gift advice for a 9-month-old?
First, let me say that I was stunned, possibly even shocked, this morning when I did the counting-up and figured out that Elliott is nine months old today. Niiiiiiiiine. Too fast!
As much as I love Christmas, I dread making Christmas gift lists. Either I can't think of a single thing to ask for (myself, every year) or the things I like are too expensive or apparently too hard to find so people just wing it (Nico, every year). I'm pretty sure we have Nico covered with extras left over for his birthday in January, and that was after I decided not to buy much this year in the interest of saving some money toward a family trip in the spring. But I'm a little stumped as to what to put on Elliott's Christmas list (and also his birthday list in February). As the younger brother of a very fortunate first boy, he doesn't really need anything, but it would be sad to not have any presents for him to
The only clothing he really needs is a few pairs of fleece footie pjs and we already gave that idea to someone in the family. I'm planning to get him a Leap Frog Scout dog since Nico loves his and they've changed the design just enough that we'll be able to tell them apart. Our families aren't much for the "put cash in his savings account" option. We have a lot (feels like all) of the toy basics covered due to vast amounts of Nico hand-me-downs. We already have Mega Bloks, a Little People barn and ark, a Sophie giraffe, and the Fisher Price singing stuffed dog. I can't turn Elliott loose with a pile of board books because he gnaws on them until pieces come off in his mouth. In fact, he puts everything in his mouth, so that may influence your suggestions. He doesn't seem overly interested in stuffed toys. He seems to really like the wooden rattle toy pictured below and a shaker I made out of a plastic bottle and some beads. He likes to dump the Melissa & Doug chunky puzzles on the floor and chew on the pieces.
What would you buy, if you were buying something for him?
Katja really loved (still loves!) the "That's not my..." series by Fiona Watt. Started with "That's not my dragon!" She also adored things that make noise when you do things to them, like activity tables, and also push toys that also make noise. She loved this one: http://amzn.to/IpehRN Still plays with it sometimes when she wants music.
ReplyDeleteHe might be a bit too young for this, but we got this toy when my oldest turned one, and it has been a HUGE hit with multiple ages of kids: http://www.target.com/p/b-whacky-ball-fuschia/-/A-12026426#prodSlot=medium_1_27
ReplyDeleteif he's into that rattle, Maple Landmark, the company that makes it, has other rattles, push N pull animals, etc. that might be equally tasty. and the website I bought it from is apparently having a sale on wooden toys until tomorrow (the 26th). http://madeinusaforever.com/thweonsa.html
ReplyDeleteWhen Cameron was that age, I really remember him being into the stacking toys, especially stacking cups (like these: http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Years-Stack-Count/dp/B00005C5H4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385496267&sr=8-1&keywords=stacking+cups or these http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Brilliant-Basics-Stack-Roll/dp/B000LSZVJQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385496267&sr=8-3&keywords=stacking+cups) I have a specific memory of picking him up from daycare, and the ladies telling me about him taking the cups away from another baby: "Oh, everyone knows those are Cameron's cups!" Proud moment, heh.
ReplyDeleteHe also was really into musical toys around that age. This one was a hit (http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Neptune-Orchestra-Musical/dp/B004G8QSY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385496213&sr=8-1&keywords=turtle+little+einstein) but he actually liked this smaller stuffed one even better than the big one (http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Einstein-Press-Play-Neptune/dp/B003LQQNQK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1385496227&sr=8-5&keywords=baby+neptune)
And, I know this one is probably a little old for him, but it might make a good Santa toy that he could grow into (Cam got this for his first birthday) but it has been a HUGE hit. We busted it back out a few months ago after lending it to friends with a baby a year younger than him, and it is back in the favorites rotation. So you could get potential years of fun out of it: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Baby-Stride---Ride-Dino/dp/B00386WHKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385496758&sr=8-1&keywords=Stride+to+Ride+Dinosaur
Final suggestion, I don't know if Elliott is much of a cuddler, but we gave this giant (no seriously, it's huge) Melissa & Doug stuffed lion to a friend's one-year old and HE ADORES IT: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075NB15I/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (though I got it for $12 this summer. The current Amazon price seems a little high.)
You could also do some tradition-setting items, like a stocking with his name on it, baby's first Christmas ornament, etc.
Oh, also! You mentioned that he chews on books- have you heard of the Indestructibles series? They are cheap and supposed to be un-ruinable by baby slobbering. My dad gave us a bunch of them:
ReplyDeleteAnd now that I reread your post I see that I missed earlier that you said he doesn't care about stuffed toys, so pretend I didn't suggest that one thing ;)
http://www.amazon.com/Indestructibles-Jungle-Rumble-Kaaren-Pixton/dp/0761158588/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385499622&sr=8-3&keywords=chewable+books
Everyone in the family loves the Mozart Cube we got as a gift when W was a baby. Yes, it lights up and plays music, but it's LOVELY music. It's pretty much the only sound-making toy I don't hate. http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-43521-Mozart-Magic-Cube/dp/B00004TFLB
ReplyDeleteYou guys rock! So many great ideas :D I have ordered another wooden rattle, and put Indestructibles books in my cart on Amazon, and I'm pondering all the musical toy options. Thank you!
ReplyDelete