The best 18th birthday gifts that are unusual
Ben is 18 in November, I truly can’t believe it and you know the worst thing, choosing unusual 18th birthday gifts for him. Actually that is the second worst thing; the worst is that I will officially be a parent to an adult not a child! The whole prospect of that is really quite terrifying!
Ben has so much stuff and as an only child, gets treated and spoilt quite a lot so buying gifts for him is always so difficult. Here I wanted to share with you some of my favourite ideas. Some of these I may or may not be buying for him, as he reads my blog I obviously wont be telling you all too much and spoiling his surprises!
This is a collaborative post.
Something personalised with the year they were born
Instead of personalising an 18th gift with their name or the number 18 how about personalising something with the year they were born? This could be cufflinks, a keyring, jewellery, a pint glass or even a numberplate depending on your budget there really is something for everyone.
Buy them a star
I absolutely love this idea, I always say to Ben that I would give him the world if I could, which I can’t of course, but I could buy him a star which is equally cool. When looking to buy a star, there are so many to choose from, but I love that with World Star Register, all the stars available are ones you can see with the naked eye!
They come in lovely gift boxes, so I love that you have something more than a printout to give too! Whilst you could give this as a gift on it’s own, you could also give it with other themed items such as a star-shaped Pandora charm or even a telescope.
The options are endless. If you need 18th birthday gifts for twins then you can even buy stars next to each other which I think is pretty cool!
Mountain bike gifts
Something you might not have considered is mountain bike gifts, do they enjoy their bike or perhaps would love to start a new mountain biking hobby?
I follow a mountain biking blogger and it looks such fun. If you are, like me, a bit clueless about what you would buy someone interested in Mountain biking I found her guide to mountain bike gift ideas which might help!
A day out
Whether they are interested in a day drinking cocktails or a tour of a football stadium, there is sure to be a day out you could take them on to give them a birthday to remember.
If you plan on cocktails or a pub trip as part of it be sure to take their ID with you though, a provisional driving license is ideal, so they can have a birthday drink!
A holiday
If you have lots of money to spare then how about a holiday or short city break either with you or their friend or partner? There are some lovely city breaks which would make a fantastic holiday to remember and their 18th will be more than just a memory of hangovers and pub crawls!
Jewellery
Whether you are buying for a male or female 18th birthday jewellery could be a perfect gift. For men who don’t wear much in the way of jewellery a nice watch that will go with suits for job interviews and smart meals out could be a good compromise without having to buy a ring or bracelet they might not wear.
Pandora is a great choice for young ladies if they don’t have anything like that already or perhaps a locket or something that is timeless and they can keep for years to come. A blogger friend of mine bought her daughter some gorgeous Pandora items for her 18th.
Important things to remember for making a gift special
A few important things that I think you should consider when trying to make sure the gift you buy is truly special.
Don’t buy something which will soon be out of date and replaced such as the latest iPhone, an 18th, in my opinion, is a time to give a gift they will keep forever not replace in a year or two.
If you buy anything personalised, be sure to check, check and check again before you order because there is nothing more memorable than a gift with an incorrect spelling!
Money can be a nice gift but could easily get spent on a few nights out; if you are happy with this, go ahead. If you want them to buy something they will keep for years to come then a gift voucher might be a safer option.
The amount fo money you spend is not as important as choosing something that has a lot of thought put into it. The best memories are in time together and knowing someone has truly thought about you when they bought you a gift, in my opinion.
I will update you all on what I actually get for Ben after his birthday and might even manage to share some pictures of him turning 18 too which should be fun as he is adamant he wants to go on a pub crawl!
If you have any other fun and unusual ideas I should consider let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear your ideas.