Of course, there are the exciting occasions to give presents like silver christening gifts and first birthday gifts, but don’t forget there is a whole year in-between birthdays and a baby is growing and developing all the time, so how about some “in the meantime” baby toys or gifts, just to keep the baby and parents going?

Here at Born Gifted, we have a wide selection of baby toys that will just nicely fill that gap for a baby you know. There are brightly coloured toys that are enjoyable for a baby to look at, and musical toys that start babies listening to noises and music. There are soft toys for very small babies and stacking blocks for the toddler. There are also personalised baby gifts if you want to deliver something special and unique.

There is such a great deal of development and change going on in the first couple of years of life that you could give a baby toy every week and still find that the baby is growing and moving on faster than you can keep up. That’s the fun of babies; they make us look at things anew and we see things through the baby’s eyes, as if for the first time. Baby toys that seem quite ordinary to an adult can suddenly appear to brighten up as we play with them with a small child.

Perhaps every week is a bit over the top, but it’s worth thinking about new baby toys more often than only birthdays and special occasions, as each new toy is a learning experience for the baby and an opportunity to enjoy their company.

Becoming a one year old marks the change from being a baby to becoming a toddler. Life for mum and dad changes from looking after a baby, who can roll around and maybe crawl but doesn’t really move around that much, to a toddler who is everywhere all at once. So all this new growth and progress really deserves some exciting first birthday gifts to mark the beginning of this new stage of childhood and parenthood. Here at Born Gifted we have exactly what you need for this important birthday, as well as new mum gifts to congratulate the mother of the child.

This is the age from which your toddler will start to become a bit more independent and significantly, at some stage in this year, will probably learn to say ‘no’.  This is a whole new stage of learning for parents as well as the small child as you both start negotiating with each other in a new and different relationship.

That’s not to say that your toddler is immediately a different child, so all the baby toys that have been so loved and enjoyed will still be played with and will still give a great deal of pleasure, as well as the reassurance of familiarity that small children find so comforting as they speed on with their new achievements.  You might like to keep some of the older baby toys separately for a while so that they seem fresh and new to your toddler when they are brought out again.  You will be able to share their enjoyment of personalised baby gifts as they recognise their familiar friend.

As babies grow, they become more and more fun to play with. It’s easy to think that playing with babies and toddlers with their baby toys helps them to learn and develop -  this is an central part of their growth – but never forget that just playing with them for enjoyment is important too. As adults, it is so easy to think that playing is all over and must be left for the children, but adults need fun as well and there is nothing like a baby or small child to remind us of this.

Once a baby reaches about nine months to one year old, they will really be able to join in games like peek-a-boo. You can use baby toys, such as their favourite soft toy or perhaps some prized first personalised baby gifts to hide behind the sofa, or under a cushion, and then pop them out to surprise your small child. At around this age, babies start to understand about things being hidden and will expect to see the toys reappear from the hiding place, so you can really surprise them by quietly moving the baby toys so that they reappear from a different hiding place.

As you play, you can be chatting to the baby about what you are doing, encouraging them to shout out “here it is” when the toys are found. We at Born Gifted have a wide selection of soft toys and teddies that are ideal for this type of game.

Spending time with your small child and playing games like this with personalised baby gifts is a truly enjoyable way of spending time.

It’s easy to forget how much babies develop in their first year, and how quickly they will need new baby toys as they grow. Choosing baby gifts for a newborn is great fun and a lovely excuse to browse through a range such as ours at Born Gifted, looking at all the possible personalised baby gifts for little ones.

Babies at six months will be excited by different baby toys from the newborn so this is a good opportunity to repeat the enjoyment of looking for interesting activities and personalised baby gifts in a different age group.

The best way to find out what the baby will enjoy is to spend some time with them, playing with them and finding out what interests them. It is surprising how soon small babies develop likes and dislikes and can come up with interests that are an eye-opener even to their parents.

By about six months or even younger, many babies will be really attracted to music and sounds, such as toy musical instruments or books that make the noises of animals. Singing and dancing are another good way of entertaining a baby of this age and it doesn’t matter at all whether you think you can sing well or not, as luckily baby won’t notice, they will just enjoy the tune and the movement.

Babies of this age will begin to be able to clap along with a song and will enjoy doing this with you to their favourite CD or musical baby toy.

Baby showers might be a new idea to some people, but they are a practical way of making sure the new mums and dads to be receive some useful baby gifts as well as having some fun.

If you can get together with a couple of friends or work colleagues, you could arrange a baby shower in one of your homes so that the parents to be don’t have to worry about any of the arrangements or clearing up. Some people enjoy organising a baby-themed quiz for the event, or you may prefer to make it more of a party with food and music. Again, it’s up to you whether you make it a girls only event or if partners are invited as well.

As long as it is not a surprise event of course, the expectant mum could suggest some of the people she would like to invite alongside the group of friends who are arranging things. A baby shower party is an opportunity to talk about everything to do with babies, and to discuss baby toys and which ones those who have some experience have found best.

Of course, if this is the first baby in your group, then the discussion will be more theoretical, but none the less interesting all the same.  Here at Born Gifted, we have plenty of inspiration for you.

For a mum to be, the last three months of pregnancy can seem to last a very long time, so having a get together and receiving baby gifts is a pleasant antidote to the waiting. We also have a range of new mum gifts for you to peruse on our website, as well as personalised baby gifts.