Choosing a birthday present is a very responsible task, especially if the birthday person is a child. Due to the developmental characteristics of a one-year-old child, many adults find it difficult to decide on a gift.
What should be considered?
Usually, choosing a gift for children is not so difficult, but a year is the date when choosing a present is most difficult. On the one hand, it is customary to celebrate the first birthday along with everyone else, on the other hand, age does not yet allow the baby to have his own interests and hobbies, moreover, he, most likely, does not even understand what is happening. This holiday, to a greater extent, is for parents, but the gift is given to the main hero of the occasion, which means that it should directly concern him.
Interestingly, even the tried and tested children's version of sweets will not work here. The fact is that it is undesirable for a baby to eat sweets and chocolate at such a young age, since his digestive system is not yet ready for such serious food. Therefore, it is better to refrain from gifts of this kind, regardless of how high their quality is.
Most often, at this stage of life, it is advised to give either useful developmental or just simple toys. Various pyramids and cubes will almost certainly be successful, balls are always relevant. At one year old, the girl will be happy with the doll, and the boy will not give up the car, although this option seems to be oriented towards growth.
Keep in mind that with a relatively small selection of possible gifts, it is important not to repeat what the baby already has, because one year old is too early for such disappointments. Ask the parents if the child has what you are planning to buy - they may even give you a concrete idea of what might actually come in handy. If possible, consult with other guests as well so that the gifts do not coincide.
Types of presents
If you already have children of your own, you probably have an idea of what a child needs at that age. But you cannot do without a hint if you have not yet acquired your own children. When thinking about possible options for a gift, you should choose in one of three categories: the present should have an educational, entertaining or practical function.
Developing
Perhaps all parents want their child to grow and develop as soon as possible, which, of course, is also useful for him. For more than a century, child psychologists and educators have been inventing various tricks that help develop logic, intelligence and memory, as well as motor skills, promote the study of letters and numbers, and so on.
The trick is to captivate, interest the child - for this, the task must be clothed in a playful form. At 12 months, most educational toys are still not suitable for the birthday boy, but if you focus only on the simplest ideas, then this can bring success. Consider the most popular options for such a gift for a one-year-old baby:
- Rug puzzle. Such a solution looks very bright, and, in addition to the developmental purpose, it can also be an excellent decoration for the interior of a nursery. It is located where it is most convenient for the owner - on the floor. Develops various aspects of a small personality, in particular, attentiveness and thinking, depending on the model, it can also contribute to the study of numbers and letters. After all, it is also just a rug that reduces the injuries of the birthday person.
- Constructors. It's still too early for an engineering designer or Lego, but something simpler will definitely fit, since it develops spatial imagination and understanding of the composite whole and individual parts, and also gives an amazing result in terms of expanding the imagination and developing fine motor skills of the hands. The main thing is that there should be no small parts in the designer that the little owner could swallow.
- Cubes. In fact, this is the same primitive constructor, except perhaps without the possibility of a strong connection of individual parts. Its advantages are the same as in the previous version, and the application of certain drawings or numbers to the cubes can further develop the baby's thinking.
This list, of course, is not complete, however, in general, educational toys should be approximately at the level of the above-mentioned complexity in their complexity.
Entertaining
Development is development, and the baby, in any case, wants to have some fun, even if his fun does not have any educational function. In this regard, an ordinary toy, focused on the so far low physical activity of the birthday person, is a good way to show oneself as a guest from the best side. Ideas for such a gift might look like this:
- Doll. For girls, it is an absolutely win-win gift that will please at least for its attractive appearance. When choosing a doll, it is important to focus on the high strength of the product - the child will almost certainly break it anyway, but it is important that he does not cut himself or swallow a piece. For the same reason, it makes no sense to buy a very expensive toy - most likely, it will not last until the next birthday. A one-year-old Barbie is hardly needed - here a doll that resembles a real person in its proportions will be more useful.
- Gurney. A whole group of toys is united under this name, the obligatory features of which are the presence of wheels and a relatively long handle. Most often these are, of course, cars, but there may be some kind of giraffe or other animal. On the one hand, a gurney can stimulate a kid to learn to walk, on the other hand, parents should be careful - the presence of wheels does not allow the gurney to be a reliable support for the little owner. Sometimes wheelchairs are also equipped with musical accompaniment, which greatly increases its entertainment value. Ideally, you can even ride such a car or animal.
- Jumpers are a kind of vertical swing that allows the baby to roll up and down. A great way to keep your baby busy, give him a lot of positive emotions, and develop the vestibular apparatus.
Practical
Children usually do not like gifts that are extremely practical, but parents will definitely appreciate it. It was already mentioned above that the first birthday is a holiday more for parents, so the necessary things are now more relevant than in any other childhood.
The positive effect of the gift can be enhanced if it is beautiful and bright - then there is a chance that the hero of the occasion himself will be sincerely happy with the new thing. The list of useful gifts is not so long, but each item is really useful:
- Clothing. One year old is exactly the age when it is time to slowly begin to study the world around us, including outside the home. Even in the cradle, the baby already needs to be taught to wear clothes, and somewhere on the street or at a party, it is simply irreplaceable. A gift can be either pajamas for sleeping or something warmer - up to clothes for winter walks.
- Footwear... At 12 months, children can usually walk on their own, albeit uncertainly, and use this skill to satisfy their own curiosity and restless restlessness. Hiking at this age is very beneficial for the physical development of the baby.
- Linens. Such a gift is a clear desire to provide the child with a great mood before bed. It's no secret that the correct arrangement of a crib can calm the baby and help him fall asleep faster. Quality underwear, when designed correctly, can serve the same function.
