With Black Friday over already, Christmas is right around the corner! And with it, the perennial question of what to give baby that they will love and parents won't hate!
But don't worry, I've got you covered. Our cheat sheet for the best baby gifts will have you spoiling the little one in your life in no time. From classic toys to trendy items, we've got something for every age and budget.
So decide what your budget is and select the correct age group for baby and get ready to be the best gift giver this festive season!
Read on for the Ultimate Baby Christmas Gift Cheatsheet
Eleanor Meireles
How I Choose - Best Christmas Gifts for Babies UK
Christmas is a time where we all want to get the perfect gift for our loved ones, but it can be hard to know what they will like.
We have all been there, frantically running around trying to find the right gift for that special someone and usually ending up with something generic or last minute.
I have got you covered. This guide has everything you need to buy the perfect present for newborns, babies, toddlers and young children this Christmas.
I have read through thousands of user reviews and star ratings and spoken to tons of parents to find the best combination car seats and laid them out below with everything you need to know to make the best possible decision no matter your budget.
Sophie la Girafe My First Christmas
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This Christmas-themed take on the popular Sophie la Girafe is the perfect gift for newborn's tiny hands. As well as becoming a beloved friend, Sophie is a great alternative to a teething ring for when baby’s first teeth start to pop through.
What You Need to Know
Winner of Mother an Baby Awards 2022 Best Teether.
Made with 100% natural rubber and paint composed of 100% natural rubber that is mixed with natural pigments.
Baby Shusher For Babies
Why It Makes a Great Gift
New parents will love you for gifting this sleep soother that uses a real human voice to lull baby to sleep. It is portable so can be taken anywhere and has a sound sensor to go to work if baby rouses.
What You Need to Know
OHbaby! 2018 Gold Award Winner and Voted by parents as BabyList’s 2019 Best Product Award
Lovevery The Play Gym
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This gym for newborns up has five unique development zones to help baby learn to focus, make sounds, explore touch and colour, and hide and find objects.
Lovevery The Play Gym was designed by child development experts to support important learning stages during baby’s first year.
What You Need to Know
Includes seven accessories (high-contrast black and white cards, high contrast ball, batting ring, teether, Montessori mirrors and learning card sets) that are made with baby-safe and non-toxic materials including organic cotton and sustainable wood.
Oli & Carol - Natural Rubber Baby Teether
Why It Makes a Great Gift
Parents love this unique theether not only for normalising chewing on kale but due to the natural ingredients and the fact it is biodegradable so won’t end up in landfill. The textured surface is perfect for babies to chew on and explore.
What You Need to Know
Handmade with 100% natural rubber from Hevea trees and hand painted with natural pigments. Highly hygienic, biodegradable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. Free of PVC, BPA, Phthalate & Nitrosamines
Mamas & Papas Baby Snug Seat
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This lightweight, easy to clean seat is perfect for babies that can’t quite sit up on their own yet but don’t like being left laying on the floor (so, most 3-6 month olds!).
Give parents the gift of being able to leave their baby safely while they take a shower and give baby the gift of the 8 interactive features on the Mamas & Papas Baby Snug Seat
What You Need to Know
Maximum weight recommendation 15kg
The supportive seat includes a removable insert so it can be adapted as baby grows, meaning the seat can be used past 6 months.
Yookidoo Baby Play Gym Lay to Sit-Up Play Mat
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This baby play gym has all the bells and whistles to keep baby entertained for hours including supportive seat for upright sitting and playing.
Baby can spend hours on Christmas morning playing with the motion activated musical plane, double sided tummy time pillow, baby safe mirror and royal teething rattle.
What You Need to Know
Includes more than 20 developmental activities and plenty of toys to move around
Easily folds for convenient storage or travel.
3 LR44 batteries required
Copplestones Baby Booster Seat + Tray
Why It Makes a Great Gift
As the proud owner of one of these chairs I can tell you with confidence that it is a winner with kids and Parents alike. This si the perfect gift for a 6-12month old between learning to sit, crawling all over the place and learning to walk as it straps them in safely and allows them to feel like a big kid.
Bonus points for it being machine washable.
What You Need to Know
Maximum weight recommendation 15kg
Comes with a safety harness and removable tray table
Can be used on the ground or as a booster seat on a chair at the table (must be sure to fasten securely according to manufacturer’s directions.
Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Ultimate Learning Bot
Mid-range price gift for 6-12 month old
Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Ultimate Learning Bot
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This 4-in-1 Ultimate Learning Bot is a favorite with kids who have been known to take this literally everywhere with them, the super cute toy easily becomes baby’s best friend. The super soft bot has 4 ways to play and lots of fun music, lights and hands-on activities.
What You Need to Know
Provides engaging educational content with the three Smart Stages learning levels, featuring more than 120 songs, sounds and phrases about numbers and counting, the alphabet, shapes, colours and more.
Batteries included ( 4 x C (R14) Carbon Zinc)
KiddyMoon Baby Foam Ball Pit
Why It Makes a Great Gift
A great gift for parents with a bit of space in their homes, this foam ball pit is a favorite due to its high quality and sturdy design. Where many other ball pits fail because they are too flimsy, the foam structure of the KiddyMoon Baby Foam Ball Pit has parents raving about it. It also looks great in any nursery with its stylish design and range of colors to choose from.
What You Need to Know
Size 90 x 90 x 30 cm
Oeko-Tex certificate for cover - safe for little children, non-toxic, BPA free. Eurofins certificate
Comes with 200 balls (which may sound like a lot but will give the perfect amount of cover for the pit)
Made from Cotton 70%, Polyester 22%, Spandex 8%
Machine washable
LEGO DUPLO Brick Box Building Set
Why It Makes a Great Gift
A solid favorite with babies and kids alike, LEGO has stood the test of time. These large size bricks are perfect for babies over 1 year and helps them work on their fine motor skills, problem solving and building as well as teaching them about numbers, letters and colors. I’m yet to meet a child that doesn’t love Duplo and have this wrapped up ready for my one year old this Christmas!
What You Need to Know
Includes 65 LEGO DUPLO bricks plus familiar pieces to stimulate toddlers’ minds, including a toy car with moving wheels, windows, and flowers
Also includes 2 LEGO DUPLO figures, 1-2-3 number-learning bricks, a roof and 2 loaves of bread, plus extra building ideas are included in the box
LeapFrog Pal Scout Smarty Paws
Why It Makes a Great Gift
Parents love the LeapFrog Pal Scout Smarty Paws for teaching their kids about mindfulness and breathing exercises. He can be personalised for that extra gift-winning touch so he will say the recipients name, and favourite food, colour and animal!
What You Need to Know
Leapfrog are known for their award winning toys and Scout is no exception. He doubles as a night light with a special night time mode, activated by pressing Scout's right back paw, which soothes little ones to sleep with 5, 10 or 15 minutes of peaceful lullabies while his light-up collar glows softly.
Play over 40 songs, lullabies and tunes as well as learning games to explore first words, animals, counting, mindfulness and emotions.
Scoot & Ride Unisex
Why It Makes a Great Gift
The perfect gift for babies that have just learned to walk and are still a little unsteady on their feet but raring to go! Parents say this is very high quality and sturdy for baby to learn to ride a scooter.
What You Need to Know
Made from Plastic Alloy Steel Aluminium
Size 59 x 28 x 36 centimetres
No batteries or assembly required
Ankuka Karaoke Wireless Microphone
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This portable wireless karaoke microphone can be used as microphone, Bluetooth speaker, loudspeaker and recorder. Using this home karaoke machine singing or record your wonderful voice at any time/where.
The budding singer will love it, parents, maybe not so much!
What You Need to Know
Equipped with professional audio processor and tuning system, three layers pop filter, creating a stunning KTV live-sound environment and wonderful echo reverberation
playing time up to 8 hours after full charged
Connects to your device via Bluetooth
Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron
Why It Makes a Great Gift
This toy has taken over the internet and become hugely popular after several viral videos on TikTok. I'll be honest, I saw this on TikTok and wanted it for myself!
The cauldron comes with all the ingredients you need to grow your own soft toy using included magic spells and wand.
What You Need to Know
Suitable for 5-12 years
Your Magic Cauldron comes to life through magical sounds and lights with over 50 sounds and reactions
Reloadable with additional purchases.
3 LR44 batteries required. (included)
Birdie BIRD Kick Scooter for Kids
Why It Makes a Great Gift
For kids that are almost ready to graduate to a big kid scoother but still need a little practice, the then Birdie BIRD Kick Scooter for Kids is a great option.
