A first birthday is a very special event, so the first birthday gifts should reflect this. It’s true that the one-year-old in question may not be very clear about what it all means, nor will they remember it in years to come, but there’s no doubt that they will understand the excitement and attention at the time.

There’s always the problem of deciding what to buy for a one year old. Baby toys will certainly go down well and there are so many to choose from, from soft toys for a small child to cuddle and feel secure with to activity toys that will stretch them and encourage their imagination.

We at Born Gifted have some special ideas for first birthday gifts. How about a special photo album for the birthday boy or girl? We are so used to having photos of the little ones, but how often do we think of them having a photo album of their own? Small children love looking at photos of themselves and their family and recognising their own and other people’s faces. It helps them to remember special events and activities as well.

Or a more active toy might be the stacking blocks with numbers and pictures on the sides, which will help the toddler to start counting as they stack the blocks on top of each other – or more likely as you stack them up and the one-year-old knocks them down again!

But no matter, they can learn to count just as easily this way; it’s the joining in and fun that matter and that’s why we love to give birthday presents.