Unique 1st birthday gift?

[claudiakishi]

My friends daughter is turning 1 in a few weeks and I’m her godmother. I’m looking for ideas for a unique keepsake type gift. I was looking at photo books, personalized puzzles, etc. I thought I’d check here and see if anyone has given or received something they loved.

[nicolewi]

Keepsake-type items that we have found useful overtime have been small engraved boxes to leave on a dresser; engraved classic-style metal picture frame, engraved snow globe that my daughter got for her baptism. She kept it on her dresser for years.

Or maybe Reed & Barton or similar baby silverware?? You can actually use it for a while, and then it’s cute to keep.

Still, I think a college fund gift is a great gift at that age. Cash, along with a small toy and/or board book. Parents would really appreciate that.

[Poppy]

1 is pretty early for a puzzle. ETA, I was thinking jigsaw type photo puzzles. A wood name puzzle is a good idea.

I made a custom board book of all the cousins for my niece. customboardbooks.pintsizeproductions.com/

You could do something similar but meaningful with pictures of you and her and her parents, or some other theme that is personal to your relationship.

[andi]

I really like the personalized name puzzle idea! Also, my kids each got a photo book of them/family members for their first birthday and both still look at them to this day. They love looking through them especially since we don't live near any family members.

[Poppy]

Also, you can bookmark this for later (works better for birthdays 2-4), but Shutterfly offers a matching game with custom pictures.

My son got a piggy bank with his name on it. However, it is very toddler oriented so I wish they had gotten something a little more timeless, as he's now finally interested in money at age 6.

[purplepenguin7]

I do a custom name puzzle for 1st birthdays a lot and it's usually a big hit. Even if they don't know to fit the letter in the slots, it's a good open ended learning toy for a while. My SIL got my daughter a personalized jewelry box, which was a lovely gift. For now we are just storing little trinkets and odds and end in it, but I think it's something she will use/keep for years.

[devonpow]

We got that wooden step stool that is personalized with that name puzzle on it. It’s still in DS2’s room and he’s 9 lol

www.thetot.com/product/hollow-woodworks-personalized-maple-puzzle-stool-bench-natural-wood/?attribute_pa_color=primary&attribute_pa_size=regular&tot-i18n-country=US&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmIuDBhDXARIsAFITC_7dTwomo9POHlparyiXuHGR2ySAYutwHYjsFP7Q1PWj1QptRkIeCjUaAh79EALw_wcB

[jinkies]

Mar 30, 2021 13:52:06 GMT -5 devonpow said:

We got that wooden step stool that is personalized with that name puzzle on it. It’s still in DS2’s room and he’s 9 lol

www.thetot.com/product/hollow-woodworks-personalized-maple-puzzle-stool-bench-natural-wood/?attribute_pa_color=primary&attribute_pa_size=regular&tot-i18n-country=US&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmIuDBhDXARIsAFITC_7dTwomo9POHlparyiXuHGR2ySAYutwHYjsFP7Q1PWj1QptRkIeCjUaAh79EALw_wcB

This is what I gave my nephew for his first birthday. I think it is a fun, useful gift!

(It doesn't have my name on it, but I still have and use a hand-painted step stool that was given to me by aunt/uncle for my first birthday. They wrote a message on the underside of stool. So I would argue that a stool can be a keepsake!)

[claudiakishi]

Great ideas, thanks everyone!

[shauni27]

I love the personalized step stool idea. I also love a Christmas ornament for baby. I still treasure mine from when I was born, and love finding the various ones folks gave us for when our son was born or turned one.

[af1212]

PB everywhere chair? My kid got one when she was 1 and she still sits in it now (age 8)

Ornament? I gave each of my nephews an ornament box for their first bday and an ornament and then each Christmas I give them one more ornament.

Books with their name in it? Either look on Amazon for books that naturally have their name in it or you can have ones special made with their name inserted.

[af1212]

Two unusual things that have been some of our most used are a wagon and a nice sled that my oldest got when she was 1. 11 years later we still use both a bunch!

[pinkpeony08]

I still have the step stool my grandfather made me (unsure what age) with my name on it. My dad made a hinged cover for it that has my kids names on it.

Not a keepsake, but my favorite 1st birthday gift is a brand new box of tissues. They first look at it like “wait, I can touch this?” And then they discover the joy of pulling one and then another and another. It’s fun to watch them play with it - and tends to get played with right away vs being left for another day too.

[tennisgal]

I got my niece/godchild a charm bracelet...I can't remember if it was for her first birthday or baptism. I realize she can't wear it immediately, but then my plan was to add charms each birthday, Christmas and other special occasions. Not going to lie, I dropped off on getting them after about 5 years. I figured by the time she could wear it, it would have a number of charms on it. Maybe if you're more on top of things than I am, this might work

[madringal]

I gave all my girls a really nice, wooden growth chart for their 1st birthdays. And our tradition is that they each get measured on their birthdays and half birthdays. It's like the thing they look forward to the most about their birthdays. They love getting measured (and watching their sisters get measured) to see how much they have grown.

And (sob) my oldest just turned 13 and has outgrown her chart. So, pro tip, get one that is taller than 5'2". My other girls each have one that goes to 6'.

[CloudBee]

OneShare - a single share of stock. If you order from this company they will provide you with an official certificate vs. just electronic confirmation. We frame them and give these out to nieces/nephews. Our hope is that they will track the stock over the years and learn about the market while (hopefully) watching their $ grow.

[ellipses84]

My kids and niece/ nephews all have a little silver piggy bank (none of them are actual pics, they are other animals, a football, a boat, etc.). They also have our old toddler wooden rocking chairs. I also love the retro enamelware place setting sets from Golden Rabbit.

[ny96]

I love the personalized step stool idea. We got one as a gift when DS1 was born. It’s now been through 2 kids and has taken a licking and keeps on ticking. DS1 threw away the letter A twice and we had to replace it, and DS2, at the start of the pandemic, almost burned the house down with the letter S. We found him roasting the letter over a gas stove burner and one side was burnt to a crisp. We’ve thought of buying a new stool, something with ds2’s name on it, but we love the history that this one has.