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What to buy a girl for her first birthday

Baby girl

Written by

Kellie O’Brien

in

,
Baby girl
Baby Holy showing off her tongue-twirling technique (please, turn a blind eye to the dust under the TV)

LAST week Shae from Yay For Home posted about the things she “didn’t know’’. Actually, I could write a book on that subject. But anyway, I digress. So, this week, because I have a burning question I need you all to help me answer, I thought I’d turn the Things I Know post on its head too to try and solve the mystery of what to buy Baby Holly for her first birthday next month.

So, here goes:

  • I don’t know what to buy a girl for her first birthday when her sister got it all the first time around. Her big sister, Ella, suggested a beach towel yesterday. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.
  • I don’t know what to then buy her for Christmas, which is only two months later.
  • I don’t know if just going for the ol’ books and clothes thing will cut it. Maybe also one of those walker-come-bike contraptions considering she’s yearning to learn to walk at the moment. I’m not so crazy on the walking idea!
  • I don’t know why it’s so easy to come up with a million ideas for Ella’s fourth birthday, but just one for Baby Holly’s first year celebration is doing my head in. In fact, Ella’s shopping is all done and her birthday is a month later.

So, any help would be gratefully appreciated. Feel free to add links to sites you know and love as well.

I’m linking up Shae from Yay for Home’s Things I Know.

Comments

51 responses to “What to buy a girl for her first birthday”

  1. Belinda Avatar
    Belinda

    I don’t know either, but I’ll be closely watching for ideas for my girls 🙂
    Emily’s fourth and Jessica’s first birthday are both less than two weeks after Christmas!! Might have to get some Zhu Zhu pets for Emily 😉 Feel free to share your ideas for Ella lol

    Reply
    1. Belinda Avatar
      Belinda

      Actually, I just remembered that I’ve got a gorgeous fabric hobby horse put away for Emily, from Little Old Nags! You can find her on facebook 🙂

      Reply
      1. Kel Avatar
        Kel

        Oh, she will love that, Belinda. Ella has a rocking horse from her cousin (which we’re borrowing) and she loves it!

        Reply
    2. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Hey Belinda, there’s quite a few great suggestions here now, plus a couple on the Facebook page!
      As far as Ella, her “big” present will be a doll’s house, alng with some dress up costumes, a scooter, the usual top up of play dough, books and some board games (Trouble, Connect 4, UNO). We thought she might be ready to play some of these types of games now, considering how much she loves card games.(Go Fish, Snap). Hope that helps. x

      Reply
  2. Lisa Fairbridge Avatar
    Lisa Fairbridge

    For Kara’s first birthday I bought her a special dolly, pushchair and baby bed for her. She played mummy with it. She was also given a block set by nanny and a little bike to ride on. (you know the ones that you sit on and push with your feet, no peddles or anything)

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Great suggestions, Lisa. Thank you. That’s really helpful. I think a special doll with the accessories is a nice idea.

      Reply
  3. frogpondsrock Avatar
    frogpondsrock

    She is a baby, she doesn’t need anything for her first birthday or Christmas. Don’t stress, she wont know. I don’t think I bought anything other than a token gift for any of my children or grandchildren for their first birthdays or Christmas.

    But, Amy is 5 next week and when I asked her what she wanted, she very solemnly asked me for a purple unicorn that barbie could ride. So I found a purple unicorn that barbie can ride. Thank the [insert deity of choice] for ebay.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Hehe!! I love that she was so specific, Kim. Fantastic!
      And thanks. You’re quite right. She won’t know any different. I think maybe I’m worried more about how Ella will react to Baby Holly’s lack of presents!! Silly, I know! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Tina ~ Tina Gray {dot} Me Avatar
    Tina ~ Tina Gray {dot} Me

    No suggestions but I’m loving that photo of Holly. She is too cute!!

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Hehe!! Thanks Tina! 🙂

      Reply
  5. tiff Avatar
    tiff

    I know it’s really hard to buy gifts for the next child, especially if they are the same sex. We bought Lily a special doll for her first because Immy and Maddy had lots of things from their birthday just 10 days (and 2 years) before.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      I really love all the suggestions of a special doll, Tiff. Everyone seems to be on the same wave length, so I’m definitely sold on that idea. Thank you. It’s really appreciated. x

      Reply
  6. Glowless Avatar
    Glowless

    She’ll like the wrapping and the box more than the pressie anyway so don’t stress

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Oh my goodness, you’re bringing back all those memories for me, Glowless. Funny how you forget these things three years on! 😉

      Reply
  7. Me 'N my Monkeys Avatar
    Me ‘N my Monkeys

    ‘I think’* i bought miss 7 a baby doll, some bath books and some more bath toys for her 1st birthday.
    I’m sure she will be happy with whatever you get her, that’s the bonus that comes with a 1st birthday, their to young to complain, that its not what they wanted or it was the wrong colour. hehe

    xx

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Oh, so true!! Hehe!! That is definitely the best bit. I like the bath books idea, because we don’t actually have any of those. Not sure how we got this far without one!! LOL!
      And definitely the doll – that seems to be the unviersal suggestion! So thank you! x

      Reply
  8. Nee Avatar
    Nee

    I agree with all comments re: she’ll never know!! I had the same problem with Bam Bam. I found that until his little personality had completely emerged it was hard to find something that was special just for him not just more generic baby stuff of which we already had an abundance.

