Reply With QuoteMight be a crap idea but the last two Christening gifts I've bought for friends have been Royal Mint coin sets.
There is currently a 'My first coins' baby gift set for £30 and a 2013 'Royal Baby' proof set for £25 on the Royal Mint site.
Some good friends are due to have there first child in a couple of weeks, we already know the name and the sex it'll be a boy.
Now comes the tricky part I'm trying to think of a suitable gift for the child, I like to do things against the norm, so teddies and clothes would not really be my cup of tea.
Has anyone any suggestions up to £50ish?
Up until now we have relied on a local shop for insporation for such gifts but they have ceased trading so I'm out of ideas and the good lady says it's your friends so you think of something, which is helpful.
Might be a crap idea but the last two Christening gifts I've bought for friends have been Royal Mint coin sets.
There is currently a 'My first coins' baby gift set for £30 and a 2013 'Royal Baby' proof set for £25 on the Royal Mint site.
The coins are a good idea........as its something that will be kept for years to come? Failing that? How about a nice Steiff teddy bear?! I know you said no to bears!.................but a Steiff is a quality bear, which "should"! be kept for years to come..........................unlike other soft toys/bears etc which may well end up in the bin/attic/shed/bottom of wardrobe etc!
Not a sentimental gift but we always give friends with their first a set of early learning centre stacking cups. Dead cert to be child's favourite toy for first year or two.
Coins are a favourite too but i'm not a fan of the trashy worthless Royal Mint sets - how about a pure silver coin - theres a very attractive Chinese Silver Panda for under £20.
http://atkinsonsthejewellers.com/silver-coins
When my son was born, a friend in the States sent me a very nice baby towels set with the baby's name beautifully and professionals embroidered in it. I thought it was a fantastic and thoughtful gift. We still have it and use it. Grandma in Australia did the same with a cot blankets set. It looked fantastic and we got a lot of use out of it. Personalised gifts are a good idea, and it shows that someone has done a little bit more than just browsing for a random gift in a shop.
A good friend gave our daughter a cherry tree which I thought was a fantastic idea. She was born early spring though not sure if it's the right time for planting trees now!
We exhibited at a trade show next to the lady who owns the company that make these;
http://www.googoogifts.co.uk/cupcake-baby-clothes/c60
We bought a couple of the larger sets for friends who were expecting and they were delighted.
I usually give a set of children's cutlery or a copy of the Little Prince.
I'm liking the coin idea, I think they would be happy with the Cupcake clothes but it's not the type of gift that I would normally send.
A couple of thoughts from me:
If you do go for clothes as a gift, consider buying sizes for 3 month or 6 month old babies. Every friend, relative and well-meaning auntie will be sending cute romper suits in new-born size and your friends simply won't use them all. Buy a size bigger and they'll have your stuff there as the little lad grows.
As well as the cute gift, why not consider a cash contribution into a child trust fund / baby bond / bank account? That way you can get him into saving and investing from a young age and ultimately help him buy his first car / Rolex / pay towards Uni.
Something like a personalised gift - a wooden train with the baby's name spelled out in letters on the carriages (could be expensive for a Maximillian or Wilberforce - better value if the baby is named Ken !!). Parents spend a fortune kitting out their kids' rooms with all this stuff! Alternatively, a personalised money box / piggy bank is good for a new-born.
The names been known for a while after the dads two favourite footballers, not that his wife knows yet, but she will do at the christening :)
Sophie the giraffe or a set of stacking cups would go down well with the baby.
How about a bottle of wine to be laid down so that it matures and is drinkable when the baby turns 18 ? A friend of ours did this for my eldest and his investment of a £10 bottle 18 ears ago should turn into a very nice vintage bottle of wine he can open on his 18th ..or keep a little longer.
Obviously it needs a little research into suitable wine for laying down for that length of time but there should be plenty of help for that
Tiffany Silver spoon, never fails to impress,
^^^
Good idea.
Silver is traditional as a christening gift, antique is nice (silver rattle?) and can be kept throughout life as a keepsake rather than something that will be discarded in a few months.
Cheers,
Neil.
My son is 1 year old and best gifts IMO were personalised things such as trains spelling his name, chair with his name carved in it and silver items (albeit they were given at his baptism, not birth)
My sons loved Sophie the Giraffe, plastic stacker cups and any Lamaze soft toy.
Are you buying for use now, or for the future?
If its a boy see what collectible corgi toys are about, bought my Nephew a Hornby train, 15 years later its doubled in value. Just don't let him play with it!
one of these? as its a watch forum lol,
As the father of a 3 year old girl and a 17 month boy I can speak from recent experience.
Clothes, don't bother, we got so many I forget who got what. Of course a full football kit of his dad's team wouldn't go amiss if they follow one. If you must, get them for at least 6 months plus so they have something for the future.
Sophie la girafe is a must have, but someone may have already got one of those. A soothing night light/lullaby machine is good, they don't work for all kids but can be a real help when they do work.
Silver is a great idea, though we got more of that at christenings. I like the idea of a wine for putting down, or even shares or premium bonds.
Someone has already mentioned personalised items, and the best ones we got for the boy where a really nice blanket and a neckerchief/bib with his name on them.
My favourite though was a baby blanket a friend of mine when our daughter was born. My wife is Greek Cypriot and my friend made us a blanket with a Union Jack on it, but in the colours of the Cypriot flag. It's awesome because its unique.
Take a look at my Sisters website.
http://www.nannolica-kids.co.uk/
Cheers,
Martin.
A pipe of port. A bottle a month for nearly 60 years.
He'll thank you for it. (I know I would)
Our baby is 6 weeks old, the Lamaze soft toys seem to be a popular choice of gift as we have received 3 so far! Best thing so far has been the fisher price jungle playmat, that keeps her entertained the longest.
A Jumperoo will get daily use from 4 months to 12 months. Cost about £100, we bought used for £50 and sold it 8 months later for £50 - amazing.
Ya can't go wrong with clothes, mamas and papas do quality garments
I know I'm late for a party...Sorry for disturbing...
My first kid really loved sitting in one of these at a friend's house. My second son is probably ready for one now, but we don't have one. I don't have any developmental concerns about them, I just don't feel like storing a huge thing that babies only use for a few months. We do have the doorway like on this list https://www.evababygear.com/best-baby-jumpers/ kind, though. They store great. With my first, he loved that doorway thing so much and DH wanted to put a hook in the living room ceiling for it so he didn't have to be back the hall where our only doorways are. I talked him out of it, luckily, because, again, babies only use those things for a few months.
Last edited by Eleunel; 22nd January 2019 at 10:04.
The child will be at school now!Originally Posted by Eleunel
Read somewhere years ago that those doorway jumpers weren’t recommended. Seems bit of a cop out for the parents to put them in one and leave them to it.
Jumperoos probably better as child can move about and interact with surroundings/parents.
Have a look at www.beyondthestork.co.uk
A couple of nice gifts my son received last year were a Vera Wang piggy bank and a Chinese year of the dog mini gold bar. Some friends also gave a cheque to invest in premium bonds.
He prefers the selection of Sophie the giraffes he got though :)
It’s 5+ years old, let it die (the thread).
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
A friend of mine who is also into cars had a son recently, for his son's christening present I bought him something from https://playforever.co.uk/ they make lovely toys - so much so I bought myself one.
Last edited by Alex L; 18th November 2019 at 14:58.
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