It's the beginning of December, we have our Christmas jumpers out, our Christmas decorations are up, Christmas songs are playing and our naughty little elf is back.
I love Christmas as much as the next person, as you can tell, but something I have learnt with my years of parenting is to be organised with my Christmas shopping. I am very proud to tell you we had all our presents bought by the middle of November :) (except a gift for my dad that is. I am sure you will all agree that dad presents are the hardest to buy!).
As I am all planned and ready I thought I would write a blog on my ‘top 5 baby’s first Christmas toys’ to help those of you out who might not be quite so organised this year, there is always next year :)
These ‘top 5 baby’s first Christmas toys’ are toys we have bought for my two girls which have been a very big hit over the years.
1. HappyLand village from Early Learning Centre
My first and favourite has to be our HappyLand village from the Early Learning Centre. We bought this for my first daughter (Rosie) 5 years ago and it has brought so much joy to both my girls. Rosie enjoys playing with it now and she will be turning 6 this January. It was a great toy I could play with them as well as them playing with it alone. My second daughter (Lily) aged 2 years will be very busy and happy playing with this for a good 30-40 minutess before she wonders where I am or needs my participation.
You can find Happyland products here - https://www.elc.co.uk/search/?q=Happyland
2. Ball Run from Early Learning Centre
I bought this ball run, also from ELC, for Lily’s Christmas last year and she has just loved it! She plays with it at least once a day and it is a great toy for the girls to play with together which is always a bonus. It isn't small though and doesn't fold up in any manner so you do have to be prepared to have it in the corner of your room. I guess if it was folded up it wouldn’t get played with half as much.
Christmas morning opening the ball run.
You can find this fun ball run here - https://www.elc.co.uk/1st-birthday-gift-ideas/jungle-fun-ball-run/143471.html?cgid=e397#sz=24&start=43
3. A pram
Both my girls have loved, loved, loved their baby doll and pushing a pram around ever since she could toddle about. Prams are not just for girls - boys love playing with babies too and what a great way to practice those parenting skills early ;)
I don’t think the type of pram you buy really matters other than how much support your baby needs with their walking. Some of the toy prams you buy are very flimsy and will just tip over if your baby is using them to aid their walking. We have a very cheap and cheerful pram which Lily has used since she started walking, but it wasn’t good for a walking aid. I know the Early Learning Centre tend to sell much sturdier prams so if your little one needs this extra support maybe keep this in mind.
4. Wooden kitchen from IKEA
Both my girls love pretend cooking and making me tea and cakes all day long. Our toy kitchen has brought so much fun to our girls and I love how it fits into our home. You can also buy pretend fruit, vegetables, fish and meat made from felt for them to play with.
You can find the ikea kitchen here -
5. Musical drum set from B Toys
And finally but not least, musical instruments. Anyone who knows me or my family knows we love music, singing and dancing and you will often find us in our kitchen rocking it out. My sister first bought this instrument set for Rosie’s first Christmas gift and we have had a lot of use out of it. Not only is it lovely but all the instruments are big and chunky for good gripping, they are all chewable and easily cleaned.
You can find the B drum set here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parum-Pum-Musical-Instruments/dp/B003WE34HC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510937912&sr=8-1&keywords=B+drum+set
Thanks for reading!
And that's it, my 5 favourite 1st Christmas gifts. I have had such a good time remembering all of our fun over the years with these toys and I am sure there is more to come. I hope this may be of use to some of you and if you have been organised and spent up there is always your baby’s first birthday - so bookmark this blog for another time :)
And here's another great blog I found that could of be of use over at Jen's Reviews - everything you need for your baby, according to science including 15 essential baby care tips for first time parents.
Have a fantastic first Christmas with your new baby and A happy New Year :)