It is especially important to discuss useful gifts with parents, because their use is very limited in time - the baby is growing. Perhaps, instead of the planned clothes, which the birthday person already has enough, it would be better to give shoes that are not at all?
Separately, there is such a gift option as a toy house or a tent - of such a size that the owner, if desired, could hide in the presented shelter. Children like the opportunity to retire with their favorite toys, and if in the room they still feel the same as in the open space, then in such a house they will surely be comfortable.
Interesting ideas
The gift ideas presented above are just what is perceived as a win-win, suitable for one and all. In fact, it will not be difficult for an inventive person to come up with more unusual gifts - for example, something that the baby can appreciate in the future.
Original ideas are endless, but we'll just try to highlight the best creative gifts for the very first birthday in life:
- PHOTOSESSION. With the development of gadgets and digital photography, at some point it seemed that professional photographers would disappear, but they still exist and are popular. A certificate for a photo session will allow the whole family to go to the studio and capture themselves against the background of various interesting scenery, and the photographer will do everything to make it look much better than ordinary everyday shots. An older child will certainly be interested in looking at himself in early childhood and at his young parents, yes and the latter should also be delighted with such a gift.
- Gift "with endurance". For example, wine. Yes, don't be surprised - you can make such gifts for children too. Of course, the use of a gift is implied already in adulthood, ideally on the day of majority. Of course, wine should be expensive - even for instant consumption, cheap ones are not given, so what about a gift that will have to wait seventeen years in the wings? The bottle must be accompanied by a message. This idea is as original as it is risky - you need to be sure that the gift will not disappear over the years of waiting, and that the giver will still be somewhere near the child's maturity.
- Wood. Previously, in many families it was customary to plant a tree with the birth of a child, but now this tradition has come to naught. It's time to revive her! If the parents of the baby have their own piece of land, you can donate a seedling of a tree that will grow with the child. There are also risks here - it will turn out very ugly if the tree does not accept or fade, plus there is a possibility that the land plot along with the tree will be sold.
- Height meter. The phrase "when will I grow up" is typical for most children, so a visual demonstration of how this process takes place can be an excellent gift. At the age of one year, the child can already stand on straight legs on his own, which means it's time to make the first marks, thanks to this, he will just know where it all began. It is very symbolic if the person who presented the height gauge puts the first mark personally.
In fact, there are so many options that they are limited only by your imagination. A silver spoon, a box for curls and other symbolic things are often presented. The only thing to be guided by is some kind of practical application of the presentation, because an unnecessary and useless gift is unlikely to be called good by anyone.
Tips
Since a lot has already been said about what can be given, we will focus on the things that should not be given to a one-year-old child. We will immediately discard the options that such a birthday person will definitely not think of to give, leaving only what belongs to the category of common mistakes. So:
- Do not give toys that are aimed at a younger or older age. For example, a one-year-old child has already grown out of rattles - they simply will not be of interest to him for a long time. Strongly complex toys designed for children from three years old should also not be given - you will have to wait too long for them to become relevant, by that time the owner may break them.
- Good diapers and baby food only at first glance seem like an expensive and sensible gift, while in fact the choice of such things is exclusively the prerogative of the parents. The fact is that the child's body is very finicky, its reaction to improperly selected everyday items and hygiene is impossible to guess, unless you raised the birthday man all year of his previous life. There is only one situation in which such a gift is appropriate - if the parents themselves asked for this.
- When buying a toy, consider the choice very carefully... First, there are no separate small details - children pull everything into their mouths, it is impossible for the child to choke. Secondly, soft toys are not yet relevant. Thirdly, pay attention to the materials from which the product is made - again, the child will definitely taste it, therefore non-ecological materials and dyes are extremely undesirable. Finally, radio-controlled toys now also will not cause the expected delight - the kid cannot yet control such a complex mechanism himself, but the sound of the motor can even scare him.
How to do it yourself?
It is not necessary to buy a gift for a one-year-old child, if you can make it yourself. Homemade photo albums and business boards are absolute hits in the field of handmade gifts for children under the age of one.
Memorable photo albums, for example, can be made with their own hands by any person who has the skills of application and drawing. As a basis, you can use an ordinary empty photo album, but preferably on a cardboard base, so that it is convenient to arrange. Photos of the addressee of the gift can be asked from his parents - with the current development and distribution of photographing equipment, by the year the baby will probably have more than a dozen photos, among which you can select some of the best.
It remains to come up with some general concept of the album, beautifully sign it and decorate it with simple drawings or clippings - that's it, the gift is ready! On the child's first birthday, parents will like such a gift more, but over time, all family members will surely appreciate it.
But if you want to please your baby with a homemade gift here and now, make a business board for him. This solution comes in two forms - soft and hard. Every woman can make a soft business board based on fabric - you just need to sew on the fabric various buttons, pockets, zippers and clasps, or even just plain pieces of fabric of different textures.
A solid business board is already a task for a man: on a plywood base, you need to attach various door accessories in any reliable way, such as latches and bolts, an old telephone keyboard, cabinet door handles, sockets and switches, toggle switches, and similar small parts. The point is that at this age children are very interested in literally everything around them, trying to learn about the world, but this is not always safe for both the child and the subject in which he is interested.
The business board gives the kid the opportunity to safely learn the principle of operation of various simple mechanisms, expands his understanding of tactile sensations from touching certain things, and simply allows his owner to be occupied for several hours. When creating such a toy, do not forget that its external beauty is very important, which will contribute to the greater interest of the birthday person.
When making a business board with your own hands, observe the requirements for toys for young children: do not use hazardous materials, ensure that all parts are securely fastened, especially small ones, and make sure that neither the board itself nor its components can be injured.
How to make a business board with your own hands, see the video below.
