The Best Guide for Baby’s 1st Christmas

Baby’s 1st Christmas: one of my favorite things to celebrate amongst the excitement of the first year. Christmas is a special time for gathering with family and celebrating, so someone new in the family to celebrate with is very important to me. I’ll save the sappy stuff for another post, but I’ve got all kinds of emotions as we get ready for our last “1st Christmas”. While you might ask “what on earth do you get for a 4th baby?” there will certainly be presents under the tree for our little Miles this year. Over the years, we’ve given a lot 1st Christmas gifts and I’ve put a lot of thought into what types of toys they’ve really played with and what gifts were really memorable things we hold on to. The list is a mix of gifts you might give your own baby and gifts that would be nice to give a baby on your shopping list. These are all items we have seen, felt, used, etc and that I would highly recommend. It’s not just a wish list, but a well thought out list instead! I hope this helps you shop for the littlest ones on your list this year.

I See Me Book

I See Me makes wonderful personalized gifts. I have given these as gifts and received them too. They are so special and something the child continues to enjoy as they grow. Now that my girls can read on their own, their favorite books to read are their I See Me personalized books they’ve received over the years because they are “about them”. For Miles’ first Christmas, I chose My Very Merry Christmas Board Book. There’s an option to add in the word “First” to make it a 1st Christmas book. These books make for a very unique, personal gift for the baby.

EduShape Balls

I featured these in one of Miles’ Milestones posts and they continue to be a favorite. We are adding to Miles’ collection with 2 new size EduShape balls for Christmas. These are great for sensory toys and also for playing ball as they grow. This is a toy I think is perfect to give regardless of how old the baby is at their first Christmas.

Land of Nod

The Land of Nod has so many great choices for Christmas gifts. You can sort by age and I honestly think they have the best 0-12M gift section I have seen. There are options from $5 on up. There are items that are toys, clothes, gear and even adorable ideas for stocking stuffers. I browsed the whole list and there’s really not one item I would want to give or receive. A few favorites from the list: Busy Baby Activity Chair, Wobbly Stacker, Wooden Key Set and Animal Rattles. 

Pearhead

More ways to get personal with your gifts! I highly recommend getting something from Pearhead to help “document” your baby’s First Christmas. Each year when I pull out our ornaments, I can hardly believe how tiny Maggie and Alex’s handprints were just a few years ago. They grow so much, so fast in these early years. My tree is covered in different size hands and feet and I can’t wait to add Miles’ prints into the mix this year. Pearhead has very easy to use baby print ornaments in a variety of options. In addition to baby print ornaments, Pearhead also has adorable First Christmas stickers (they come in a set of holidays) for taking photos and a neat “All About Baby” chalkboard for taking photos. The chalkboard is a great 1st Christmas gift because they can use it on their first birthday.

Hooded Towel

Miles is outgrowing his tiny infant bath towels. His siblings all have a favorite hooded towel they use all the time. I thought for Christmas he could get his own “big kid” towel. We found this awesome Etsy shop, Tootsie Towels that makes personalized hooded towels. We just got ours in the mail and the quality is fantastic and it comes wrapped, ready to gift.

Smockingbird

Whether you’re looking for a 1st Christmas outfit for your little one or for a special gift, I’d highly recommend Smockingbird. I discovered this line thanks to Instagram and bought my first item there this summer (a cute smocked crab bubble). They have smocked clothes for babies and kids as well as great outfits they can monogram for you too. Miles got this red monogrammed corduroy bubble for his first Christmas. You can shop Smockingbird right on their website and also in their weekly sales on Instagram and Facebook. I highly recommend following them on social media as they have great deals!

Christmas Books 

A great gift for a baby’s 1st Christmas is to give a holiday book. We have so many holiday books with a note written in them that the kids have received over the years. It’s so special to bring them out year after to year to read Christmas. Julie put together a great list of books in this post: 25 Days of Christmas Books. 

Little People

Fisher Price Little People are a great 1st Christmas gift because I feel they grow with the child. Actually, Maggie got a Little People dollhouse for her first Christmas and 6 years later I still see her and her sister playing with it. It’s also still in perfect condition for their little brothers to use. There are so many cute Little People options from Disney to race cars. This Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway is a great example of how it can grow with the child. You can literally change the height of the toy!

