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Help needed... all you Mum's out there...

I need some advice please ladies...My niece will be one next week and I have no idea what to get her, I spoke to my brother yesterday and he said she has too many toys already.I don't want to get her trinkets that will just go in the cupboard and not be used.  Is it OK to give her money for her savings account? 

Re: Help needed... all you Mum's out there...

  • Or a savings bond.  My parents do lots of those.
    Crosswalk
  • Ditto P13.
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  • I'd get her a little toy and a savings bond.Or....if you really want a keepsake kind of thing, here's a suggestion.  When my DD's and nieces were infants, my parents started a pearl necklace for them.   They started a pearl necklace, and then each Christmas added an inch of pearls.We'd give the necklaces to my mom at Thanksgiving, and she'd take them to her jeweler and the next inch of pearls would be added.By the time the girls were 18, they had a beautiful 18" strand of pearls from their grandparents.One niece was married on May 30 and wore her pearls from grandma and grandpa.  My DD was married July 11, and wore her pearls.In between the two weddings my mom passed away, and one of my other nieces wore her pearls to my mom's memorial service.It's a very, very cherished gift, and was a lovely tradition.  They didn't necessarily appreciate it when they were little kids, but now they are so grateful.
    "Trix, it's what they/our parents wanted. Why so judgemental? And why is your wedding date over a year and a half ago? And why do you not have a groom's name? And why have you posted over 12,000 posts? And why do you always say mean things to brides?" palegirl146
  • Wow Trix...I REALLY love that idea!
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  • Thanks for the ideas, that is a really lovely idea with the pearls, I had toyed with the idea of a Tiffany's charm bracelet and then buying a charm at each birthday to reflect her personality as she grows up?  Reading your story I'm wavering back towards that....
  • Yes it is ok to start college savings for her. For 1 year olds however i like rocking horse or other rocking annimals. They are just old enough and lasts for a long time in terms of play value  
  • I know she's probably too young to watch tv, but you could get her a few Disney dvd's to start a collection.
  • The charm bracelet and the pearls are very nice ideas. So is the savings bond and every christmas or birthday you can add to that bond. Some thing that she can start to collect like china dolls or music boxes things like that are very nice.
  • Starting an education fund is an idea, too. This is what FI & I are doing for my 20-month-old niece. My parents set up what's called a 529 account with their financial advisor and anyone (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, whoever) can contribute to that. The money accumulates over time and can only be used for education funding. (Not saying that I don't trust my bro w/ money that I would give him specifically for his daughter, but these things do happen!) My brother knows about the fund, but doesn't have to manage it in any way, so it'll be a nice surprise when my niece is 18 and my parents can give them $ for her education.I know how you feel, though...I didn't really want to give my niece things I didn't know if she'd play with/be interested in. Plus, my brother's ILs and wife's relatives live close to them, so they end up getting a lot of toys and clothes from her side. Giving money seems to be my (& FI's) way of helping now (less clutter/junk in their house) and for later (help w/ college expenses), too. So, every Christmas and for her b'day (which is in January, so we just combine the 2 into one payment), FI & I will put $ into that account. We also bought an ornament from Hallmark that was the first in a series, so we hope to continue that tradition for several years as well.Hope that helps!!
  • Pottery Barn Kids has great chairs that are soft and you select the chair cover and it can be embroidered with their name. i got that for my niece's first birthday a year ago and she still loves it. my sister felt the same way about toys so i tried to get something more practical.
  • Thank you all so much for your suggestions,  her grandparents already bought her the cutest rocking horse! I'm going to look into the bracelet but if that doesn't work out I won't feel bad about putting money in her savings fund.
  • I may be a bit late on this, but I have a 2.5 yr old and a 15-month old. For both of their first birthdays, we bought them a personalized puzzle step stool, http://www.mystepstool.com/princess_puzzle_stool.htm. It's so neat, the letters of their names come out like a puzzle and they love playing with it. It also comes in handy as they really start to become mobile and explore their surroundings and conquer tasks such as washing hands and brushing teeth. (I love the jewelry idea and stories as well)...we also do the 529 college fund--all great suggestions! :)
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