Emma's Diary Feature: Please Don’t Buy My Son A 1st Birthday Present

When Jack turned 1, I asked people not to buy him anything for his birthday. My controversial decision has been quickly became an Emma’s Diary feature. The team were so intrigued to find out why I didn’t want anything for him and I happily agreed to share my thoughts. It’s a juicy one!

A Snippet From My Emma’s Diary Feature…

Life, when you have a baby, lives on fast forward.

Yesterday, my belly was protruding in front of me and my baby was happily kicking my ribcage. I blinked and then he was here, smiling and cooing away at us. I blinked again and his first Christmas had been and gone. One more blink and we’re on the cusp of his first birthday.

It’s true what they say: the days are long but the years are short.

Jack is now one, on his way to walking, chatting away, and being a real little character. We celebrated his birthday as just the three of us on a day out and threw a small party for his baby friends.

But my friends were shocked when I asked them:

“Please don’t buy him a first birthday present”

Baby’s First Birthday

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be aware that we are currently living in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. There are food shortages, bills are going up and we are all feeling the pinch.

While toys for a baby or toddler may not break the bank, it’s an extra expenditure that, I feel, is totally unnecessary. We are so lucky because we’ve been able to give Jack lots of what he needs in his first year: from necessities like clothes, muslins, and nappies to toys that will help his brain grow.

But we did a lot of second-hand shopping for these things. We were clever with our purchases and invested in diverse products as well as items with multiple uses.