From Toys to Keepsakes: Unique Gift Ideas for Baby's First Year
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This blog post has been updated for the 2023 holiday season.
Babies, with their tiny fingers and adorable giggles, bring immense joy into our lives. Whether you’re celebrating a newborn’s arrival or simply want to spoil a little bundle of joy, finding the perfect gift can be a delightful challenge. From practical and thoughtful items to those that inspire learning and creativity, there is a wide array of gift ideas that are sure to bring a smile to both baby and parents. These gift ideas for babies are designed to add comfort, charm, and wonder to the early months and beyond!
Most of these gift ideas are for babies under the age of one, but some toys are for up to 18+ months, so I’m leaving them on the list in case you’re shopping for a baby that will “grow into” that toy or item. I hope this list gives you some great ideas for the babies on your list this year!
Gift Ideas for Babies
I’ve rounded up 50+ gift ideas for babies with a variety of types of toys, books, pajamas, blankets, teethers, and more! Scroll on through to see all of the gift ideas for babies!
Baby’s First Blocks Set
I have this set of blocks on the list for my baby girl this Christmas. I love the muted colors of this “navy fawn” set, but Fisher Price makes some bright-colored sets too.
Luxury Pajama Sleepers
Buy that baby a luxurious pajama sleeper outfit and size up if you want to ensure that they will be able to wear them for longer!
Luxury Pajama Set
If the baby is old enough to move into 2-piece pajama sets, these Lou Lou & Company sets have the most luxurious fabrics! I always got the knotted gowns and swaddles for my newborns, and it’s the same type of fabric for the pajama sets. Tons of colors and patterns available.
Custom Name Puzzle
We have a name puzzle that my son got from his aunt for either his first Christmas or his birthday and he loves playing with it even now as a toddler.
Play Mat
We have a black and white play mat that we put on the floor for our baby to lay on or sit on with toys and it provides just a little extra cushion so I don’t have to worry about her banging her head or falling over as she got old enough to sit up on her own.
Hatch Rest+ Sound Machine
If they don’t already have this sound machine, it’s a great upgrade for any baby!
Luxury Blanket
I got one of these Lush blankets in the mini size for my first baby’s car seat in the winter (we just draped it over the top after he was strapped in), and then I got the Bamboni mini for our daughter who was born at the end of winter and needed a lighter blanket. But now I upgraded to the Lush receiving blanket for my daughter and it is incredible! Totally worth the splurge and such a great gift!
Rent-a-Romper Clothing Subscription
I have been using this clothing subscription for both of my kids and LOVE it! It is simple easy to use, and they give great instructions for caring for the clothes (and even best practices for cleaning, although there is no stain penalty) and you can swap out the clothes whenever you want! They go up to size 5T.
Use code SIMPLEMODESTMOM to get 10% off your first 3 subscription orders!
Lovevery Subscription
This is a great ongoing gift - a set of toys that are age appropriate and great for the baby’s development.
Sensory Ball
This is a cute sensory toy that is great for a baby’s development.
Soft Baby Ball
This sweet soft ball is great for play and the handles make it easy to learn to grab.
Rolling Rattle
I think this wooden rattle is so cute but also another great development toy.
Colorful Animals Wooden Book
This colorful wooden book would make a great gift.
Wobble Stacker
This wooden stacker toy is so beautiful and looks like a lot of fun for babies learning to grab things and put them together.
Hide & Find Drop Box
Another beautiful developmental toy for babies.
Activity Gym
There are lots of different activity gyms out there, but this one is beautiful and folds up to easily store away when needed.
Teething Toys
When it comes to teething toys, Itzy Ritzy has some of our absolute faves!
Get 10% OFF your first order with code ITZY10
Get $15 off your first order of $100+ with code RITZY15
Busy Mat
These busy mats are silicone and a great idea for restaurants and at the table.
Wipeable High Chair
After lots of research, this is the high chair that we got for our kids and love how easy it is to clean and our kids love having their feet on a foot rest.
Baby Crinkle Paper
This simple crinkle paper is a favorite for babies, and it is especially great for car rides!
Knitted Pom Hat
Pom hats are so cute for babies and SpearmintLove has the most adorable options.
Christmas Ornament
Start your baby’s ornament collection with a personalized option - lots of cute ones on Etsy.
Birthday Memories Journal
The Birthday Memories Journal by Promptly Journals has annual prompts to capture birthday memories and milestones for 20 years with spots for pictures and mementos. This is a fun birthday tradition for kids and adults and is the perfect present for any age!
Get 15% off at PromptlyJournals.com with code JEN15
Soft Activity Book
An adorable soft play book for the youngest of babies.
Tummy Time Water Play Mat
These water play mats are so great for tummy time and keeping babies engaged with play while working on their neck muscles and development!
Tummy Time Mobile
This is a fun little toy that encourages babies to look up while playing on their tummy.
Foam Play Mat
Love these foam play mats for play time. They are easy to set up and lay down on any surface, with their interlocking grid system. Love that they are wipeable and easy to crawl around on.
Bouncing Activity Center
Our little lady LOVES to bounce and jump in her activity center, especially since around 6 or 7 months old.
