(Not-So) Baby Boy's First Birthday Gift Guide

I am really excited because Benson's first birthday is coming at the end of the month (I'm also freaking out, a lot, that my baby is growing up so quickly!!) However, I feel like we're finally getting to the stage where he will be excited about gifts-or at least new toys!

I have few key things I wanted to get Benson, but as I was looking around I had so much fun finding cool things that I decided I would create a little gift guide in case you are searching for some fun things to get the one year old boys in your life.

Ultimately, kids need two things for their birthday toys and clothes, so all of my picks are from those two categories.

First up, I know Benson really needs some new jammies. While I love foot jimmies on kids, I totally prefer separates on Benson because he is so long and it's hard to get his legs into the footie jammies.

A tool kit to match Dad and help out with any new house projects is essential (plus I saw my nephew with one and I knew we had to copy him!)

A soccer ball for two reasons. 1. We are soccer players so we are trying to influence his taste and 2. Chasing a ball around the house keeps Benson so busy, so I can get stuff done.

Plush cars were not even on my radar until I saw these. Benson puts everything in his mouth. e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. He loved playing with his cousin's cars when we saw them so I knew I wanted to get him some cool cars and these Melissa & Doug ones are just icing on the cake. I discovered Melissa & Doug last Christmas when shopping for my niece and nephew and fell in love with all of their stuff.

I love the idea go getting Benson some building blocks because he has a few and loves them already. I definitely love the "lego" aspect of these because he can still use them as he gets older.

Don't forget to scroll to the right to see more picks!

Why you never see my son on my blog

Being a blogger is a tricky and funny business. You basically put your entire life out on the Internet for everyone to read and judge. You post a lot of photos of yourself and pray that no one thinks you're a narcissist.

Then you get pregnant and you've pretty much hit the blogging jackpot. Just about every girl loves to read another girl's prego adventures. You take your readers all along the journey through the good (and occasionally the bad) of every trimester. Then you have the baby and blogging gets a little more complicated. At least it did for me.

Right after I had Benson I started thinking a lot about privacy and what I was going to do to keep Benson safe from cyber creeps. I read this article about keeping your children safe on Instagram and it really hit me. Was I doing everything I should to keep my baby safe?

I thought about this for weeks. I looked at what other bloggers did. I asked people what their thoughts were. Finally, I talked with my husband.

That was probably what I should have done in the beginning. My husband is a pretty private person. After talking we decided that I wouldn't post photos of Benson on public outlets. If I do want to post a photo, I usually talk it over with Jason first to make sure he's ok with it. I want both of us to feel comfortable in how we present our son online, so I'm really glad that we were able to be on the same page about it.

I feel bad sometimes that I don't get to share all the adorable stuff that Benson does with all of you. 'Cause he's pretty much the cutest kid ever. ;) However, I think that child safety is really important.

Now, please don't get me wrong, if you post photos of your kids on your blogs or Instagram or Facebook, or whatever, I don't think you're bad parents. At. All. It just didn't feel right to me because most of my social media is public to the whole world. There are totally times I wish I hadn't made this decision, like when Benson has chocolate ice cream all over his face and is scrunching his nose up when he smiles. You better believe my first instinct was to share that cuteness on Instagram, but in the end I held off.

I don't want my son's adorable little face to be the catalyst for some perverse habit of someone who has a sick addiction. Even if I don't know that it's happening. I want his innocence to be held close and protected.

This isn't meant to be a "why you should do what I do" post. It's really just an explanation behind the choice I've made for my family.

However, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the subject! What best practices do you use to keep your kids safe?

Why thrifted toys are the best

I was really lucky with my son that so many people gave us some amazing toys. Honestly, I have purchased very few brand new toys for Benson. I bought him a teether toy or two brand new but that's about it.

Kid toys are a tricky business. It seems to always be a balancing act between having enough toys to entertain, keeping things fresh and not having them take over your house. When you're buying brand new toys it can start to add up really quickly and you probably won't get as many toys for your dollar as you will if you're buying used.

My friend sold me an entire garbage sack of toys for $10, which was incredibly sweet of her! (Thanks Moon!) I got so many toys that I'm able to split them up between my office, the living room, the front room and Benson's room and he still doesn't play with all of them! Which is incredibly helpful because I like to switch his toys in and out so he doesn't get bored of them.

My absolute favorite baby thrift was an activity play mat. I am a member of a local Facebook garage sale group and before Benson was born I scoured that page daily for baby deals. I knew I needed to get a couple of things to entertain him since I would be working throughout the day and a play mat was on the top of my list. Brand new they run $20-$50. I got this exact one retailing at $49.80 for $3. Three. Dollars. It was missing maybe two toys, but for $3 I was not going to complain. Plus Benson doesn't know the difference! The best part of that purchase is that Benson will still play with it at 10 months old. It has been by far, my favorite baby purchase, thrifted or not.

If there are toys you really want brand new, then go ahead and buy them, or put them on your registry! My sister-in-law, whose son is just year older than Benson, was sweet enough to gift me her favorite toys and books. Some of those toys are my favorites too so I'm definitely glad we had a few new things for Benson when he was born.

If you do buy used toys just make sure to wash them before you let your little ones play with them, or if you kids are anything like mine, play = stick them in their mouths. I sprayed the non-cloth toys down with some disinfectant spray and then rinsed them off in the tub. It took me all of 10 minutes and then they were ready to go! You can wash most cloth toys in the washing machine. I really want this bag for that very reason!

I am also a big believer in donating unused toys to a friend or thrift store-mainly because I don't want them overrunning my house. I read an article that said to donate or sell old toys when you buy new ones. I loved the idea of getting rid of toys that are no longer holding kids' attention because by then they are just taking up space and not serving a purpose.

What are you best kid thrift finds? What's your policy on new and old toys? Any advice for this new mom?
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