First birthdays tend to come along in groups, thanks to many us staying friends with our NCT group. As a parent who went through this stage relatively recently, I have a few thoughts on what presents to buy, if you’d rather not buy a toy. It’s also a chance to give a shout-out to some fantastic small brands which I admire, some of which were started by mums.

Bath time toys versus bath time toiletries

My little boy received four bath toys for his first birthday and the bath wasn’t big enough to accommodate all of them! So why not go for some really lovely bath time toiletries instead or post-bath time smellies? Most parents probably don’t splurgh on these type of things of their little ones all the time so they would make a really nice present.

My favs include, Childs Farm top to toesie cleaning kit, lovely to try at home and great for babies with sensitive skin. Also the perfect size to take away on holiday.

Or if you did the baby massage classes together, another great present is Kokoso premium organic coconut oil for babies. My little one still loves a quick massage after his bath and it’s kept his skin in great condition considering we live in a hard water area. Although since now he’s walking / running this makes him rather slippery to catch!

Toys versus Toy storage

There’s little doubt that by the time your child has their first birthday you will have accumulated a lot of toys and they will probably receive quite a few as presents. I found myself thinking, where do I put them all?

These canvas storage cubes , storage tubs or rope storage baskets from the Great Little Trading company are a stylish way to store the toys, long lasting and would look good in a lounge or nursery.

High street clothes versus online clothes stores

There are some great collections in the high street stores. Like Fearne Cotton’s new collection for Boots Mini Club and Little Bird by Jools Oliver for Mothercare. If you’re looking for something a bit different that still has bags of style, there are lots of great small independent online clothes stores for kids that offer some really stylist outfits for little ones. My favourites are Oh My Baby for complete outfits and Fred and Noah for modern funky leggings. My little boy was walking / running soon at 12 months so leggings are a great choice since they don’t fall down like some of his other trousers!

Something for their room

There are so many options here, a personalised print, clock or night light for their room. One of my favourites is this Rocket Night light. Take a look at Notonthehighstreet.com for a fantastic selection of room decorations. Or Retro Kids offers some nostalgic alternatives. Miffy night light anyone?

Hopefully, that will kick started some ideas on what you could buy as an alternatively to a toy. I’d love to here if you have any other suggestions, please comment below!