Nice presents for nice small people

It's been a while since I featured any kid-specific stuff here (rather than just stealing children's things and appropriating them for adult use). 

But with my best buddy* shaping up to pop a little'un out in a couple of months, I have babies – and baby presents the parents will approve of – on the brain. Here are some of my favourite finds...

Clockwise, from left

'Have a nice day!' bear poster, from the Hambledon, £14.95. That's what the text – which is Swedish – means. Even though the print is Japanese. It measures a handy 50cm x 70cm, so fits into a standard, off-the-shelf frame.

Nanuk lamp, from a friendly-sounding Dutch company, Mr Maria, £149. No, it's not cheap. But LOOK AT HIS FACE. He also measures a sturdy 41cm, in case that helps justify a purchase. There is also a very lovely story about the glowing bear's origins on the website, which will make little ones love it even more. (Thanks, by the way, to my friend Vinnie, a big kid, who pointed me at Mr Maria through her love of their Floating Miffy lamp.) See some of the other designs, below...

Japanese paper balloons, from Papermash, £2.75. These are inflated by blowing through a hole, and will withstand being deflated and blown back up a few times. Perfect for party bags or for making a brightly coloured mobile. Papermash is a fantastic stationery shop that I have only just discovered, but which I will be writing more about because it sells so much good, colourful stuff to make presents look lovely.

Creative Creatures Activity Book for Children (Macmillan), by Donna Wilson, £12.99. My friend's eight-year-old loved making a sew-it-yourself stuffed owl when she came to visit a couple of months back. And this book is full of such projects, but with Donna W's excellently stylish and quirky take on what makes a good creature. Here are a few more images from inside...

'Last' wooden animals (below), from the FAO Shop. These beautifully hand-carved wooden animals, made by the Italian design studio, Alburno, are, arguably too good for sticky little fingers. Nearly forty quid for a toy that's 15cm high could be money better spent if these lovely things were displayed on a grown-up shelf. That said, the sentiment behind them is is perhaps designed with that in mind: each animal is an extinct species, and the idea is that this will help teach the importance of caring for the wooden versions. I think I'd stick to that high shelf.

* In case you remember the cushion sale I was on about last year... which was a fundraiser for my friend who'd had four heartbreakingly unsuccessful rounds of IVF and was selling cushions to earn some funds to help go towards her and her partner's final go... well, that's the same friend who is now sporting a beautiful bump. Isn't that nice?