A first birthday present: what really lands
The first birthday is a strange celebration. The birthday child will remember none of it. They are probably more interested in the wrapping paper than in the present. And still there you are, three weeks beforehand, scrolling through lists of a hundred suggestions, half of which look the same.
Here is a different approach, with a single question: what happens to the present the day after?
Three kinds of present, looked at honestly
Almost every first birthday present falls into one of three categories. None of them is wrong. But it helps to know beforehand which one you are choosing.
Presents that get used up. Clothes in size 86, swimwear, a puzzle for later. They get used and at some point replaced. Practical, often welcome. Does anyone remember them later? Rarely. If you go this route: ask the parents for the current size. Nothing sits in the wardrobe longer than well-meant clothes in the wrong season.
Keepsakes. The engraved necklace, the framed picture, the book with a dedication. They are kept rather than used. Their value shows in fifteen years, not tomorrow. One good keepsake per birthday is enough, and it usually comes from the grandparents anyway.
Everyday objects. The third category is the underrated one: things that are in use from the day after the party and stay there. The high chair, the good bib, the sleeping bag, the mat under the child's place at the table. No wow moment at unwrapping, but months of service instead. Parents remember these presents because they have them in their hands every day.
At one, a child suddenly eats by themselves and crawls or walks. Nappies still get changed several times a day. Presents that fit exactly into this daily routine work the longest.
Where a mat honestly fits in
Studio Huske makes mats from silicone leather, so this section is not neutral. It is honest, though.
If you want to get your bearings on the material first: What is silicone leather? explains it briefly, including what it is not.
A changing mat like the Wriggle (CHF 39) is bought for the early days: changing nappies out and about, improvising a changing table at the grandparents', protecting the table at mealtimes and during crafts. It is wipe-clean and waterproof, certified to OEKO-TEX Standard 100/1, the most stringent class for textiles with baby contact. Designed in Switzerland, made in Korea.
The real argument as a present is not the spec sheet, though, but how long it stays in use. The mat starts on the changing table and then wanders through the house: under the plate, under the finger paints, onto the grandparents' table, later onto the desk. One customer wrote, in German, that she had actually bought the small mat as a placemat for later and it turned out to be a real game changer. Her words:
"Ich habe die kleine Matte eigentlich als Tischset für später gekauft... als echten Gamechanger erwiesen"
That is the difference from many first birthday presents: the child does not grow out of it, it only changes jobs. How long mats like these actually stay in use is covered in a separate article: How long do you really need a play mat?
And if you are giving as a grandmother or grandfather: your own home is rarely set up for a toddler, and the good dining table certainly is not. Put a mat on it for the visit and nobody has to watch nervously while the eating and crafting happens. A present the givers get something out of too.
For the first birthday party itself there is the Birthday Gift Set (CHF 55): a Wriggle plus a Makedo build kit that turns cardboard boxes into building projects. The cardboard is the star of the first birthday anyway, the set simply takes that seriously. It arrives packaged ready to give.
And if the child is already in the thick of the puree phase: under the high chair, the round Roam (CHF 123) does the harder work. It covers the whole splash zone and is clean in two minutes.
Four good presents that do not come from Studio Huske
A gift guide that only recommends its own product is advertising. Here are four ideas that have proven themselves with one-year-olds and have nothing to do with mats:
A classic picture book with a dedication. "Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt" (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) or "Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat" (The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business) with a few handwritten lines on the first page. Costs little and gets read aloud for years. And it doubles as the keepsake.
A simple wooden stacking or posting toy. One-year-olds stack, fill things up and empty them out again. A solid wooden toy with no batteries and no tunes stands up to this programme for years and does not get on the parents' nerves.
An annual pass for the zoo or museum, made out to the family. The most expensive present on this list, ideal for clubbing together with other guests. With it you are giving twenty rainy Sundays with something to do.
A payment into the child's savings account. Unromantic at unwrapping, unbeatable in eighteen years. Many families are happier about it than they admit at the party.
The simplest route to a present that stays
If you are looking for a present that is in use from the day after the party: have a look at the Birthday Gift Set with Wriggle and Makedo build kit. The unwrapping takes care of itself, and the part that stays the longest is, of all things, the least showy one: the mat.