Sing-A-Ma-Ling

Ok, while these may look a little crazy and honestly when you hear them they sound a little crazy too: little ones love them! I remember the kids I babysat for in college had one and loved it. Miles is memorized by his Sing-A-Ma-Ling and then laughs and claps. Each Sing-A-Ma-Ling has three different modes of play – Harmony, Jibber Jabber and Song. For $12.99 or less you can’t go wrong with this “baby entertainer”.

Snuggly Blanket/ Mat 

We had plenty of blankets in the house to pass down to Miles, but he has one new addition that would make an excellent 1st Christmas gift. This blanket from Just Pretend Kids is the softest blanket I have ever felt in my life. They call is a blanket/rug and it’s defintely thick enough and large enough to be laid out like a rug/mat to play and roll around on. It’s honestly so soft and snuggly that all 3 of Miles’ siblings try their hardest to steal it and bring it to bed with them. It’s marked down 50% off right now on their site.

Dance & Move BeatBowWow

Tommy got BeatBo for his 1st birthday and loved it. Then, once he could stand and dance on his own, he loved it even more. A year later we still dance with Beatbo. This season there’s a new Beatbo in town: Dance & Move BeatBowWow. It’s really cute and very entertaining and interactive for little ones.

Corolle

I’ve included Corolle in almost every gift guide I’ve written. I think their dolls make great, classic gifts for kids. The site helps you decide which doll based on age and there are options from baby up through older kids (7+). Corolle dolls have been around for a long, long time. I got one of their dolls for Christmas when I was little. I think Corolle dolls are nice for a 1st Christmas gift because they make for something special that the child will hold onto for a long time.

Freshly Picked

I was so excited to see that Freshly Picked had a festive red pair of moccasins for Miles’ First Christmas! They’ll match all his holiday outfits and keep his little feet warm.  He just grew out of his brother’s hand-me-down yellow moccasins. I love Freshly Picked moccasins and think they make a really nice gift. They are easy to size and I like that they come packaged so cute for gift giving.

Sort & Discover Drum
We love sorting toys and VTech’s new Sort & Discover Drum is awesome.  When you drop shape blocks into the shape sorter, the drum will recognize the blocks and introduce animals, shapes and numbers. It takes the traditional shape sorter to a new level! Here’s another toy for $12.99 (or less).

Beaufort Bonnet Company 

The Beaufort Bonnet Company is my favorite place to find outfits for special occasions. I think they have a lot of items that are great for a 1st Christmas gift. A bonus is that the customer service and quality is outstanding. The boys have matching Christmas outfits from Beaufort Bonnet this year (see this post for details). For more gift ideas from Beaufort Bonnet Company, visit Miles’ Baptism post. 

Fisher-Price Soothe and Glow Giraffe

We had a glowing seahorse like this for both of the girls. I recently got this cute little giraffe for Miles and he loves it. It’s a nice gift because it’s a cute cuddly toy for baby and also something to help soothe them to sleep (a gift for the parents). Right now it’s on sale on Amazon for $8. 

Zutano

Here’s another brand we include year after year in our gift guides. Zutano has top quality, bright fun designs and the softest, most snuggly gifts around. Their clothes have always been a favorite and this year they have some of the cutest (and warmest) accessories around. Look at this bear hat!  A few other Zutano items that are great for a 1st Christmas: blankets, mittens, clothes and adorable toys.

The Manhattan Toy Company

The Manhattan Toy Company has great gifts for babies. They are really well made and can be easily purchased on Amazon or found at stores. A few favorites are the Click Clack Ball, the Woodland Babies Foot Finders and Rattle and the Felix the Fox Stroller Toy.

Time Capsule

I recently saw this idea and wish I have done it years ago. At the holidays, ask relatives and friends to write the baby a letter. Put it in a “time capsule” along with other items and give it to them later in life. Years ago, I asked my grandmother to write the girls a letter in a Christmas card. It wasn’t a long letter, just a few notes written in a Christmas card. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the last Christmas my grandmother would celebrate with us. Those cards are now something so special for the girls that they will always have. I think writing notes and asking other people to write the baby notes is a really special gift they’ll hold onto and read years from now.

If you have any favorite gifts for Baby’s First Christmas, please leave ideas in the comments!