    You’ve got plenty of years ahead to buy special gifts for your littliest princess so don’t stress 🙂

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Thanks Nee. You’re right. As I just said on Kim’s comment, I think I’m stressing more about what Ella’s going to think about Baby Holly’s lack of presents. Silly? Yes!! LOL! 😉

      Reply
  9. Sif Avatar
    Sif

    I have four boys so I can related to this! I found I topped up shared cl
    Ollections for younger brothers’ birthday, so more duplo/lego, more Thomas train set stuff. The top up pressies were more expensive but less in quantity (eg. My eldest got a lot of track and trains, but younger ones got stuff like the round house, or musical mountail) – which helped make their collections kind of cool. Also, we have a tradition that each boy gets the newest version of Buzz Lightyear, because every couple of years a new version of the same toy lands on the toy shelf; that means this Christmas is sorted for our #4 :).

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      I like the idea of topping up collections. Ella has some blocks, which both girls are loving playing with at the moment. We don’t quite have enough to build a castle, so that might be a good idea. Thank you! Brilliant! 🙂
      I love the Buzz Lightyear tradition. How fabulous, Sif! x

      Reply
  10. Jessie Boan Avatar
    Jessie Boan

    A tea set (tin or plastic) is a favourite of my little girl’s (now 18 months), also a special doll or softie to treasure. I love handmade; so often buy from madeit and Aus facebook sellers. Good luck!

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      The special doll is definitely a winner, Jessie. Ella already has a tea set, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt if Holly had her own. Bigger tea parties, hey!! Hehe!! 🙂
      Will be checking out MadeIt on Facebook too. Thank you. x

      Reply
  11. Kate @ Puddles and Gumboots Avatar
    Kate @ Puddles and Gumboots

    There are these great wooden puzzles that are the child’s name that you can buy. I will come back later with link when I’m not on my phone if you’re interested. I think one of those trike thingies sounds like a great idea though. Or a baby swing maybe?

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      I’d love the link, Kate. That would be great. Ella has been obsessed with puzzles from day one, so I’d love to get Holly into puzzles too. Thank you! x

      Reply
      1. Kate @ Puddles and Gumboots Avatar
        Kate @ Puddles and Gumboots

        Took me forever to find, I thought I had them pinned on Pinterest but couldn’t find the pin for the life of me, funnily enough turns out they are from Mooo
        http://www.mooo.com.au/personalised-wooden-name-puzzle.html?cid=puzzlehome2

        Reply
        1. Kel Avatar
          Kel

          Oh fabulous. Thanks so much for coming back and giving me that link, Kate. I’m off to have a look! xx

          Reply
  12. rachel Avatar
    rachel

    I felt the same stress leading up the smiling tiger’s birthday… the little emp had already been given everything and more and smiling tiger is happy to play with that stuff. still more stuff came despite my insistance that he didn’t need to much (the in laws never listen to me…)
    My SIL gave him an awesome beanbag which was nice cause neither of them had one… is there something functional but pretty like that, that you could get her?
    I went with some new books plus some puzzles (form board ones) and one of those tracking games (its a giraffe, you put shapes into its mouth and watch them go click, clack down the zig zag track – he loves it and its not boyish…)
    good luck! agree with others though not to stress too much cause she won’t remember it but also understand that it adds to the second child guilt because you know you didn’t think that way about Ella’s first birthday xx

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      That’s great, Rachel. Ella has a beanbag, which she loves. So it might be nice to get Holly one to match, maybe.
      The tracking games sound interesting. I might look into that.
      Puzzles and books are always a winner here! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Leah - Bogue Living Avatar
    Leah – Bogue Living

    I bought both of mine necklaces for their first birthdays. Takes up hardly any room and is a sentimental gift. Love stamp has great stuff, can record theur details on it – I got it for my son, wasn’t around when the 8yo turned 1.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      What a beautiful idea, Leah. My mum bought Ella a bracelet, because she bought me one as a child. So it would be nice for Holly to have one too. Although, mum will probably have that covered! 🙂

      Reply
  14. pixie Avatar
    pixie

    I used to get my girls a porcelain doll(to keep) and one of those walking/push me thingos.

    happy shopping!!!

