1St Birthday Gift! - Sulphur,LA

My in laws get a buy a silver dollar with the year on it (it's a certified coin, that is basically giving them an ounce of silver each year). They do it every year. The kids get a toy to open and in the card is the cloth bag with the encased coin. The in laws say the kids can have their collection when they graduate, until then I am supposed to watch it. On their first birthday they got two coins, one with their birth year and one with the year of their first birthday. My in laws say the kids can choose what to do with them when they are older. If silver does well, it can help pay for college. If the kids want, they will have an interesting keepsake to hold on to. I plan on making the birth year coin into a money clip for my son and a necklace for my daughter when they graduate and I pass their collections on to them. I like it. It's not a burden to store, it;s something different, sentimental and may be valuable.

My MIL used to give the kids savings bonds for their birthdays. Although they didn't get a smile or a "wow" back then, they sure are now, especially since my oldest is turning 14 and sees how much she has in savings bonds.

Probably the best thing you can do is to contribute to a 529 or take one out in his name to help fund college. Unfortunately, it's not the most exciting thing, and it won't get any "oohs" and "ahhhs" until he heads off to college and has several thousands of dollars in it.

Otherwise, it's so hard to know what kids will love and what parents will cherish.

As a Godmother, the simple fact that you want to do something wonderful shows how much he and his parents mean to you. I'd hope the parents would recognize that as the best gift you can give them.

Invest in Savings Bonds.

What about a baseball hat? Or baseball cards?

I know I missed it but if you can afford it you may want to put him in a IRA, a roth ira if possible. You can check this with any on line financial company. TDameritrade etc. If parents would put $1000 in a company 50 years old that pays dividends on a regular basis and let the dividends reinvest it would be worth $.5million at age 65. At 65 when the child retires they should have about $50K in dividends. If the company has a history of splitting it will be worth more.
If you cannot afford $1000 set up a saving account when $250/500 accumulates then invest it in a stock.
Sorry to say I did not do it with my children, but I try and get my grandchildren to do it with their children. I had problems with my grand daughter but when I guranteed her I would make up any lost for the first three years she did so for her 1st. She now has three and she has all of them in AFLAC the crazy duck company.
God Bless