Gift guide for newborns to 9 months

Choosing the right gift for little ones can be a challenge! What do they really need? What is age appropriate? Will it actually get used? At The Huddle I hand picked products that I believe in. They are high quality, affordable toys which grow with them. All sourced from trusted independent UK businesses. Not only are our gift ideas beautiful, they are also picked to support their development too. All gifts mentioned in this blog are suitable from birth.

• Newborns
• 4 months plus
• 6 months plus
• How to play with your baby
• Introducing foods

Newborns

Newborn babies see in monochrome for the first few months. They are drawn to high contrast images and facial features. The Black & White Book Project board books are the perfect newborn gift (£7.50 each). They come in a range of themes, with stunning images of animals from : Southeast Asia, OZ, Africa, Great Britain, Ocean and animals from the Amazon. These books have 12 animals in them, they are made from FSC certified paper using soy ink and designed to withstand chewing and throwing. Perfect introduction into the magical world of books and animals. These books will grow with your little one into toddlerhood and beyond.

Soft toys for newborns can be great gifts. The Beehive Soft Toys are safe for newborns, the newborn gift sets come with a comforter, rattle and soft toy. They come in a range of colours, pink, blue and white.

4 Months+

Babies begin to develop hand to mouth coordination around 4 months. This is also the time they begin to see more colours and spend more time awake. Easy to grasp items such as the JellyStones toys and teething rings are a great toy that will grow with them. The Stacker (which come in 3 different colour styles rainbow, pastel and blue) are very popular in our play sessions at The Huddle. The easy to grab and hold silicon rings each have a different texture on them to explore. They can be stacked in any order and much loved by little ones all the way up to 4yrs old! Later learning colours, learning to stack and order too. The Rainbow or Pastel Wheels are equally versatile and come with fruit images on each piece. The silicon and wooden ring combined teethers are a great addition for your baby, easy to hold and grab and safe to chew.

6 months +

At around 6 months your baby will be sitting up confidently and developing their hand eye coordination. They begin to gain more control over their movements and a real interest in how things work. The Rosa & Bo nesting babies are a great gift for any little one – they are plastic, have little holes in them so perfect to play in sand and water. They are easy to clean and wash. The chiming bunny comes with each set which are a great toy for a newborn. The nesting dolls come in blue, pink and rainbow. New sets coming SOON!!

Beehive Toys have a range of wooden toys which will grow with your little ones. The activity cubes support the development of motor skills, hand eye coordination, problem solving and as they grow support in developing understanding of colour, numbers and puzzles. The garden cube is the smaller of the two cubes available but includes number shape sorter, musical xylophone, cogs and bead top (£15.99). The larger of the activity cubes is the musical activity centre. It has the wired spiral beads, animal tiles to turn and create pictures, things to twist, turn and slide. When you turn the centre part of the cube it plays music (£39.99). The Lion Rainbow stacker is a fun and bright toy supporting the development of hand eye coordination, ordering and learning colour names, growing with your little ones as they develop (£9.99).

How do I play with my baby?

It can feel overwhelming having time with your baby and feeling like you should be doing something with them. But what? Some people like to buy toys but others find them overwhelming and some limiting. Pinterest can be great for ideas but again filtering out the activity perfect for your little one may be as far as you get. Playhooray has you covered! This set of cards has 100 activities for you and your little one. Using things from around your home or easily and available from a local shop, you can have an activity which supports your baby’s development as well as entertain you both all set up in minutes. Baby Play prompts are a great gift that will grow with your little one, with activities you can extend and develop past 1yrs old. Want to give your little one something to actually open on Christmas day or on their birthday? Why not choose one or two of the activities in the pack and buy a few items to do the activities, pop them in a gift bow and there you have the perfect newborn gift!

Starting Solids & Food

Once your little one is ready you may begin to introduce solid foods at around 6 months. (sings are) :

• sitting up and holding their head steady
• coordinate their hands, eyes and mouth so they can look at the food, pick it up and put it in their mouth
• when the swallow foods (rather than spit it out or push the food out with their tongue)

Information from www.nhs.uk

These silicone weaning sets by Eat Well Bebe, are a great gift. The bibs are super soft and flexible, the spoons are great for puree feeding or loaded spoons for you little one to feed themselves. Because the handles are sturdy and the spoon soft it is gentle on their gums. The bowls come with a lid, perfect to store those left overs, as well as a suction pad on the base avoiding the bowls being thrown on the floor. The sets come in grey, pink and blue. Dishwasher and microwave safe.

As always, if you can’t find what you are looking for, have any questions or would just like some personalised support and help choosing your ideal gift get in touch via email or our social media pages. southwestbumpsandbeyond@gmail.com or www.instagram.com/thehuddlesw or www.facebook.com/thehuddleyeovil .

We are currently offering click and collect service once a week. If however you would like your order posted pop us an email with your order and we can arrange this. If you would like to reserve items and pay in installments please do reach out and we can arrange this.

Toddler Gift Guide

These gift ideas are suitable from 9months to approximately to 18 months/2 years. With the idea that these gifts will grow with your little one and will get a good use out of the toys way past 18 months. I believe in toys and gifts that have lots of play opportunities and support development and interest as they grow. All without breaking the bank.