First Birthday Gift Ideas for a Granddaughter

She will not remember her first birthday, but everyone around her will, and so will she once she is old enough to ask about it. A good 1st birthday gift for a granddaughter either helps her play and move right now or saves something of this year for later. The list below has both, and many grandparents give one of each. Our top pick for the keeping side is a song about her first year, because it is something she can grow up hearing.

Play a real Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 first birthday gift ideas for a granddaughter

1. A song about her first year ($39.90). Share her name, the nicknames the family already uses and the small things she did this year, and Songbond turns them into an original song. Her parents can play it at bedtime now and at every birthday after. It is ready within 24 hours.
2. A push walker. Around one, many babies are pulling up and cruising along the furniture. A sturdy wooden walker with blocks in the front helps with those first steps. Usually $40 to $90.
3. A set of wooden stacking blocks. Simple, quiet and good for years. Look for smooth edges and non-toxic paint. Usually $25 to $60.
4. A first library of board books. Five or six sturdy books with a short note from you inside each cover. Usually $30 to $50.
5. A recordable storybook in your voice. You record yourself reading each page, and she hears you when she presses the button. Best if you live far away. Usually $20 to $40.
6. A first birthday time capsule. A box with the front page from her birthday, a letter from each grandparent, a photo of the party and a list of what things cost this year. Seal it until she turns 18. The box is $20 to $40.
7. An engraved silver cup or spoon. A classic grandparent gift that sits on a shelf now and gets passed down later. Usually $40 to $120.
8. A hand and footprint kit. Make the prints together on her birthday and write the date on the back. Usually $15 to $30.
9. A college fund or savings account. Even a small deposit this year gives it seventeen years to grow. Add a card each birthday showing what you put in.
10. A soft doll or plush animal that can be washed. A toy chosen at one often becomes the one she carries for years. Buy two so there is a spare. Usually $20 to $40 each.
11. Party clothes in the next size up. A dress or outfit for her birthday photos that will still fit in three months. Usually $25 to $50.
12. A standing offer of your time. A card promising her parents one evening a month when you take her. It costs you nothing, and it may be the gift they value most.

How to choose a first birthday gift

At one, her parents probably have more toys than shelves. Ask what she is working on right now, whether that is walking, stacking or turning pages, and buy for that. Then add one small thing meant for later.

• If she is nearly walking: the push walker or the stacking blocks.
• If you live far away: the recordable storybook, the board books or the song.
• If you want something she keeps: the silver cup, the time capsule or the handprints.

A letter she can read when she is older

Whatever you give, add a letter from you to her, written this week and addressed to her at eighteen. Tell her what she was like at one: what made her laugh, the face she made at her first taste of lemon, who she reached for first. Tell her what her parents were like this year, tired and proud. Tell her a little about yourself too: where you lived, what you did on an ordinary Tuesday and what you hope for her. Keep it to one page so it actually gets written. Put it in the time capsule or tape it inside the silver cup's box. It is easy to put off, and it is the one thing no one else can give her later.

Make her first birthday song

Create a song for your granddaughter's first birthday. It is ready within 24 hours, and if the party is tomorrow, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs for a new baby and songs for first-time grandparents.