Best Birthday Gifts

Kids these days have so many toys! When I give a child a gift, I want it to be something that the child and their parents appreciate. I try to think of something fun, but also a little off-the-beaten path and with educational value. I try to avoid toys from Toys R Us or Target, since those are easier to find and they might have it already. Here is my list of gift ideas that I use when my daughter is going to a birthday party. This is my list for 1 year olds, I’ll post more ages in future posts.

1 Year Old Birthday Gifts

	Shades of People Kids love looking at all the faces of children in this book. The photographs are beautiful and engaging with simple text about the different shades that people come in.
	Good Night, Gorilla The illustrations of this book are playful and colorful. There’s very little text, but the pictures tell the story on their own. Both of my kids loved the page where the zookeeper’s wife discovers the gorilla in her bedroom. When they first started to look through books on their own, they would always stop on this page and look around with cute expressions of surprise! Get the board book version for 18 months and younger.
	Zoo Mix ‘N Match Peg Puzzle By Melissa & Doug These puzzles are cute since the pieces can fit in multiple positions. This makes it easier for little ones to feel success, but also allows them some creativity and opportunity to experiment. Melissa & Doug makes several different versions of these puzzles.
	Kidoozie Press N Go Inchworm I like this toy since it doesn’t need batteries. The child presses down on it, and it moves which encourages crawling. Crawling is good for their muscle development even if they are already walking.