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Oh, I love the porcelain dolls. That’s a beautiful idea, Pixie. Thank you. x

      Reply
  15. Janice - learning 4 kids Avatar
    Janice – learning 4 kids

    This is something I can totally relate to having 3 girls. You want to treat them all the same!
    My youngest just turned one last month and we bought her a personalised wooden puzzle that was made in her name, also a giant doll embroided with her name. She carries/drags it every where because it is hers and not her sisters.
    We also got her a giant rocking caterpillar much like a rocking horse but a caterpillar……she loves it! You can’t go past a beautiful party dress for the special birthday girl!
    Good luck! xx

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      I’m loving the suggestions of personalised wooden puzzles and the doll. They seem to be the two popular picks. Thank you for these, Janice. Fabulous! x

      Reply
  16. tahlia - the parenting files Avatar
    tahlia – the parenting files

    I love the suggestions of a personalised puzzle. Or you can also get a personalised wall print or design. Or you can now maybe get personalised cd’s or a book that you can do a voiceover… o saw them advertaised for fathers day actually.

    Gorgeous photo too 🙂 xx

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Same here, Tahlia. I’m loving the personalised puzzle suggestions too. I think anything with their names on it is really special. 🙂

      Reply
  17. Jo @countrylifeexperiment Avatar
    Jo @countrylifeexperiment

    Laughing at this one… I wrote some advice for you (inadvertently) on Tuesday… DON’T buy anything that doesn’t have an off switch. Trust me!

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      LOL!! Oh yes Jo, I’m hearing you … loud and clear!!! Hehe!! 😉

      Reply
  18. nellbe Avatar
    nellbe

    I know everyone says she won’t know but her sister will. That’s what I found with my 2. Maybe a keepsake gift, like a special jewelry box or hairbrush/com set? Has she got her own dolly yet? Maybe a special one of those. (even if it sits on a special shelf for the moment until she is old enough to play with it) Santa got my youngest a walker push thing last year and he loves it. He has used it nearly every day since.

    You could also get a personalised story/book, they are brilliant.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      That’s exactly what’s been going through my mind, Nellbe. It really is Ella that I’m most concerned about.
      The special jewelry box is a lovely idea. I like that. And the special doll seems to be a popular choice, so we’ll definitely be going with that. We’ll be looking into the walker/push toys too. We only have a wooden trolley with blocks in it that was never very stable. She’s already trying to use that, so I’d love to get something more sturdy.
      Thank you. x

      Reply
  19. Lee Alexander Avatar
    Lee Alexander

    I bought Miss A a really nice teddy. She loves him.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Aww, that sounds beautiful, Lee. I like that! x

      Reply
  20. Shae Avatar
    Shae

    Like reading these comments- have NFI what to get any of my kids for xmas

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      ROFL!! Oh Shae, it’s a real worry. Sometimes I think it would be easier to give them money and say `go for it!’. 😉

      Reply
  21. Veronica @ Mixed Gems Avatar
    Veronica @ Mixed Gems

    Some great ideas here. I might have go steal some for when my girl turns 1 or for Christmas. So far, because she’s the second girl, she’s living with hand-me-downs from big sis. I realise that will have to stop soon, but it works for now. Personally, I do like the idea of a keep-sake that hopefully she will treasure when she’s older. Otherwise we got books, puzzles mostly when our girl turned 1.

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      Steal away, Veronica. There’s some great ideas here. I’m with you on the keepsake item.
      I’m in the same boat – I can’t see the point in buying lots of new things when there are perfectly good toys and books that were her sisters. But the first birthday is different. She needs something that will be “hers”! Good luck with your shopping. xx

      Reply
  22. Tania Avatar
    Tania

    My little Olive is 1 tomorrow! Which I can scarcely believe. We’ve bought her a tent set. How odd does that sound? By that I mean – two little tents which have a tunnel that connect them. You can have it as three separate bits or join whatever you like together. The older two are giving her a wooden puzzle of her name. Mainly because they also have them so she’d get one at some stage anyway and I wanted something for them to give her. They chose the colours and the picture on it (from The Puzzle People at Salamanca) and think it is great! All other rellies have asked what she’d like and I’ve said nothing but if they’d like to get her something, because of course they would, then get her some clothes! Practical at least…
    As for Christmas. Who knows?!

    Reply
    1. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      I love those tents, Tania. That’s actually a really good idea. Especially now the weather’s starting to warm up. It would be nice for them to have something to take outside and play with.
      The puzzles have been a real winner. We’re heading South soon, so we might have to make plans for Salmanca so we can hunt down The Puzzle People. Thanks. x

      Reply
    2. Kel Avatar
      Kel

      OH, and a HUGE Happy Birthday for Olive tomorrow!! How exciting!!! I hope she has a fabulous day!!!! x

      Reply
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