Holiday Gift Ideas for Babies 6 – 12 Months

Marisa

2 years ago

Coming up with holiday gift ideas for babies 6 – 12 months this year was really difficult. I am assuming this happens to a lot of people when the second child (or subsequent children are) is born. We kept the toys and clothes our first used often, the ones we just couldn’t part with, and others that may be considered heirloom pieces. We try to keep toys to a minimum so it can be hard to pick out gifts for the second child when it feels like we just can’t house anymore. But we want each child to have some items they can call their own so I dove deep to find what would be fun, long lasting, necessary gifts that wouldn’t overwhelm us.

If you read last year’s Holiday Gift Ideas for Toddlers 18 – 24 Months Old then you know we are not big on buying the “popular toys”, or holiday outfits you wear for a month, and knick knacks that won’t survive more than 24 hours. In our house less is more and I try my best to always practice that in the hopes our daughters will grow up with the same appreciation.

If you haven’t read Holiday Gift Ideas for Toddlers 18 – 24 Months Old then I will share what we look for when purchasing an item. It helps me to stay focused on sustainability goals; will it be trashed in 2 months, can we recycle it, what does it’s end of life look like? Things we accumulate in life aren’t just for our satisfaction, they have an impact on the world around us (plastic in our oceans, global warming, child labor, etc… to name some of the big ones).

What Do We Look For When Purchasing an Item

We still want to celebrate the holidays and birthdays with as much flare as possible but want to do it responsibly. When putting together a wish list we do it with a couple things in mind:

It is ethically and sustainably made?
Is it non-toxic?
Will it stand the test of time?
Is it gender neutral?
Do we need it?

We don’t hit everything on the list all the time but we weigh out what the most important factors are and make a decision. It takes time and research to ensure we are making the best decisions and there are compromises. But at the end of the day we feel good about what we are bringing into our daughters’ lives.

So without further delay here is this year’s holiday gift ideas for babies 6 – 12 months old!

Toys

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No holiday is complete without toys! Like I mentioned we have toys already but come on every kid should have some items that are their own. 😉 So I thought long and hard about the toys that our first really liked (and doesn’t want to share, LOL!) and also thought about what we would like to add to the stash that we missed out on the first time around.

Our first loves her stacking cups and music box and finds it difficult to share them sometimes so I thought, “with as much joy as she has gotten out of these toys, we can have two sets.” We do teach her that not everything has to be shared and if it is special to you you don’t have to. Baby sister has a lot of fun with these toys too so this should minimize any future squabbles, fingers crossed!

We have a walker but it has seen a lot of love so we are going to keep it for outdoor activities. The walker we picked has a bunch of activities a baby learning to sit up can do. And as baby learns to walk she can use it as her walker. I think the best part is the hidden compartment for her to store and cart around her most prized items when she gets a bit older. I see this toy being well loved for many, many years. It is also beautiful. I will probably keep it as a heirloom piece.

One Toy to Push the Boundary

We always pick a toy that may be advanced to see if they would be open to it. We also know that if it isn’t a good toy for them at the moment it will be in the future and won’t go to waste. Our first loved latching stuff, playing with zippers and figuring out how her hands work. I wish we had something like this earlier so we will get it for baby sister and they can share.

Clothes

We saved clothes for our second but they weren’t born in the same season so we are a little off on clothes fitting at the right time. Needless to say we need long sleeves and pants for the winter season as we are flushed with summer gear. We also need warm gloves, a hat and PJs. Throw in some booties that go with everything and we should be all set for the winter.

When shopping for clothes we always look for GOTS, Fair Trade and OEKO-Tex certifications to ensure that our little ones are wrapped in wholesome goodness with no chemicals or toxins. Skin is our largest and most forgotten organ that soaks up everything we put on it and near it so it is really important to be aware of the textiles that touch our skin. Here are a couple of our favorite brands: MakeMake Organics, Parade, Bird Rock, Ecoable and Burt’s Bees.

Books

A wish list of holiday gift ideas for babies is not complete without books. Not a day goes by where we don’t read at least three to five books. I am always on the lookout for books that expand our understanding of the world. Books that expose us to different languages and cultures are a main focus and we look forward to adding these to our home.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

A gift doesn’t always have to be something tangible. We would like to give our daughters the gift and freedom to pursue anything in life that makes them happy. It is the gift of their future. One way to help them achieve that is to save and invest for college or a home or anything they want so they don’t end up in student loan debt, house poor, etc…. If you want this for your special kiddo look into an investment account, savings account, or other money saving strategy to make that happen and ask family and friends to help contribute to that goal.

While they are young the fun toys are great but honestly playing with you is the greatest gift you can give (thus allowing you to save for their future!).

What holiday gift ideas for babies have you found to bring joy? I’d love to hear; leave a comment below!