Cool Mom Picks: First Birthday Gifts

First Birthday Gifts

Some of our favorite gifts for that special baby's special birthday.

Curated by Christina on February 14, 2013 7:21 AM

Humble wooden blocks get a beautiful makeover

Whether you are looking for a stunning first-birthday gift for a special child in your life, or your preschooler just loves to build, this beautifully designed set of colorful blocks is one toy they'll treasure.

Great baby dolls for boys, in honor of Free to Be You and Me, and William...40 years later.

We're so happy to wish a happy 40th anniversary to Free to Be...You and Me, that groundbreaking collection of songs and spoken word pieces that introduced me to the concepts of equality and tolerance at such a young age. In honor of William's Doll, and all the little boys who would rather have something to cuddle than something robotic (or maybe they want both!), we've pulled together some of our favorite boy dolls for them.

The best scooter for little kids? The one that's the best for big kids.

There is no question in my three-kid household that one of the favorites in our fleet of ride-on toys is the Mini Kick scooter. From the moment they could balance on the stable footrest, my kids were cruising the driveway and declaring it "best scooter ever."

The animal blocks that might lead to Tetris greatness

First, the bad news: when you get all these block animals lined up just right, there will be no fireworks over the Kremlin.

Avast, me hearties! It's a pirate rattle! And it's cute!

Arrr! What could be cuter than a tiny pirate rattle? Why, a tiny baby holding on to a tiny pirate rattle, of course.

Oh my oh my oh dinosaur

If there's one awesome baby gift for any kid at all anywhere, it's a bunch of books to start his library. Which means if there's one more awesome baby gift, it's going to be a sturdy bookend that does more than just sit there and look pretty on the shelf.

Custom birthday books for kids that are beyond adorable

I love the look on kids' faces when they open a book and see their names in the pages of the story. So in celebration of the biggest day of all---their birthday!---here are a couple beautifully illustrated books that will make the birthday boy or girl feel even more special.

It's a lovey. Or a rug. Or a stuffed animal. Or wait...

Confession: I've never totally understood the stuffed-animals-that-turn-into-blankets thing. But I've just found a handmade version that's way cuter (and more sense-making... to me, at least) than some of those seen-on-TV versions.

Personalized alphabet blocks help you spell BEST BABY GIFT EVER

We've long been fans of the beautiful handmade wooden baby toys from family-run Little Sapling, and now there's one more item that can make you the most awesome gift-giver ever.

Forget the Kentucky Derby. This horse wins our hearts.

As a Southern transplant, I couldn't let the annual running of the Kentucky Derby go by without at least a little hat tip (ha, get it?). But since I'm pretty sure I won't have a need for a gigantic hat anytime soon, I figured a cute little horse for my little jockeys was much more up my alley.

The biggest, fuzziest balls we've ever seen

Writing about big, fuzzy balls makes me think of a sketch on Saturday Night Live. Except these balls aren't salty and nutty and made by Alec Baldwin. No, they're gorgeous and made of old sweaters or fleece and soft as the dickens.

Babies deserve a little Green Toy action too

We first fell in love with Green Toys way back in the day of the lead paint recalls (aw, remember those fun days?) and knew they were onto something fabulous. Well sure enough, their line has expanded beautifully since then and today they're doing some super cool things for the littlest people in our families.