Gifts to give and get…

Munchkin was lucky enough to have been given plenty of gorgeous presents when she turned one. And in turn, we’ve had fun purchasing gifts for all her tiny friends. This is our pick of Munchkin’s favourites to keep and share…

These gorgeous Alphabet Blocks have a lovely vintage feel to them, and the letters and numbers are cutouts, rather than just prints, so they feel fun to play with too. I bought them for Munchkin to go in her vintage Triang trolley and they look fab, but would be just as happy in a wicker basket. She loves stacking them and chucking them in the paddling pool, which so far they’ve endured rather well. I also love this carousel, which is a great present for little girls, it plays a sweet tune and this one is small enough for Munchkin to get her hands on and play with, but robust enough to withstand being dropped. Plus, it looks beautiful in her nursery.

A total winner of a present from one of Munchkin’s little friends, she is addicted to this horse box, wheeling it around the house and taking the ponies with it wherever she goes. It comes with two ponies, with fur and proper manes and tails, but I also bought her a couple more beautiful hand-painted ponies from figurine specialists Schleich, which are sold at Crocodile in Cirencester, and she loves them too.

This wooden kitchen is a great present, for girls and boys. It’s not too big so fits neatly into the smallest of houses and is also a walker so helps with increasing mobility. It comes with some random vegetables – with eyes (!) – and saucepans and wooden spoons. There’s a white plastic sink, an oven to put things in and take things out of, oven knobs to turn and bright colours too. Munchkin spends hours with it and it’s easy to transport outside or into another room as I move about the house with her. She also loves this sweet gardening set, which she can carry around with her and, so far, is perfect for banging on the floor and hiding stones in. I can’t wait till she is digging things up with the proper, and very well-made, fork and spade. By far the most successful present Munchkin was given for her birthday though, was this simple rubber duck family. A mummy and daddy duck and about eight baby ducks, it’s the only thing she plays with and she takes any opportunity to crawl to the bathroom – up two flights of stairs – to find her ducks and play with them. I find them all over the house, and I don’t go out without taking a couple with us.

Munchkin’s auntie lives in Norway and it’s traditional for Norweigan children there to be given a white bunny for their first birthday, this super soft classic is a lovely addition to her cot and she already cuddles it happily every night. I love giving books as presents, especially when you can write in them, and this gorgeous book is a really special version with sweet pictures. Wooden blocks are vital for little ones and this clever stacking set is great for children from one to ten, as it comes in different shapes meaning you can build houses and make things with them. These little wooden boats actually float and make a change at bathtime from all that shiny shiny plastic!

Happy birthday to all the little ones celebrating their first year…

x