Top 10 First Birthday Present Ideas

A first birthday is an incredibly special celebration.

Not just important for the tiny child who has made it through the single greatest amount of growth and development they will ever experience. But a massive milestone for the tired, but happy, parents, who have no doubt been through a wringer of ups and downs over the last year.

The guest of honour won’t remember a thing of course, but it is still such an exceptional day. How do you choose a gift for this cherished child that is worthy of such an honour?

We have put together some unique and wonderful ideas for you, but be warned, once this list gets out they won’t stay unique for long!

Some of these ideas are perfect for the parents or people very close to the child to give them, but other gift ideas on our list can come from anyone who just wants to give a standout first birthday present.

Top Ten Unique First Birthday Present Ideas

1. A tree

A lovely idea is to buy the birthday child a small tree, to be planted in their family garden and grow as they grow. You can choose from an unlimited variety of trees, but fruit trees are great as sources of harvest over the years, as are wattles, maples,and willows for strong and steady growth.

This child’s tree could become home base for many lovely activities through his childhood. Put handmade bird feeders in from kinder, hang a swing in early school years, and even encourage the building of a rustic treehouse when he’s a bit older.

A tree keeps on giving, and isn’t that a quality of the perfect present?

2. A letter

This is a lovely tradition to start with the child’s first birthday, and can then be recreated for every birthday from them on. Write a letter to the birthday child telling them the story of the last year; the wonderful bits and the hard parts, and every special milestone and step.

You can start something that you can do again beautifully and originally every year; reminding your child of the events of the last year. Keep all these letters together and they can have an ongoing narrative of their whole childhood that they can look back in years to come.

3. A scrapbook

Another gorgeous idea for a keepsake is to put together a scrapbook of your child’s first year. Collect photos, cards, items of clothing, and little mementoes like their hospital band and birth notice, and pop them all together in a little book.

This idea obviously takes a bit more time and planning than some of the other first birthday present ideas on this list (and you probably need to be quite close to the birthday child to give this one), but it is well worth it.

4. His own book

Another lovely idea and a little easier to organize is a beautifully professionally printed book with the birthday child’s name in it. There are several different companies that you can arrange these through, so you are sure to find one that you love. We like papier.com and hardtofind.com.au; you can even get a personalised edition of the Hungry Little Caterpillar!

5. Anything personalised really

You can find some super sweet gift ideas to personalize with the birthday child’s name, and the variety and ingenuity of these will astound you. From wooden trains where each carriage is a different letter, to quilts, globes, shelves, bowl and plate settings, dressing-gowns shaped like animals and so much more.

6. Artwork

One very personal gift is an original piece of art. You could frame pages from a classic children’s book or get something commissioned with initials, birthday, dreams and more.

You could commission the café chalkboard style print showing off the birthday child’s big milestones of their first year and have it framed to be hung on their bedroom wall.

Here is useful link.

7. A beautiful backpack

Around their first birthday, this little person will often be heading off to childcare for their first time. Why not buy them a gorgeous backpack ready for their first day, something that will make them the envy of all of the other babies in the baby room?

8. Memberships and experiences

Don’t just give something else to clutter up the house and get stepped on in the night – choose something intangible and priceless. Give a membership to the zoo or museum near the child’s home, or even a year of swimming lessons or Gymbaroo.

Think of something that you loved doing as a child, and then buy a year of this for your special little birthday child.

9. Cool outdoor toys

This little one is going to start walking soon and will get into a whole new world of toys – outdoor ones! Small children have a lot of exploring to do in the coming months, and you can help with that.

From great little walkers to rider cars that are miniature versions of full-size ones to toddler sized slides and climbing frames, there is so much fun stuff you can get this child for the big new world they are about to encounter (in their backyard!)

10. Expensive shoes

This one is not for the parents, but perhaps aunts and uncles without kids who have some extra cash to splurge. Tiny baby shoes get grown out of so fast that parents are reluctant to spend a lot on them, but tiny designer baby shoes are some of the most uber-cute things on the face of the planet, and very hard to resist.

For friends with a little money to spare, you can’t go past a stunning pair of designer baby shoes. Impractical but memorable, and can be kept forever.