Birdie’s ergonomic grips are designed to provide better handling and prevent children’s hands from slipping off handlebars, which are height adjustable.
It also has a stomp brake help your little rider come to a stop quickly and reliably.
What You Need to Know
Size 85 x 38 x 70 cms
Made from aluminium
provides flexible control as little riders navigate their three-wheel kick scooter with three wheels for increased stability and stomp break for safety.
FAQs
I have put together a list of the most asked questions to help you figure out what is important when shopping for baby and child Christmas gifts.
What should I look for in a Christmas gift for baby?
Some good things to consider when buying a Christmas gift for a baby are developmental toys, teething toys, soft books, and musical instruments.
Developmental toys: Babies learn through play, so developmental toys that promote crawling, stacking, pulling up, and other gross motor skills are perfect gifts.
Teething toys: Babies start teething as early as 3 months old, so giving them a toy specifically designed to help relieve the pain and discomfort of teething is a great idea. Look for products made of silicone (which is gentle on gums) that can be frozen or chilled for extra relief.
Soft books: Soft books with features like crinkly pages and textures that babies can touch.
If this is baby's first Christmas, check out my blog Gifts for Baby's First Christmas
What should not be gifted at Christmas?
Here are some things that you may want to avoid giving as gifts at Christmas:
1. Things that the recipient doesn't need or want - This is probably the most common mistake made when gift giving. Make sure to get something that the person will appreciate and use.
2. Expensive or impractical items - If the person you're buying for can't afford it or doesn't have a use for it, then it's not a good gift idea. This goes for really loud and annoying baby toys, their parents won't thank you!
3. Gift cards - While they may be convenient, most people would rather receive a physical present than a gift card.
4. Unpersonalized items - If you don't put any thought into choosing a gift, the recipient will likely notice and won't
What are the five sense gifts?
The five sense gifts are sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch.
Each of our five senses can be a vehicle for experiencing the world around us in unique and different ways. Sight allows us to see colors and shapes, smell enables us to detect scents and fragrances, hearing allows us to appreciate the nuances of sound, taste lets us enjoy flavors and textures, while touch provides information about the environment through contact.
What are the three elements of a successful gift?
There are three essential elements to a successful gift: thoughtfulness, appropriateness, and timing.
Thoughtfulness is key – you should put some genuine effort into choosing a gift that the recipient will appreciate. It's also important to consider the recipient's likes and interests, as well as their current situation (for example, what developmental milestones baby have accomplished).
Appropriateness is key – you don't want to give something that's either too generic or too specific. You also need to make sure the gift is age-appropriate. For example, it might not be appropriate to give an expensive bottle of wine to someone who's not old enough to drink alcohol.
Timing is also important so make sure you select a gift that is the appropriate age for baby that will last after Christmas.
What makes the most meaningful gift?
The most meaningful gifts are often the simplest ones. They can be something as small as a handwritten note, or a heartfelt hug. Something that shows that you took the time to thoughtfully select and personalize the gift, and that you care about the person who received it.
The best gifts are those that come from the heart, and they always mean the most to the people who receive them.
What makes a gift perfect?
A perfect gift is one that is tailored specifically to the recipient, taking into account their likes, dislikes, and personality. It's something that shows that you took the time to find out what would make them happy and truly unique.
A perfect gift doesn't have to be expensive; it just needs to be thoughtful and meaningful. Sometimes the best gifts are homemade or involve a special gesture, like cooking a favorite meal or writing a heartfelt letter. The key is to put in the extra effort to make sure the gift is perfect for the person you're giving it to.
Are there any gift taboos?
There are a few gift taboos that exist in different cultures around the world.
Another example is the "taboo of the forbidden object." This occurs when an object is considered off-limits for gifting, usually because it has great personal value or because it symbolizes something negative. For instance, in some cultures it's taboo to give money as a gift.
So, what do you get a baby for Christmas?
It depends on the baby's age and your budget which is why I've split this cheat sheet down by both for quick referencing so that you can make an informed decision when picking out thew best Christmas toys so I hope you’ve found the information above useful.
All of the baby Christmas gifts above are available on Amazon so click ‘Check price on Amazon’ to see which baby Christmas gifts work best for you and the little one in your life.
Thanks for reading!