Soft Blocks
A darling set of soft blocks that won’t hurt the baby as they learn to play and hold (and drop) things.
Gripper Socks
Super practical but also a bit of luxury - these Bombas socks are super popular and so comfortable! Also super cute and fun colors.
Indestructibles Books
These books are literally indestructible - they can chew, drool, slobber, crumble the pages and they won't be destroyed. There are lots of fun stories with bright colors for little babies.
Hollow Teether Tubes
These teething tubes would make a great stocking stuffer or addition to any gift for a baby! Our little girl has loved chewing on these while working on her teeth coming in.
Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat
We originally had a Bumbo seat for my son, but both of my kids had a hard time using those seats because of cute chubby thighs and since then I’ve learned that these are much better for a baby’s posture - we have this one for my daughter and she loves sitting independently.
Crinkle Toy with Teether
This crinkle toy is SO cute and has everything to keep a little baby busy and engaged! The body is a fun crinkle sound, the tags are engaging, the knotted feet are fun to hold and the teething ring is easy to grab and chew on. There are several cute animals to choose from.
Linking Rings
These linking rings are great for hanging toys on things or keeping several teething toys together and these are much more aesthetically pleasing and double as some teethers.
Spiral Car Seat Activity Toy
A beautiful version of those car seat toys that wrap around a handle - soft and safe for car rides or stroller rides.
Snowsuit
Christmas is a great time to get a snowsuit for babies - we love having one with the hands and feet covered since babies are less likely to actually be playing or moving around in the snow and no one wants to deal with mittens and snow boots for babies.
Crawling Crab Toy
This viral crawling crab is such a fun toy for tummy time!
Subscription Boxes from Cratejoy
There are so many different subscription boxes to choose from! Cratejoy has tons of curated subscription boxes for all ages, but you can filter and browse boxes for babies - anything from clothing rentals to book boxes.
Tissue Box Toy
Babies love to grab and pull tissues, so give them a safe option that they can play with!
The Jesus Storybook Bible
We were gifted a Jesus Storybook bible for our kids when they were young - we loved reading them stories from this Bible at bedtime even when they were babies.
Muslin Quilt
I have given both of my kids a muslin quilt when they were babies that they will hopefully love and use for years to come. A great legacy gift - this Magnolia pattern is the one that we got for my daughter, my son has a black and white pattern that is now out of print. We love these Clementine Kids quilts, but there are lots of other brands with beautiful quilts: Little Unicorn, Copper Pearl, Parker Baby Co, etc.
Photo Ornament
We love getting a photo ornament of our kids when they are babies that they can use as the start of their ornament collection. We also make sure to get one for each set of grandparents.
DIY Handprint Ornament Kit
Another super cute ornament idea for babies.
Black & White Flash Cards
These black and white flash cards are a great practical gift that is great for baby’s development.
The Classic BabyLit Box Set
BabyLit® is the fashionable way to introduce your baby to the world of classic literature, while learning numbers, sounds, animals, colors, and more! This box set includes the following titles: Alice in Wonderland (A BabyLit® Colors Primer), Moby-Dick (A BabyLit® Ocean Primer), Romeo & Juliet (A BabyLit® Counting Primer), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (A BabyLit® Colors Primer), Sherlock Holmes in the Hound of the Baskervilles (A BabyLit® Sounds Primer), Pride & Prejudice (A BabyLit® Counting Primer), Jane Eyre (A BabyLit® Counting Primer), The Jungle Book (A BabyLit® Animals Primer)
Bandana Bibs
It’s no secret that babies drool a lot, especially once they start teething! Copper Pearl has lots of cute designs and patterns for boys and girls, as well as lots of neutral unisex options.
Knit Hooded Towels
These knitted hooded towels add a bit of luxury to baby’s bath time. Throw in a few fun bath toys for baby and you’ve got a great gift set!
Jumbo Quilt
This jumbo quilt would be great for a baby to start out as a floor blanket for playtime and grows into a great blanket for the bed or snuggles on the couch. Copper Pearl blankets have some amazing prints that are reversible and the three-layer style makes them super soft and comfortable.
Baby Rocker
Honestly, this is a gift for mom and dad just as much as it is for baby! This adorable wooden rocker is a great option for giving mom and dad some hands-free moments.
Bumpy Ball
A fun sensory toy for baby with different colors, textures and sounds.
Silicone Pull String Toy
This silicone pull string toy is fun for any baby who is working on their motor skills and especially if they are teething.
Oversized Knit Sweater
We have this oversized knitted sweater for our baby girl and honestly, this would be so cute on boys and girls and have several colors to choose from.
Silicone Feeder & Teether
A great stocking stuffer - these silicone feeding teethers are great to add some frozen fruit or other soft foods into to let babies work on self-feeding.
Baby Spoons
We love these nom-nom “gootensils” that are a pre-spoon for babies. The design allows it to hold some food but also makes it easy for baby to hold and stick in their mouth.
Baby Banana Toothbrush
This banana toothbrush also works as a teething toy, but is just the right size to start brushing baby’s teeth once they cut through.
Baby Slippers
Slippers are so practical and useful in the winter time and these are designed to stay on baby’s feet! Lots of colors to choose from.
