Birthday gifts for a baby in the first year, the splurge picks.

The one play gym designed to change with the baby across the whole first year. Pricey — and the splurge I'd actually make.

The 3-to-4-month kit — a batting toy, a mirror, the good wooden bits. If you're doing the subscription, this is a lovely single gift too.

Impossibly soft bamboo that regulates temperature better than cotton. The gift a tired parent will quietly thank you for at 3am.

A stationary jumper station where a pre-crawler bounces out their energy while you get ten minutes. Folds up, which matters in a small house.

The high chair that becomes a big-kid chair that becomes an adult chair. You buy it once. Grandparents: this is the one to go in on.

The bouncer that rocks from the baby's own kicks — no batteries, no motor, and it lasts to toddlerhood. A worthy splurge.

A powered swing with real motion settings — the thing that buys a new parent two free hands for twenty minutes. A splurge, and a sanity-saver.

A structured carrier that actually spreads the weight, front or back, newborn to toddler. The one I'd point a new parent toward for the long haul.

A gentle plug-in swing for the fussy hour. Not every baby takes to one — but the ones who do hand their parents dinner back.

The bouncy seat station where a pre-crawler holds court while you make dinner. Folds flat, which matters.

Made for the sitting-up, drop-everything, grab-everything stage. Beautifully thought-through, and it looks good left out.