12 months (or ideally more years than that!) not just what she’ll really enjoy right now. I did that with her activity thingmabob she got at Christmas, when she couldn’t yet sit up, but I knew it would be well loved in the coming months, and it has been a good ‘investment toy’. So although our blossom is still refusing to put any (like, any!) weight on her teeny feet, I know she will one day walk (right?!) so push or pull along toys or a walker are on the agenda. A xylophone for some music (am I crazy?!) nesting boxes to stack high and whack down, and I am also intent on getting her some non-toy items, just things that are on the ‘oh-must-grab-that-for-Eleanor’ list so might as will be a birthday gift, ie. some melamine plates, an insulated lunchbox, some new shoes for walking (!!!)
And honestly? Eleanor is just as happy banging Mummy’s silicone spatula on an ice-cream tub than any other toys. Keep it simple and invest in toys which will last the years, that’s my plan anyway, hope it works! Experienced parents, tell me I’m on the right track?
What did you buy your children for their first birthdays?
What are the work horses in your children’s toy box?
Do you rotate toys too?
Jacqui says
Once they start getting into imaginative play, I would suggest a tea set and a doll set. A little cot, blanket, bottle etc, will keep a little one amused for ages. Little girls never seem to tyre from that play, and it’s so lovely watching them ‘mother’ their doll.
Jo @Countrylifeexperiment says
Around about their first birthday, they really start to get into imaginative play a little more. I can still remember Hannah (now 10) loving playing with her “cooking” set. 10 years on, and not a week goes by without one child or another playing with them. Out of all the toys, those have held their interest for the longest. We’ve added extras like play food, and some more utensils, because the cooking stuff was so popular.
Emma says
Plans are to gift her a play kitchen one birthday/Christmas (probably next year) so I’m thinking play food will come along with that, my best friend gave her a lovely tin tea set which I’m thinking we will pull out after she’s one to have some tea parties.
Stephanie says
My Ellie is 1 in 9 days. Ahhhh. Where has that year gone. Ellie is getting a keepsake book on flower fairies – birthday party theme. Some fairy houses, wooden – garage sale. And some fairies, ceramic to keep. She has sooooo much from her brothers it is no point replacing. She loves cars and dragons and octonauts just like them. So I am mainly doing keepsake items. She is running now so already outgrown walkers. She has a beautiful pram put away till she is older and my mil has a cot for her for Christmas. I will see what she gets from family etc too and maybe get her a special something for now but don’t know. This age is so hard.
Emma says
Yes I have my special wicker pram from when I was little to give her, but is a bit bigger/for when she’s older? A little rocking cradle is another idea, I’m sure Matt would like to make her one.
Sharon says
ooh – usbourne books – they have AMAZING board books with touchy feely bits throughout. And all sorts of flavours – the tractor book was a favourite here, but any sort of topic they seem to have a book on it.t
Emma says
Oooooh off to have a look for some of these! Touchy feely boards books are a must!
Sharon says
absolute favourite here for years and years – fisher price cars and little people. LOVED them. Have passed onto violet too and she too loves chucking the little people figurines into the bus and taking them for a drive. It wasn’t so long ago that when the bus was still here that barbie was also driving it 😉 So a winner I reckon from one onwards. AND they have a farm version too!
Emma says
Eleanor has the little people Noah’s ark and animals, a handmedown from her big cousins, I probably wouldn’t have bought it for her but have found them so good! They’re a great size and seem to really engage her? So I’d definitely buy more little people for her, the farm one!
Jane says
Totally on the right track! Some lovely things chosen. Another suggestion might be a little age appropriate push along pram – (my daughter loved hers!) or a little sit on “bike” to strengthen those leg muscles. Does Eleanor have PEEPO by Janet and Allan Ahlberg? It was my Eloise’s fave book 23 years ago but still a perennial favourite and a great one to read aloud as the beautiful rhyme and rhythm of the language is so much fun!
Emma says
I have my wicker pram I had as a little girl which I planned to give to Eleanor, but it’s quite large (too high?) and a bit special so am wondering if I should get her a more ‘rubust’ and age appropriate little pram? Her main gift from us is going to be a wheely bug to scoot around on, her leg muscles certainly need strengthening! Will have a look for PEEPO, thanks.