The first year of a baby’s life is one of great change with your baby growing from a new born to a noisy, mobile child, but with so much change how do you chose the right gift for Baby’s First Xmas.
It's strange when a baby changes so much during the first year of their life that all the suggestions for Baby's First Xmas seem to concentrate on very young babies.
There is something particularly special about a new born baby joining your family at Xmas. Having your own special baby at the festivities is especially memorable, but with the baby and mother having been showered with gifts so recently what can you give a new born baby on their First Xmas?
One month old
Development in the first month is rapid and by the time a baby is one month old they will have learnt to focus with both eyes, and may be able to track a toy if it is passed 20 - 30 cm in front their face. A baby’s vision is the least developed of the 5 senses and because their retinas are not fully developed they respond best to high contrast colours such as black and white. A gift of a black and white toy is the best way to stimulate a baby’s vision, which in turn will stimulate brain growth and faster visual development.
Two to Three months old
It has been said that birth to 3 months old is all “hands and mouth” for babies so if a baby is 2 or 3 months old at Xmas then toys which encourage them to reach out and to grab and touch are great for encouraging their development. Our sensory dinosaur toys have crinkle paper inside which is stimulating to your baby. Our knitted sensory dinosaur crinkle toys are tactile and bright so perfect for this age and the flat shape makes them easy to reach and hold. They are also very cute which definitely helps their appeal.
Four to Six months old
If birth to 3 months is all Hands and Mouth then 4-6 months old is more about Reaching and Rolling.
By this age a baby’s vision will have developed to the point where they will be able to distinguish colours, even perhaps between shades of the same colour, such as red and orange. A great gift is a toy with a light rattle so you can watch them enjoy making the sound when they shake it. Babies will also start to show a preference for primary colours so toys in bright colours will be popular.
By 6 months a baby will begin to understand that things still exist if you can’t see them. This is called object permanence, and is the basis of some fabulous peekaboo games as they will love watching things appear and disappear.
They will also start to recognise their own teddy and it is at this age that one is likely to become the favourite so this is a great age to buy a baby a special teddy or doll to cherish.
Seven months
Whereas 5-6 months brings realisation object permanence and the fun of peekaboo 7 months can bring the misery of teething. By 7 months you could expect to see your baby’s front 2 teeth emerge which is very cute but will mean some tears, more drooling and a propensity to put everything in to their mouth. A gift which a baby can safely chew on would be most welcome at this age.
Our natural rubber dinosaur toys are suitable from birth, brightly coloured and easy to wash, making them perfect for babies of this age.
Eight to Ten months
By this age many babies start learning to crawl or even get close to walking. This means that anything which encourages motion will be very much appreciated. Rolling a ball to your baby will encourage them to reach
With movement comes a lot of opportunities to get grubby and bath time toys will be a great gift for this age. Not only is water the most perfect of sensory toys but our bath time dinosaur toys are perfect for the bath because they have no hole for water to get in to and create nasty mouldy surprises.
11 Months to One Year old
If the baby is coming up to a year old at Xmas this is a great time to Go Large. Many babies are on their feet by this age so our large dinosaur toys are perfect as they are both bright and sturdy, perfect for encouraging imaginative play.
We hope we have given you some inspiration for the best gift for Baby's First Xmas but please join the debate on our Instagram or Facebook pages.
