In Need of Special Birthday Gifts Ideas?

A former colleague and friend of mine asked me not too long ago if I had any special birthday gifts ideas for a 1 year old. She wanted a keepsake type gift from this momentous birthday – her first. Since at only 1, she is not going to remember any gifts that you give her, I suggested that they give her a little something to play with such as the Parents Magazine toys (pictured) - I really like these a lot. They are good quality, fun colors and my kids always ParentsMagazineToys seemed to play with them quite a bit. Other favorites are the Melissa & Doug wooden toys & puzzles. These are kind of like the old wooden toys that I used to have as a child; you cannot beat wooden toys for quality and durability.

Another fun thing to do, that is kind of a present more for the parents is to create a plaster mold of her hands &/or feet. I have an Irish poem with my sons hand print from when he was 1 that hangs on my wall. I smile at it every day when I walk by it.

One of my favorite gift suggestions for kids of all ages are savings bonds. I purchase them for my kids for numerous special occasions – birthdays, Christmas, baptism/communion. My dad bought a bunch of savings bonds for me when I was little and I still have a couple, they have stopped earning interest now, but those bonds are worth about 10 times what he payed for them. I suggest getting a savings bond for a child for every birthday. There are two different kinds you can get at the bank. One that is for face value that starts earning interest from day one, or the kind that is 1/2 price of face value and that starts earning interest over time.

Charm bracelets are another idea that can be built upon for years to come. A bracelet with one charm to start out with and then a charm can be given and added for every special occasion or milestone she passes. Another idea, though they would need to be kept on a high shelf for a long time are beautiful little Tiffany Limoges boxes.

Another idea that is quite fun is www.oneshare.com where you buy 1 (or more) share of a stock (Disney, DreamWorks, McDonalds etc). You get a cool certificate and can have it framed with an exgraved plate as well if you wish. This is yet another gift that could be built upon year after year.

These are just a few ideas I had for special birthday gift ideas. If you have any you would like to share, please comment and add them!