Birthday Gifts for 4 Year Olds 2018 | Gift Ideas for Kids | Me Becoming Mum

Squidgy is four. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, I'm pretty sure I only gave birth to her yesterday. She is hitting so many milestones, growing up way to quickly and changing into a grown up girl... No longer my blonde baby.

She is also just months away from starting school (how scary is that?!) and so the gifts she got for her birthday had to fit into her new grown up life and future. With that in mind, here are a few ideas for gifts for the four year old in your life.

Their own coat hook

One thing Squidgy has always wanted to be able to do is hang her own coat up, and unfortunately she can't reach the "big" coat hook to do so (to be honest I can't really either... It's the right height for John at 6'3" though, ha!) She now has her own coat hook though and it's awesome.

The lovely team at Love Hooks sent her their super cute Noah's Ark wooden peg hook* which is not only a story she knows in bright colours with her favourite animal (giraffe!) included, but is so easy to put up and with three wooden pegs means she can hang her cardigans, rainbows and winter coats all at the same time!

"My first..." books

Like it or not when a child turns four it means they are so close to that big milestone of starting school. If their birthday is far enough away to do so, buying a gift to help them get a head start on their learning may be a great idea. We got Squidgy some wipe clean books to teach her how to write and she is coming on in leaps and bounds. By the time September comes around I am pretty sure she will be able to write her own name and more.

Scooters, bikes and other outdoor gifts

Outdoor gifts are the best kind of gifts. They are great for keeping your children active, getting them outside instead of in front of the TV or other tech and also are super useful for the preschool and school runs.

Squidgy absolutely loves her three wheel scooter, but for her birthday she had a "grown up" two wheel one to match her My Little Pony bike, and she can't wait to upgrade to it. As for her My Little Pony Girl bike, she is in love. After wheeling it around the house for a bit, she finally got it outdoors at Ferry Meadows and couldn't have been happier. If you're buying gifts like these don't forget to get the accessories such as helmets to keep your wee one safe.

New Clothes

Innevitably these little humans we are raising will end up outgrowing the clothes they are in, usually some time around their birthdays. Squidgy is super tall thanks to her daddy being 6'3" and is currently in age 5-6 clothes.

Buying clothing for her in the next size means that when the day comes that she outgrows the clothes she's in (which she did just weeks after her fourth birthday when she pushed a hole in the toe of her tights because they were too short for her legs...) there are plenty of bits ready for her to move on to.

As children move through clothes so quickly you needn't spend a fortune on them. My girls are more often than not decked out in full Primark outfits and they always look fabulous (even if I am biased about how super cute they are!)

"Grown up" household items

There is nothing more grown up than moving from plastic cutlery to metal forks and spoons, and learning how to use a knife. Add to this a move from plastic plates and bowls to "proper" ones as Squidgy likes to call them, and trying out new food like dippy egg and soldiers (a favourite of mine growing up) and you have plenty of winners when it comes to choosing gifts to buy.

Itty Bittys

After stealing my Lady and the Tramp Itty Bittys that featured in my Valentine's Gift Guide earlier this year, you can imagine her joy at finding out she had some of her own. Not only were they hers, but Hallmark kindly sent two of Squidgy's four favourite princesses... Aurora and Cinderella from their Disney Itty Bittys range They go everywhere with her, from bed to breakfast and back again.

There are so many options available in the Itty Bittys range, you will be spoilt for choice choosing one for your four year old. Whether they are superhero fans (Wonder Woman and Supergirl was the theme of Squidgy's birthday and they are available too, maybe she can have them next!) or into TV characters like the Flinstones and Scooby Doo; there is something for every little one.

LEGO

Moving from DUPLO to LEGO was a big thing for Squidgy... and for John and me too. I totally wasn't prepared for the way that she just moved up like she had known how to do it all her life and followed the instructions to build castles and structures when I left the room. She really is incredible, but I wish she would stop growing up so quickly.

There are plenty of ways you can introduce LEGO from the LEGO Junior sets to "proper" LEGO set, or just buying a box of bricks and letting them loose. There are sets for every budget and if you keep an eye out you can also find them on offer in places like Sainsbury's so take a walk down the toy ailse when you go to do your shopping just in case.

Personalised book(s)

Over the years we have accumulated so many books, and we all love them. From sitting together on the sofa reading through their favourite book to having a short story read to them at night; my girls have fallen in love with books just like me. The latest book in our (huge) collection is an amazing personalised book of nursery rhymes. Did you know there's a Funky Pigeon personalised books range? NO? Neither did I, but there is and it's amazing!

From the amazing posh looking box that this lovely hardback book arrives in (making it a perfect keepsake) to the beautiful finishing touches such as the beautiful drawings inside and the fact her name is hidden in the pictures for her to find as we read through, it is absolutely perfect. I could not be happier with the beautiful My Book of Nursery Rhymes* and neither could she. She has even begun to associate the pictures with their respective nursery rhymes and say them back to me as well as recognise words... a great first step in learning how to read.

"Paint your own" kits

One of Squidgy's favourite gifts was the ceramic tea set her aunt sent her for her birthday. Squidgy loves to hold lots of tea parties, with her sister, her toys, me or her dad involved; so the idea of having a "big girl's" ceramic set that she could paint herself? It blew. Her. Mind.

Don't forget the card!

No birthday would be complete without a lovely birthday card. Ok, so most four years olds won't be able to read the nice message you write inside, but that doesn't mean they can't appreciate a gorgeous brightly coloured birthday card with their favourite character on. At the moment, along with Wonder Woman and Supergirl, Belle from Beauty and the Beast is Squidgy's favourite character. There could not have been a better card for her than the awesome Daughter card from the Hallmark* Disney range which to be honest I think I love more than she does (and that's saying something!)

There are so many cards available in Hallmark's card ranges that you will never be short of a choice when it comes to your mini human's birthday! They're even available on Amazon, so you can order them straight to your door.

So there you go, four year olds are not as hard to buy for as it may seem... there are plenty more ideas besides these but it would take too long to list them all! Have fun shopping!

Disclaimer: Although this post is written of my own volition, some of the products I have been sent for the purpose of testing them out for review. These products are highlighted by the use of an asterisk (*) beside them. All views and opinions are my own. This post may also contain affiliate links. All photos are copyright property of Me Becoming Mum.