We’re so close to Christmas now – it’s all systems go!

If you have a tiny tot celebrating their first Christmas (or second, if they were newborn last Christmas), you may be wondering what on earth to get them! It really is a minefield, there are so many questions to ask and possibilities. We’ve got you covered with our guide on the best gift ideas for baby boys and girls; enjoy.

Budgeting

First of all, it’s always a good idea to think about your budget before going on a Christmas shopping spree. We asked our community of parents about their average Christmas budget per child when writing up a wish list; a total of 1121 mummies participated in our poll. Here are the results…

£0-£50 = 5.9%

£50-£100 = 18.4%

£100-£150 = 30.42% – MOST PARENTS ARE BUDGETING £100-£150 PER CHILD IN 2018!

£150-£200 = 21.94%

£200-£250 = 3.7%

£250-£300 = 8.4%

£300-£350 = 1.5%

£350-£400 = 4.8%

£400-£450 = 0.5%

£450-£500 = 1.7%

£500+ = 2.6%

However, it would be understandable that parents would want to lower this budget, especially for a smaller baby boy or girl, as older children tend to ask for the more expensive gadgets & gizmos. Some of our mummies and daddies said that they’re spending no more than £50 on their babies in terms of toys, and many others said they’re putting money into their savings accounts instead, which we’ll talk about more next.

Savings Accounts

If you’re not a fan of the idea of buying loads of toys for your baby boy or girl this Christmas, setting up a savings account in lieu is a really good idea. This guide from Money Saving Expert is really handy for any parents wanting to look into setting up an account if they haven’t already!

Another question to ask could be ‘how much should I put into the account’? The answer is entirely up to you. You could split your budget evenly between a few sensory toys and the rest going into the account, and you could even ask relatives for money rather than gifts for your child and add it to their little nest egg.

Soft Toys

Soft toys are an excellent option for a baby’s Christmas present – tummy time cushions with multi-sensory attachments and soft sit-up toys are ideal for smaller babies who are still developing and learning how to play. We love this plush Santa toy would make a perfect stocking filler or go perfectly in a Christmas Eve Box, and we adore this floral rocking horse… it also comes in light brown for gender neutral preferences.

You can buy the Wish Upon a Cloud tummy time activity toy here*.

You can buy the rocking horse here*.

You can buy the Wish Upon a Cloud – sit & play seat here*.You can buy the Santa soft toy here*.

Sensory Toys

Sensory toys are a great way to promote the development of fine motor skills, as well as other senses. Here are our favourite;

Offspring Lion Spiral – this sensory toy is perfect for travelling as it’s designed to loop onto the bumper bar of your pram or first stage car seat. Brightly coloured, with different textures and sound-making pieces, it’s great for your wee one’s sensory and motor skill development. You can find it here*.

Vtech Giggle and Go Snail – this adorable light up snail is interactive and plays loads of lovely melodies. Musical toys are very popular with small babies, plus they’re a fabulous way to hone your wee one’s sensory development and language skills as music is a very good tool for learning the cadence and rhythm of song and conversation. You can find this toy here*.

Offspring Activity Toy Petal – this adorable doll is full of hidden crinkle noises and also has teething chewies attached for sore gums! You can find it here*.

Fisher-Price Dance & Move Beat Bowwow – you may have already heard of BeatBo… meet his four legged friend, Bowwow! Super musical & dynamic with ears that move to the beat, this is a fantastic sensory toy that will get your little one bopping to the beat. You can find it here*.

Teething Toys

Teething toys are a really popular Christmas gift choice for smaller babies, because they’re both something that they’ll need, and also can be a toy/sensory activity. There are some super funky teething toys out there, and we’ve picked our favourite three;

Rainbow Silicone Hexagon Teether – we LOVE this, it’s so colourful and engaging, and fantastically soothing on sore gifts. You can find it here*.

Personalised Teething Toy/Rattle – this is so versatile, and doubles as a toy as well as a teether. Personalised gifts are also a lovely idea for a Christmas gift! You can find this here*.

Belo Teething Mitt – Belo and Me’s teething mitts are incredibly popular, and for good reason. You can find this one here*.

Something They’ll Need

Getting your baby something they’ll need at a later point in the year and that will last them until the next stage of childhood is always a sensible idea. Things like high chairs, bouncers and walkers are popular choices for parents who choose to do this – here’s our favourite picks!

Fisher-Price Rainforest Spacesaver Jumperoo – as popular as ever, this super dynamic and interactive bouncer is the perfect Christmas gift for any baby boy and girl. You can find it here*.

My Babiie Billie Faiers Highchair – I have this in the grey chevron print version and would highly recommend this based on quality and comfort. You can find this here*.

Red KiteTwist Baby Walker – definitely a fun gift for any baby boy or girl this Christmas! My son absolutely loved his! You can find this colourful & engaging walker here*.

Weaning

This falls under the something they’ll need category. We really appreciated being gifted weaning sets for Max’s first Christmas (he wasn’t quite ready at that point but it was good to be prepared). Weaning things also don’t cost the earth, and make a fab stocking filler.

MAM Pink Learn to Drink Cup & Soother – perfect for babies who are transitioning over to drinking water, this set is so pretty and would be a perfect gift. You can find it here*.

Munchkin Soft Tip Spoon Set – these soft spoons are perfect for babies at the start of their weaning journey, and so brightly coloured! You can find them here*.

Little Angels Out & About Suction Bowl – this bowl is amazing, we loved ours as our baby loved flinging everything everywhere; the suction keeps this bowl secure and the compact lid & spoon make this ideal for babies who are on the go with mummy and daddy. You can find this here*.