Baby’s BIG Present

Whether it’s a birthday, Christmas or Hanukkah, parents and loved ones are often looking for just the right BIG present that will be both pleasing to your baby as well as provide a lovely photo op. Here are some ideas that are both helpful developmentally for your baby and can be super cute gift ideas.

Tripp Trapp Chair

Keeping 90 degree angles with supported feet makes eating easier. Our baby was able to belly up to the table for family meals thanks to the Tripp Trapp chair.

As a parent and a pediatric physical therapist, I LOVE THIS CHAIR. The Stokke Tripp Trapp chair works from sitting to adulthood (seriously) because you can lower the seat height and the foot support to suit your child’s height. Keeping a child’s hips, knees and ankles supported at 90-degree angles helps steady a child to where he or she can focus on eating and using his or her hands functionally.

 

Have you everbeen comfortable eating on a bar stool with your feet dangling? This chair avoids the equivalent for children.

As a physical therapist, I have adapted it to cater to the needs of my clients who needed extra trunk control. As a parent, I have used it from first bites on through early childhood by adding on and taking off the high back, the front supports and the tray. You will never need to buy another chair for your child and hence, if you are going to do one splurge for your baby, I would recommend this one. They are very well made so a secondhand Tripp Trapp will likely have a lot of life left in it as well.

The Tripp Trapp chair still in use at 4 years old by changing the back and taking off the front bar.

One of my favorite things about the Tripp Trapp chair is that it is one of the few high chairs that allows the baby to belly up to the dinner table with the family. Babies learn by watching others. I recommend placing a silicone placemat on your table during mealtime so that your baby can see how others eat, use utensils and enjoy interaction at the dinner table. 

 

You can make this a fun BIG present by placing some of Santa’s uneaten cookies in front of the chair for a Christmas morning surprise.

Or, you can place a fine motor toy on top of the tray. Or, maybe The Elf on the Shelf has one last seat in the chair for this year. Yes, it’s a practical gift, but you can make it fun!

These babies are the perfect height to practice pulling to stand, cruising and playing on the Nugget (pictured in grey).

I have recently been introduced to the Nugget, and I think that it is indeed a golden find. It is a very versatile flip out mat/couch/fort/footrest/tumbling platform. Anyone looking for a soft, flat surface to let your little babies lie down and stretch out?

Anyone fall asleep in their baby’s room with one hand on your baby’s back and your face pressed into the carpet?

Anyone need an extra bed for sleepovers and guests? The Nugget can help with all of the above. Additionally, you can flip it closed, and it is the perfect height for babies who are learning to pull to stand, cruise and climb. It is also a dream structure for any fort-building kiddo or stunt-devil that has been trapped indoors for too long.

Pack-and-play

Pack-and-plays can be particularly helpful if you need a safe place to lie your baby down where he or she is safe from active sibs or big pets yet still accessible for family interaction. Here Big Sis is able to clean her new baby brother’s hands from just the right height.

Caregivers need to leave their babies safely in one place to do a variety of things. Swings, rock-n-plays, jumpers, and infant seats are not the best solution though as they restrict the baby’s opportunities to move freely. Over-use of these devices can lead to unbalanced strength, tightness and therefore delayed development. An infant’s skull is very soft and head flattening can also occur by six weeks old if the baby is frequently placed at a reclined position in one of these baby containers. Following, the pack-and-play is a great way for the baby to safely have the freedom to move and explore in all directions while you work, cook dinner, take a shower or simply meditate.

When you are looking for one to buy, the simpler the better. You do not need the infant seat integrated into the pack-and-play because your baby does not need another opportunity to be locked in a reclined position. If you have back problems or have had a C-section, the pack and plays with the higher infant level might be helpful, but otherwise, the one level, no-frills option can be just perfect for your baby.

Want to make a pack-and-play a practical AND fun gift?

If you have a non-mobile infant, you can place a baby arch inside the pack and play or tape pictures along the side of the pack and play. Young babies love looking at simple black, white and red pictures as well as faces. Maybe you hang dreidels or string lights from the mobile? Or, maybe Santa leaves pictures of himself and the reindeer along the side of the pack and play?

If you have a mobile baby, you can fill it with a bunch of balls or a new toy. You can also place a plastic bottle with something interesting inside (i.e. bells, beans, glittered water) to suit the theme of your celebration. Your baby will love chasing the bottle around the pack and play.

Baby Carrier

A baby carrier can be expensive and sometimes you might need more than one for your family because you are a different size than your partner or your baby moves from no head control to major squirminess in a matter of months. Now can be the time to gift you and your child the joy of being close to one another while your hands are free for everything else. If you don’t know which one to get or need help making it work, you can look for a babywearing consultant in your area. Or, look on the carrier’s manufacturer website for video demonstrations. You can commemorate this loving gift with a picture of your baby in a seasonal hat looking up at your smiling face just inches away.

(FYI  – I have no affiliation with any of these products. I just think that they are particularly helpful for supporting a child’s natural development, bonding and play.)

Who’s doing their Christmas shopping on Black Friday? There could be some great deals on these big presents above!

Keep it simple and have fun!

You know that the boxes and wrapping might be the biggest hits anyhow.

 

Allison Hall
Dr. Allison Hall, PT, MPT, DPT is part of tight knit party of five plus two rescue dogs. All three of her children were born in London, England during her family’s great decade abroad. She and her husband both grew up in Texas and returned in 2013 after purchasing a home after seeing it only via webcam. She finds joy in walking in nature, traveling almost anywhere, learning new things, pondering life intensely, caring for others deeply and doing anything that makes for a good laugh with family and friends. She is a pediatric physical therapist and the CEO/Founder of My Kid Blooms (mykidblooms.com), a digital resource for parents to find pediatric/OBGYN health-related information and professionals that match the needs of their families.

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